There are so many wonderful things about Dr. Joe Borden and the staff of this great place I don't know where to start. I had been putting off getting new glasses for quite some time, partly due to the fact that I had some bad experiences in the past with other opticians and eye wear businesses. In January I finally decided to make a real effort to find an eye doctor whom I could trust and who would truly take care of me, rather than simply going through the motions and then sending me on my way. After some weeks of searching and meditating on my possible options, I chose Avenue Vision. From the moment I walked in, I could tell that I was in a different type of eye care facility, and I was greeted by sincerely nice people who were very pleasant to interact with. Almost immediately, I was in the optician's office being examined by a very professional and quite obviously caring man, Dr. Joe Borden. This kind and knowledgeable man gave me the most comprehensive, informative examination my eyes have ever received. And I felt truly at ease and relaxed, as it was clear that the level of care I was going to get here was far beyond anything I had ever experienced in all of the eye exams I've ever had. I came in not only for a long overdue exam, but also a specific issue with my eyelids. This was a matter of great concern and emotional distress for me, and had been for many months. Dr. Borden immediately made it clear to me that I was going to get real answers here, and that I was not going to be sent home without his taking the time and effort to make a thorough and definitive diagnosis of my situation. I was really treated like a valuable person, not just another customer feeding a corporate enterprise. For the next two months or so I followed Dr. Borden's detailed, prescribed treatments and had some measure of success, but my situation was still not completely resolved. Because of this, my level of concern and unhappiness was still quite high and my emotional well being was not good at all. So I made a follow up appointment with the very friendly and caring staff, who, like Dr. Borden, made it quite clear that they actually cared about me and were dedicated to getting me the help I needed. They really did. Upon seeing Dr. Borden for the second time, and sharing with him my ongoing frustration and feelings of despair over the issue still not being totally cleared up, he once again came through for me in a way that very few health care practitioners in any area of medicine ever have. Honestly, I've seldom met anyone in the healing arts, be they conventional or "alternative", who has taken the time and energy to communicate to me that level of caring and intention to do whatever it takes to see me reach my goals in health and wellness. On that second visit Dr. Borden spoke so personally and authentically to me, and was so reassuring that my issues were not going to be unresolved that my entire being breathed a sigh of relief and I felt like for once I was not alone. Through another careful and detailed examination, it was determined that one part of my issue was completely cleared up and that the other would be addressed as well, that I needn't worry, I wouldn't be abandoned. This is a rare practice and healing environment. Each and every person I've dealt with, including Misty, Jan and Shauna, as well as Dr. Eva Strube, has been super nice and very present with me during my visits to this office. Not once have I been treated as just another customer, but like a friend. It's really quite amazing to have this experience, particularly after going through such a frustrating journey. I am still on the road to wellness, but I am continuing to improve with this second set of treatments and am confident that I will indeed have my eyelid issues totally resolved and that I need not worry now that I have found these good folks who consistently treat me with care and respect. I highly recommend this practice, Dr. Borden and the whole staff for anyone who wishes to be treated the same. Your eyes will thank you, and it will be a distinct pleasure, especially in contrast to so many other optometrist's offices and practices who, in my experience, are so often at the other end of the spectrum. Thank You everyone at Avenue Vision! read more

Do yourself a favor and avoid this place. The doctor is lovely, but the front office staff is dismissive, entitled, and unbelievably rude. When I brought my son in for his first eye exam, I wasn't sure about our vision coverage and expected a little guidance. Instead, the woman up front turned immediately condescending, then ordered a test our referring doctor had already performed--one he later confirmed should never have been repeated, much less billed for. When I later called to request a refund, I was berated for ten minutes, accused of "yelling" when I never raised my voice, and interrupted constantly by a staffer rewriting the entire encounter in her own fictional version of events. Her parting words said it all: "We have a very busy practice, so I don't have to put up with this kind of behavior." Translation: they don't want patients who expect basic respect, just ones willing to pay for unnecessary tests and tolerate abuse. Scroll through the other one-star reviews--you'll see the same complaints again and again. I'm just the latest example. read more

The doctor here is really fantastic. He gave a thorough exam and explained everything really well so I could understand since Im new to glasses and know nothing. The people at the front desk and glasses side are also very friendly and helpful. I don't know what could have made the experience any better. read more

The worst costumer service I have experienced recently. First, none is explaining me how much everything will cost and the brand of lenses they are intending to prescribe to me, which is the most expensive brand out there. Second, I am trying to call them for 2 weeks and no-one returns my call. Finally, someone picked up and instead of taking care of their client and owning their mistake of not explaining the process right, they kept interrupting me, yelling at me and not listening to me . I had to hung up, because the conversation was intolerable. DO NOT go there, unless you want to be yell at and disrespected, or if you end up going ask about every single thing, process, costs etc., and hope for the best. read more

Dr Borden is great - patient, explains things well. But the woman running the front office is terrible. She argued with us and told us things that were not consistent with what the doctor said. Look at the other reviews on Yelp and you'll see a consistent story about how she treats people. Until we find another doctor, we are still getting our eye exams done by Dr Borden but we get our glasses prescriptions filled at Costco and are very happy with them. read more

I have been a long time patient and have bought a number of prescription glasses from the optical department. When I recently lost my prescription sunglasses I asked them for two simple measurements that they took and recorded when they fitted the first pair. Their office manager declined, saying that I would have to reorder the sunglasses from them and that I needed to "pay" for that information. After thousands of dollars in business and years of loyalty they chose to stand on their "policy" and not share information that I had already paid for! I find their view of the customer to be adversarial and uncooperative. They would prefer to discount loyalty and sacrifice future business in order to adhere to their policy of coercing my future business by not sharing information that is in my record and that I had already paid for. As a small business owner my customers and respect for their patronage are my primary concern, but not here. I will avoid this business in the future. Interesting to see that I am not alone in my opinion; the other reviews about the front office acting entitled and arrogant and rude say it all. read more

I've been a customer of Avenue Vision for years. Always great service, a professional eye exam and great selection for my glasses and sports lenses. They go out of their way to help and are super professional! read more

Do you like being verbally assaulted by front desk people? Then go to Avenue Vision! I am in utter shock at how I was treated by this place. One of the 'owners', I'm not sure her name, is extremely rude and dismissive. I was in the process of trying to get my contact prescription fit fixed, and long story short she kept cutting me off, talking over me, and telling me that the doctor didn't tell me what he did in fact tell me. She claimed that she's owned this business for 8 years and he nor anyone would tell me what he DID tell me. After her dismissing me and yelling at me in a loud and obnoxious demeanor, I decided to take my business else-wear and not proceed in getting my contact fit fixed with them. Read the other reviews on Google and Yelp and I'm sure this is the same lady other people encountered. I am incredibly disappointed I ever went to this establishment, and it's unfortunate that a business can treat their patients this way. Take my advice and do not waste your time and go here unless you like being talked at in a degrading way by a loud woman. Ps..I forgot to add that before she hung up on me during her verbal assault and me asking her to not talk over me and yell at me, she told me to take my business to Costco or Lens Crafters where I wouldn't get as good of customer service as she was providing me. Haha...take a look in the mirror lady and go read some articles on the basic principles of customer service. You might be able to learn a few pointers read more

Not recommended. Poor value. Awful service. A bad experience that stands out. I wanted to support a local business in Golden. It wasn't easy, nor affordable. They charged over twice a competitor for an eye exam and eyeglass and contact prescription vs a price quoted without my vision insurance. I didn't get all the paperwork I needed after my exam. I had to ask for a printout of my prescription after they asked multiple times to make my contact order. I found a much less expensive option. Their exam billing caused rejections from my FSA Account. Avenue Vision Hours are limited and inflexible. read more

Had a really negative customer service experience with their front desk about insurance. They were showing an unpaid bill and I did my research to find out Avenue Vision had billed wrong. After a semi lengthy conversation, they refused to call my insurance to see what they had done wrong. They also refused to get on a 3-way call with my insurance. We are a family of four who had been going there for 7 years. We'll never go back and I'll never recommend them. read more

My family started going to Avenue Vision 2 years ago and was initially very happy. I absolutely love Dr. Borden. He has a wonderful reporte with my entire family, which is why am sad to be writing this review. This past year my son and I had glasses that were not a good fit or needed adjustment because of the prescription. I don't feel either of these matters where handled well. We also paid a lot of money for a vision therapy evaluation and three months later I still don't have the results because I can not reach the therapist. My son was fitted for glasses by Rebecca earlier this year. After a month it was obvious they were uncomfortable. I brought them back. Rebecca adjusted them and said to try for another month. I had them adjusted a few times by a different optometrist that was closer to my home before returning again because my son was so uncomfortable. I was told by that optometrist that the glasses frame was slipping down because the bridge of nose is very narrow. He said my son was uncomfortable because the corner of the glasses were rubbing on his cheeks and the frames were not sitting on his nose right. He should have noses pads. When I went back to Avenue Vision I explained to Rebecca what the other optometrist said, she disagreed. She said that she couldn't do anything about the glasses because it was my son's own sensory issues and that kids don't like nose pads. Dr. Borden even mentioned in his evaluation that day that they looked like they were uncomfortable for him. Then she said, if he had the nose pads and didn't like those glasses then that would be a different story. She would replace his glasses with a new frame no cost. Apparently, being uncomfortable with nose pads is not a sensory issue? Our only options were to use a very old frame, which she informed me wouldn't last more than 6 months because they had so much wear, or we could pay out of pocket for new frames and lens. There was no responsibility for a bad fit. I got a pair new glasses last fall. I just felt like my eyes couldn't focus after wearing them for a while. I called Rebecca and she said to give them some more time to adjust. I brought them back two months later and they checked my prescription again. Dr. Borden said it had changed. I found it odd over a two month period of time I would need a different prescription, especially because the first prescription never felt right. Rebecca told me because the prescription had changed I would have to pay out of pocket for a new pair. Really? Again no responsibility taken. Finally almost 3 months ago, I brought my son in for a vision therapy evaluation with Kristi. Those are not covered by insurance and I had to pay over $300. The therapist has tried to reach out only twice since then to discuss a plan for my son, despite my repeated requests that she call me back. It was like she just pocketed my money and ran. Needless to say we are changing optometrist. Over the past two years we have bought 8 pairs of glasses all together from Avenue Vision, I referred friends and neighbors to them. I'm not sure what as changed, but this in not the way loyal costumers should be treated. read more

Want to give a shout out to Becky, Dr. Joe, and the team at Avenue Vision. Went there for an appointment yesterday and was blown away. Found out I had the way wrong prescription, wrong contact lens material, and wrong base curve on my lenses. Have had my new lenses for a day now and they feel amazing. I couldn't even wear my old contacts for a full day before because I would literally get exhausted; they made me feel so tired. The staff at Avenue were all super friendly and also got me set up with a pair of prescription Oakley's for mountain biking. No pressure sales, just attentive to my needs and a comprehensive explanation of everything from my retinal scan to my transition lenses. Man, what a completely different experience than my old eye doc!! read more

I was driving from Golden to Denver and instead of giving a chain company like LensCrafters or Costco my money I decided I'd look on Yelp and find a small biz. I went to this little store and it was cute and had a nice selection but upon entering I was told by a brunette that they were closing in 30 mins. I didn't get the vibe she wanted my business and felt a bit uncomfortable but I looked at a few frames and asked if she could tell me the price of one. When I made it clear I wanted the frame and would have my Doctor fax my prescription she said well it won't be processed until Monday because like I said we close in 20 mins. I left and instead of moving forward and giving a small business my $400-$500 (which would have been much more) for eye glasses I'll go elsewhere, prob Costco. I very rarely leave reviews for negative experiences but I hope the owner reads this and realizes this woman with a terrible attitude shouldn't be interacting with customers. It was 30 mins before closing not 5. read more

Dr. Borden is fantastic. He really took the time to make sure I understood my options and got the glasses that were right for me.

So disappointed that I drove two hours out of my way to get there and they would not see my child because we cannot medically tolerate a face covering. When I booked this appointment months ago, I told them that we have a letter from the pediatrician and are exempt from any sort of mask mandate. The fact that they even have a mandate still is unbelievable. It's been proven that masks DO NOT work, and the fact that they want to discriminate against people that actually have a medical exemption and a letter from a doctor, and still will not let us be seen, is absolutely absurd. So disappointed that they couldn't even tell us yesterday when they called to confirm our appointment, that masks were required. They knew from the beginning that we could not wear them, and they didn't even mention it again yesterday when they called to confirm our appointment. I highly recommend you go somewhere else that's not stuck on a liberal woke agenda of garbage face diapers. Good luck. read more

My son has been a patient of Dr. Borden's for 7 years. He has dyslexia and is headed off to college next year. I am working on accommodations for him college and requested that Dr. Borden write a letter to help in these accommodations. I requested this letter over the phone to the office staff who told me to email my request. I did, and then never heard anything back. I called a week later just to make sure the email went through. I was told they received the email request and still never heard back. I sent another email, at least requesting a response and never heard back. This is a time sensitive issue and I have wasted a month in a half waiting on a reply. Even an answer of no would have been respected over ghosting me. Ghosting is a completely unprofessional and childish way of handling your business. read more

My entire family has been seeing Dr. Borden for a few years now. He has always gone above and beyond to provide exceptional care to each of us. He is thorough, never rushes our exams, answers all of our questions, and is especially great with the kids. I am now also visiting his office routinely for vision therapy, and I am equally satisfied with the care I am receiving on that end. I am already starting to see small improvements after just a few weeks. I happily recommend Dr. Borden and his staff at Avenue Vision for your optometry needs. read more

First let me say that Dr Borden was great and my eye appointment was great! After my appointment I went out to the front space to select some new frames.. the front door was open and being 35 degrees it was quite chilly inside, I requested if the door could be closed and was ignored. After the other 2 patrons left and I was the only client so I requested again that the door be closed while at least I was there for another 39 minutes to order glasses... I Have cancer in many of my bones and cold really aggravates my condition...the very rude manager piped in and said that the door was open for ventilation and her staff was priority... and I could take my business elsewhere...wow...I get being safe but so rude and also I wanted some aesthetic assistance and was planning on purchasing 2 sets of glasses and 1 pair of new sunglasses... I paid my Bill and left... I called another place and had a great customer service and got 3 sets of glasses. So I will probably will not return so I don't have to deal with the super rude and non understanding staff. Also not a very large selection of frames. read more

Been going to Avenue Vision for years. Love Dr. "Joe" and the whole team. They are friendly, caring, informed and really listen. Visiting the eye doctor has always been a source of stress for me as my vision is so bad. No fear, no stress with Avenue Vision. I will always have "bad eyes" but I am confident in the care I am receiving. read more

Highly recommended. Professional and a personal experience. My family appreciates the care provided by Avenue Vision.

I went here one time like 15 years ago. They send tons of spam mailers which take the threat of legal action to make them stop both email and real. Then every time they change their ad provider, it starts again. Now I'm getting text advertisements even though I moved out of state. Every few years I have to make them stop all over again and it takes months to make them stop. Come on. I regret going here more than words can describe. read more

Made an appointment for a first time patient and was told to come in next day with a commitment that they would confirm insurance and notify me if we were not covered with this provider. We showed up and oops, they never confirmed anything. They actually said we did not have insurance coverage once they started checking. The exam itself was great with our five year-old. I can only imagine exams with kids are rough. We went through with it since we were there. I should have walked out but was not trying to let my anger get the better of me. I stayed because they work with my son's school and figured they were solid folks for this reason. Long story short they gave us a discount for the out-of-pocket price (which ended up being same rate had we used the Yelp offer). It is a prescription for a young kid so if we continue services here we would be paying out-of-network, and in the end they are out-of-network. I am just disappointed and hope that this was a genuine mix-up and not a standard practice. We are going elsewhere because our insurance is pretty comprehensive with in-network providers. read more

Excellent assistance in purchasing two new pairs of glasses that look good and fit. The custom lenses from their laboratory are the clearest, sharpest I have worn. So worth it! I am seeing better and I love the fit and aesthetics of both frames. The staff gives superior service. They didn't pressure me but were there to assist if desired. I want to give a shout out to Becky. She was honest about what would look good on my face. All the other shops I visited were going in wrong direction or are not as skilled. I am so glad I made one more visit. I have been wearing glasses for 55 years yet Becky's optometrist knowledge and abilities for helping me select my glasses truly impressed me. I love my new glasses. Thanks Becky and Avenue Vision. :) read more

I have been going to Avenue Vision for many years. Dr. Borden has a holistic approach to vision which is why I chose this office to begin with. All of the staff is friendly and efficient. read more

Dear Dr. Borden, I am very sorry to have to leave a public review that is so negative. The front office staff has made this hands down the worst experience I have had in any business I have ever visited. While my experience with you as a clinician was above average, the treatment and lack of helpfullness from your team has made this my last visit to your office. The receptionist is rude and Cory and Becky seem to purposely not be helpful. I came in to get a new contact prescription. There was a surprise charge of $70 for imaging that I did not request. The receptionist offered no resolution to this when I expressed my surprise. I left with what I thought was a prescription, but was not. When I called to ask for it to be digitally sent, a ridiculously circular conversion ensued that ended in me being hung up on. When I called back, I was transferred to Becky who at least explained why they were ill-equipped to digitally send prescriptions (by choice). I then had my lense provider call to help get the prescription. Once it was finally sent over, it was missing one of the measurements, and no response was received from Avenue Vision when they reached back out to get the correct prescription. When I called Avenue Vision, Becky told me it was probably because they did not stock it, which was of course untrue. After multiple phone calls and frustration, they finally responded fully to the prescription request. The staff seemed overly friendly to the patient that was purchasing her glasses from them, so perhaps this is the issue. However, charging for services not discussed and being terribly unhelpful has lost the business of our family after 12 years of going to Avenue Vision. I hope you can right the ship. read more

Savana is awesome she is so kind and caring for my daughters vision therapy

My cousin recommended Doctor Joe to me. I paid out of pocket as I do not have optical insurance. They were very up front with me about the costs of things and helping me to make decisions that were within my budget. I feel like the exam was very thorough and helped me to prepare for future eye health concerns. My new prescription is amazing... I'm majorly into hiking but never cared about bird watching before because I couldn't see them. Suddenly I'm the first one to spot a cool bird and can actually make out the markings. I'm really happy about everything and am experiencing a significant life/vision improvement. read more

Today I got the most thorough eye exam I have ever received. This is more than your normal eye exam. She caught several problems that I did not know that I had, and explained everything to me. She was so friendly and helpful. I will recommend them to everyone I know. read more

Everyone there was incredibly helpful, compassionate, and genuine. I felt heard, seen and taken care of like I haven't in years when visiting an eye care facility. I joked with my mother after getting my new glasses that it almost felt like a therapy session. I felt SO happy leaving the office with my brand new glasses. Not only was I given the right prescription (which other office has given me a wrong one), but was also given practical tips to take care of my eyes, and deal with some side effects that some meds I'm taking are doing to my vision. I was treated like a human being, and not a number, or another person in line. Thank you SO much!!! read more

Visiting Golden and broke my glasses on the way. Stopped into Vision And worked with the most friendly staff. They repaired my glasses at no charge and sent me on my way. Fantastic service! Impressed! read more

This vision practice has been around for a long time but is under new ownership. On entering the waiting room, it was immediately apparent that the decor had been changed. Now bright and airy. The optometrist/owner is Dr. Joseph Borden, a Golden native. My eye exam was the most complete I have received in years. My trifocals were optically perfect with improved vision. The glasses actually fit well on first fitting. On previous eye exams at other optical practices, I have been shuttled to a technician, not an Optometrist, for the actual examination which consists of a machine and a computer program. I was never comfortable with this type of vision care. Unfortunately, this is not unusual. I was far more comfortable with the extensive examination I received at Avenue Vision. Highly recommended. read more

Dr. Borden and Nikki (vision therapist) are awesome. I would not suggest seeing Dr. Strube unless you want to wait with no end in sight.

Terrible service! AVOID AT ALL COSTS! These people are the worst eye doctors I have ever even heard off. Went in for an eye exam, they charged a ridiculous amount, even with insurance. Then they couldn't order the contacts in the prescription they suggested. I confirmed that they could get the size listed on the prescription and then they called back to say they couldn't get it. WHAT!!?? What was the point of the eye exam if they will not sell me contacts on the proper size? Then they charged 3x what the other doctors I've been to charged for the contacts. Go anywhere else in Golden, they will not be worse! read more

Year after year I dreaded my annual eye exam. I always felt rushed and misunderstood. That all changed when I went to see Dr. Eva Strube. She took the time to listen to my concerns and work with me to get my prescription just right. You know your prescription is right when you finally can get through your day without thinking about it! Now I look forward to my annual exams! read more

Been going to Avenue Vision since I moved to Golden in 2005. Love these guys! Dr. Borden and everyone is the office is personable, helpful and competent! I highly recommend them. read more

I have been going to Avenue Vision for more than a decade and liked Eva Strube. The relatively new optometrist, Joe Borden, is competent and friendly and gave me a thorough eye exam. This particular exam followed an eye injury from tennis, so not the usual annual visit. Making an appointment was easy and the folks helpful and flexible. I recommend them highly. read more

I haven't been to an eye doctor in years. Decided it was time to research one, and with a deal I found for Avenue Vision along with seeing positive reviews, I decided to go with this place. They were quick and efficient and very polite. Compared to my old eye doctor (Berggren) who I always found myself waiting for and listening to odd stories making it an awkward visit, I truly enjoyed this visit with Dr Borden. He explained everything he did in detail. I don't currently have insurance, so costs will depend if I go again, but I know I will be looking into it and possibly even finding an insurance that covers me at Avenue Vision. Awaiting on my eyeglasses to come in. I couldn't afford all the additions to the lenses, but I do hope they work and hopefully in the future I can get better lenses. If I find a way to afford another eye exam, I do hope it's with Avenue Vision. read more