Everything was very clearly communicated. Check-in was very fast. Dr. Julie Nguyen was both informative and had a great positive attitude. I apologize, I cannot remember the name of the lady who helped me pick out frames. She also did a fantastic job and picked out a nice pair on the first try. I didn't feel pressured to get glasses or contacts, but this ultimately made me feel more comfortable purchasing some glasses. My wife had come earlier and recommended it. I am glad I switched from myeyedr. read more

Love Dr. Thelen & Dr. Thelen, lol. They are a husband and wife team and both of them are wonderful. We see Michelle more often than we see Courtney but again, both are wonderful. They are amazing because they really take their time and you never feel rushed; you feel like you are the only person in the office. The entire staff is very cordial. The office is modern and the decor is perfectly pleasing and easy on the eyes, pun intended, lol. They take you through different exam rooms, to do your eye tests and to see the docs, and the color and lighting scheme that they use is in every room is perfect. The practice also has opticians in-house and they have a very nice, extensive inventory of eyeglasses and contacts in all price ranges for both adults and children. read more

See all

Visited Annandale eye care today and was getting new glasses. I was helped by the technician Erica; she was kind, considerate, and readily chose glasses for me that I liked. Dr. Courtney Thelan, who is my optometrist, was most thoughtful and helpful to make the process run smoothly. I highly recommend this practice! read more

My whole family got eye exams, and all four of us had a great experience. My 9 year old was a little nervous but Dr. Courtney and his staff put him at ease and made the whole appointment easy. I have been to a lot of appointments with professionals who are supposed to be "good with kids" but aren't really. Dr. Courtney is! He talks directly to kids in a friendly and patient way, meeting them where they are at. My exam was also thorough and efficient, without feeling rushed. Highly recommend! read more

New patient here. Due to a scheduling conflict with another location, I chose Annandale EyeCare on a whim for my 9 year old because (1) it had an available time and (2) it's down the road from home. So glad I found this office! Dr. Courtney was totally pleasant as he explained his process to my daughter as he conducted her eye exam. She was nervous going into the appointment but was happy by the end of it. Apparently, they also recently moved to this office building. Everything looked new which added to the professional ambiance. From the front office staff to the Doctor's assistants, it was a wonderful experience. So much so that I made an appointment for myself and will have my husband call for himself. They have a nice selection of frames for the entire family. Highly recommend this practice!! read more

Doctors were fine, but they couldn't cut my glasses right. It was over 400 dollars for my prescription glasses (not including the frame) so I went back for an adjustment. Ended up they didn't measure my face correctly the first time. So they cut them again, STILL out of focus and I can't use them to read menus. I won't go back again because it seemed they thought they were doing me a favor on my second trip. It was hours wasted, and hundreds of dollars wasted. I won't go back again. read more

Over many many years before Covid my visities to Annanddale Eye care were fun occasions interacting with doctors and staff. Sad to say not so much anymore with some new staff. I purchased new eyewear on June 28, 2021 so far all is going well. After two weeks I did receive a text or email I called the office inquiring on the status of my eyeglasses and was told they were in but needed to be put together this was on a Friday. The following week I waited for a call to collect my eyewear, none came. I called the office once again asking were my eyewear ready. I was told their was a problem and my lenes had to be reordered and sorry I was not called but they would put a rush on new lens and I would be called as soon as they arrived. I waited another week with call or text so I called the office once again and was connected to voice message were I left the following message. Its been over a month since i purchased my new eyewear and if they are not in by next week cancel my order and refund my money. Later that day I received a call saying my eyewear were ready and I was on a call list to be notified. This left me feeling unapprecated by one area of the office staff. I live in Arlington Pentagon City area were their are over a dozen eyecare offices I can go to but I chose to drive to Annandale. I may have to rethink if I will continue going to Annandale Eye Care if the service I was receiving prior Covid pandemic is not restored. read more

I saw many positive reviews and came here because it was time for an eye exam. I was greeted and instructed on how to fill out the necessary paperwork. I had very little waiting time to get called for my exam. I had a very thorough eye exam and everything went smoothly. Michelle answered all questions I had and was very helpful. They have a good selection of frames to look at as well. read more

Extremely expensive for basic services and a very high fee just for a contact lens prescription even with insurance ($142). I've had many regular eye exams for glasses and contacts and this one was by far the worst and most commercialized. The whole process they have in place was not well explained and took a long time. The contact lens fitting was also terrible - I couldn't see out of one eye and by that time I just wanted to get out of the place. The whole experience was very off putting. Overall not worth the price or service. read more

I went here several times for an eye infection. I was given two different prescriptions, the second was mail order in a cooler and not covered by my insurance. Neither prescription cleared up my infection and there was never any follow up from the doctor after receiving the second prescription. I don't believe he had any idea what was going on with my eye and just decided to try a couple of things. If he knew what it was, one of the drops should have worked. I would go elsewhere if you are having a medical issue. read more

This place is great. I moved here about a year & half ago and knew I'd need to find an eye doctor. I knew I wanted to go to a hometown local doctors office & not a Lense Crafters type place. My previous eye doctor was not a chain store doctor & I enjoyed the personal experiences with them (plus I feel like they actually remember you). I found Annandale almost a year ago & went to them for my annual check up in Feb 2017. My next appointment isn't until Feb. 2018, but today at work I thought I'd accidentally scratched my eye. I had eye surgery a few years back so I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to my eyes & avoiding mishaps whenever possible. I got in touch with them & they were so wonderful in they were able to squeeze me in right before the office closed for the day so Dr. Thelen could make sure there wasn't a problem with my eye. I'm so happy that I've found them & I'll definitely recommend them to people I know. read more

Avoid like the plague. Had to go in 5 times and still don't have the right prescription. The appointments are twice as long as any other place I've gone for a simple annual check-up. Additionally, the assistant who helped me was cold, unfriendly, and didn't seem to know what she was doing. A "follow-up" appointment to fit contacts took more than an hour...and I still didn't get the right size. read more

My experience so far has been meh. They performed testing that was not covered by my insurance but did not notify me until they were demanding payment. I felt the actual vision check was rushed and after receiving the prescribed trial contact lenses I know it was done poorly. Neither eye prescription is workable. One is to strong and one is to weak. I sent a message through the patient portal to get this fix and received no response. I followed up by calling and the front office had no idea there even was messaging in the portal or where it goes. ‍. I got put through to the contact lens department and left a message but have not heard back. I've been wearing contacts for over 30 years. Seems like a lot of work for a correct prescription and I'm not confident I will get one. Super glad I didn't order glasses with them! read more

I have a very bad experience with Dr. Courtney Thelen. He did not do a good eye prescription to fit my vision. I do not recommend him for Eye care. read more

I love my new glasses.....there is a whole new world out there. Everybody I met was professional, efficient and very helpful. Thank you Dr Courtney Thelen, Christian, Sarah and Marc. I had a very pleasant experience. read more

Had to take my 5 year old daughter to get a baseline test for her Elementary school and I cannot believe what an amazing place all around this is. Dr. C. Thelen had great bedside manners and very professional and warm towards my kids and me. My daughter adored him and he even managed to get my son who is 3 to get tested. I think this place is diamond in the rough. The office is nice, clean and classy. The staff, all three ladies were super sweet and very helpful. Loved the refrigerator with drinks and Keurig coffee machine. I am looking forward to return and get my eyes tested. read more

This the most recently experience that I've been to a private optometrist office. I've always went to the commercial ones like Hour Eyes. And boy did I noticed a difference in quality service and diagnosis! I recently had an inflammation in my right eye and it was giving me trouble seeing and a lot of people thought it was Pink eye. I made an appointment with Dr. Michelle on 10.11.11 and I was very impressed. She knew exactly what she was talking bout, she told me about past experiences with other patients that had similar results for me to know that she knew about this problem before me. She also explained to me every single procedure she is doing to my eye. I thought that was really good service. I always want to learn what is going on and what the Doctors are doing. And Dr. Michelle did just that. Dr. Michelle gave me another eye exam after my inflammation went away and noticed a difference in my sight right away. Let's note that I got an eye exam at at Hour Eyes during the summer. Dr. Michelle gave many options to why I'm having these problems and cases as to what we should do. None-the-less I got everything I expected out of a proper visit with results to my problems. I will continue to go back for follow-ups to make sure everything is perfect. For my follow-ups i gained more information about why my eye-sight is fluctuation so rapidly and random. Apparently my cornea is swollen and it's causing my focus to come short while hitting the retina in the back of my head. That's causing my random fluctuations so they agreed for me to try to not use my contacts and get glasses. They said that my eye sight will still fluctuate and it shouldn't be a problem for me to change my lens prescriptions withing 90 days if my prescription for eye glasses changes again after my eyes have heeled. While choosing my eye glasses, I didn't have to search around and look for styles. The eye glass rep, Kevin did all the work. He explained my insurance policy on glasses and lenses, he explained to me why i kept getting migraines with my old pair, explained the technologies of the new frames compared to the old ones, and told me how to choose eye glass frames in the future. Now do you get this kind of service at other corporate eye glass place? Just to make a note I placed the order on Monday and Kevin called me Friday at noon to pick up my glasses. He fitted the glasses to my face and made minor adjustments on the frame to fit perfectly. I'm happy. My glasses may not be brand named, nor super fashion forward but it didn't make my migraine come back, it didn't cause me to see through a fish bowl, and it didn't make me look uglier. By far this is the best optometrist office I went to. I'm definitely recommending this to other people. I love both Doctors, Mitchelle and Court (husband and wives!) and the assistant tech, and Mr. Kevin the eye glass rep/lab tech. My only less than perfect service was the front desk. I didn't get a good vibe from the front desk. They could be a little bit more friendly and it wouldn't hurt for them to smile. I hope this helps! read more

Good experience here. Nice, professional, friendly staff. I actually saved money here compared to My Eye Doctor which I had been going to in previous years. read more

Very detailed eye exam. They do run on time, which is a plus. Dr. Michelle Thelen was super friendly and professional. She answered all of my questions and concerns. Her assistant was super kind and friendly, made me feel comfortable. read more

I came here upon the suggestion of my husband who told me that they are a great practice and he has never had a bad experience here. I came in for an annual eye exam last week and had a wonderful experience with this practice.The women at the front desk are so very polite and friendly and also helpful. I had an appointment with dr. Michelle Thelan. She was very helpful in explaining what was going on and just very friendly. I would agree with my husband that this is a great practice! read more

Dr. Michelle Thelen is fantastic! I have been seeing her since 2013 and she is very knowledgeable, professional, and approachable. Her staff are also very friendly. When you first come in, expect to have them test you with an array of machines. These machines will test if you have any irregularities with your eye and is done by a technician. After that you get to see the doctor. I have been experiencing extremely dry eyes due to contact wearing and she gave me some eye lubricant. I also got to try on new contacts that are suited for dry eye users. The great thing that I like about this place is that they let you try on the contacts and wear them for a few weeks to see if you like it. If not, they allow you to try out a different one. Overall, I have a great experience here and will continue to come back. Also a word of advice, some insurance companies do not cover fitting of contact lenses. I think if my insurance didn't cover some of it, I would have to pay $130 for trying on contacts. read more

Both Court and Michelle Thelan are terrific. As a retina specialist, I have the honor of treating many of their patients. I often will refer to them my own patients - those in need of great eye care and don't have their own eye doctor. Their patients love them and my patients love them. Professionally, they are excellent eye doctors. The staff at Annandale EyeCare is first rate, engaging, caring and professional. Please say hello to Cylene and Tiffany! BTW - the Thelan's have taken care of my whole family for years! Randall Wong, M.D. Retina Specialist Fairfax, Virginia read more

Excellent service and professionalism. The doctor was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Will be returning in the future.

Had a really great experience at Annandale Eye Care and will gladly return there for more services. I had to bring my 6 month old with me to the appointment and I felt like everyone was more than accommodating for me, which I greatly appreciated. The facilities and equipment are very nice, clean and seem new. I found the male doctor to be super friendly and kind. In addition, the man that helped me find frames was very knowledgable and made the process less daunting because he could easily recommend some frames for me. Great experience! read more

Dr. Thelen has been my eye doctor for going on about eight years now. I've been with him through glasses, through contacts, through LASIK, and now just an annual check-up. The entire office staff is friendly, and I highly recommend this practice. read more

Knowledgeable and experienced doctors, courteous and helpful staff always ready to help, and beautiful and spotless offices. All at Annandale are very friendly and professional. I highly recommend Annandale EyeCare. read more

I have been seeing the professionals at Annandale Eye Care for more than 30 years (the last 5 or so with the new owners of the practice, Drs. Court and Michelle Thelen). I've always been satisfied with the quality of care I receive from them. This is a small-ish private practice, and the office staff seems to stay a long time. It has a very personal feel, not like the chains, I suspect. I usually only go for an annual eye exam. and many of the ladies have been at the desk for years. It's almost like family. A nice touch is a blackboard with the names of 1 or 2 new patients. Oh, and no stale Mr. Coffee coffee pot in the waiting area. They have a Keurig that provides a fresh cup for you. (But you may not have time to drink it because most times -- in my experience -- you'll be taken to the exam room at roughly the time of your appointment. Either arrive early or wait til your eyes are "un-dilating" to indulge in a cup of coffee.) I hope when I move that I won't be too far away from Annandale Eye Care. I would recommend this practice to any of my friends. read more

I have seen many eye doctors in this area (Annandale, Fairfax, Vienna, etc) for last 15 years. I have suffered from random episodes of iritis for many years. I came across with Dr. Michelle back in 2013 because of it. I remember that episode of my iritis was very bad. And she was the most caring eye doctor I have ever met! She gave me her direct number to reach her after office hour just in case of any emergency. It is hard to find a doctor like her. She helped and cared me with her heart and I was greatly touched. It was such a memorable experience with her. Now, my iritis came back and I immediately thought of Dr. Michelle. I ran to see her and she was kind and beautiful as she has always been. Thank you for being there for all of patients! :) I'm pretty sure whoever has seen her, then they are all well treated. read more

I live in the area, so thought it would be convenient to schedule an appointment for a simple vision exam. Scheduled my appointment over the phone including all personal info and insurance. I figured being that I scheduled everything over the phone, I would be smooth sailing from there on. Upon arrival on the date and time given only to find out that the receptionists never booked my appointment. I was livid, but kept calm and took my business else where. If you value your time as much as I do then avoid by all means! Not worth leaving an open schedule to just end up disappointed! read more

A doctors who truly cares. I called the office with almost vision loss in my right eye. I could only see light with no other details. Despite they were booked till next week, Tiffany scheduled an appointment for me right away. Within 30 minutes I met doctor Courtney who took my case seriously and professionally; moreover, he followed up with me by phone after I went home and offered to call him anytime to update him with my vision. Also he set me the first appointment on the next day to follow up with him and a surgeon as well. I'm glad I called this office as I called three other offices before, but they refused to get me in until the next day. read more

I honestly wanted a good pair of new glasses. And I decided to come here 1st since the reviews on Yelp are very good. There was 3 ladies at the desk and not one could help me for some reason. I said I'd like to get some new glasses/frames. And they just pointed me to the frames and continued chatting. I stood there looking at frames for 10 minutes and not one of them came to assist me. Since I've never got the service, I decided they just would rather continue chatting and went somewhere else to get my glasses. read more

run, don't walk, to this place if you need your eyes checked. by far the best eye doctor i have ever been to in my 37 years on this planet. i was impressed when i first walked in and saw my name on the board by the desk welcoming me as a new patient of the day. (i know, it is vain, but who doesn't like to see their name on the welcome board?) everyone was friendly in the office, and i was whisked back to see the husband half of this duo for my appointment promptly. dr court was very friendly and professional. i didn't feel rushed at all, as though he was taking time to listen to my concerns and be very thorough in his exam. he really was impressive. after i was done with my eye exam, i met with kevin to pick out a new pair of frames. he was very helpful and efficient as well. hopefully i will look good in my glasses when i pick them up in a week (because i couldn't see that well after having my eyes dilated). again, knowledgeable, professional, and efficient. the best part about this place was that they were very upfront about their prices and clearly itemized everything. i want to be a big supporter of independent doctors, but i find generally they are not forthcoming and clear in what everything costs - this is NOT true here, and it was refreshing to find an eye doctor like that. i didn't feel pressured to buy or upgrade anything at all. glasses and eye care can be an expensive necessity of life - but i cannot recommend this place enough! read more

I have been a contact lens patient of Dr. Thelen and his predecessor at Annandale EyeCare for well over 20 years. I appreciate their friendly, engaging manner; their thorough, methodical examinations; their accurate, reliable prescriptions; their great-looking assortment of vision correction products; their consistent reliance on up-to-date technology; and (last, but not least) the high caliber of their office support associates. Vision is the sense I probably value most of all, and thanks to Annandale EyeCare, I enjoy full confidence and peace of mind with respect to my vision correction and eye health. read more

This has been my primary eye doctor since 2011. The entire staff is always pleasant, personable, detailed and very prompt about the appointments. I also love the fact that the doctor talks to you about his findings regardless if it stays the same. You walk in and it feels comfortable! You should definitely give this office a try! read more

Our family has been coming here for a few years now. Both DRs and the staff are very personable and professionable. I love their early morning appointments, too. I wouldn't go anywhere else, they are great. read more

I agree with other reviewers that this practice is especially excellent. The doctors Thelen (husband/wife team) take the time to ask in-depth medical history and also just to chat and get a feel for their patients' needs. They are up to date on the most current advances and procedures. When you have a special need/emergency they will see you right away. I strongly recommend this practice. (Also, Kevin, the on-site lense/glasses expert is really helpful at choosing the right type of glasses for your lifestyle.) read more

Dr Court and Dr Michelle are truly as good as it gets in the field of vision care. Always professional and caring, these two are our favorite neighborhood doctors! Our entire family goes there and we've been with them for years. Every single one of their staff is awesome as well - always helpful and courteous. Simply an outstanding practice! read more

I've lost track of how many people I've told about this place. I. LOVE. IT. HERE. The staff is always warm and welcoming...and since I've been a patient for years, they always ask about my family. They are quick to help me, even when I'm reordering contacts for my daughter who's away at college. Both doctors are professional and thorough, but more importantly, caring. They care about their patients. I wouldn't go anywhere else and am looking forward to adding my 2 year old son to their client list! read more

Friendly staff and a patient doctor helped make my eye exam with my child's eye exam a pleasant experience.

Highly recommenced! Been seeing the Thelens at Annandale EyeCare for at least ten years now; since I was a young teenager. The people who work there are educated, friendly, and professional. I have a good time when I go and they seem to be on the cutting edge of eye care technology and whatnot but I also don't know squat about eyes. One time I got a new contact rx and my vision was wonky so I went back and it turns out contacts affect the muscles in your eyes differently(or something like that) and got that rx lowered slightly from my glasses rx and everything was back to normal! These guys care about eyes and will make you care about your eyes! I wear sun glasses now. Who knew?! I want cataracts when I'm 90, not 70! Also they have a great selection of frames and the guy who sells the frames and puts them together is very great too! 10/10 would go to again read more