I had a great visit with the optometrist at Costco. They were able to thoroughly check my eyes and take the time in getting a good prescription. The optometrist also discussed with me about eye care and how the standard reading classes were not good when you have a astigmatism.. overall very positive experience compared to independent optometrist I've been to nearby read more

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This office has been such a pleasure. My adult son went in for a contact exam and they were able to get him in right away. We ordered his contacts from the Costco Optical dept and found out his right eye contacts were back ordered until June, this was February and my son had lost his glasses and was down to his last pair of contacts. The office was able to get a few monthly contacts for him and saved the day. My son ended up getting pink eye and they gave him 10 sets of daily's to use after his eyes cleared up. Total life savers. Great doctors and staff. read more

I scheduled an appointment here 1 week in advance. I completed the VSP authorization with them so I'd be covered for the exam. When I show up they had no record of my appointment. Apparently, my appointment was erased (they use paper and pencil) from their schedule and they could not figure out why. The office staff showed no remorse. They only offered me an appointment 45 min later than my original appointment, which I could not wait for due to work obligations. Won't be coming here again or recommending to others. Terrible experience. read more

Zero Dr. - patient connection. I am never going back here again. The whole visit felt just like another money only transaction. After my appointment they didn't even write the prescription for my contact lenses right and the costco lens sales people weren't able to provide me with what I needed. Now I have to take out of my time to get it fixed. Don't recommend. read more

I've been seeing Dr Kavanagh at Costco optometry for years. She is always so personable and thorough with her exams.

I had a difficult time this season with getting a good correction. My opthamologist gave me a prescription which was inferior to previous years. I have had a minor retina issue in the past so I got clearance from a retinologist before proceeding further. Dr. K gave me a prescription which solved my problem. I am grateful to her! read more

I've been getting my contact lens prescription renewed at Costco Carlsbad for a long time now, and the experience is always fast, friendly and efficient. Dr. Kavanagh does a great job, and today I had my first Optomap, which is a new technology that takes high-resolution photographs of the back of the eye so the doctor can see if there any potential issues. I'm a Type 1 diabetic and there is always the potential for eye issues with diabetes, and Dr. Kavanagh walked me through her analysis of the photographs, which was very informative. If you shop at Costco and buy your contacts and glasses at the Costco Optical department, you really can't do any better than Costco's in-house optometrist, Dr. Kavanagh. There's a second optometrist who works in the office and she is also great. read more

The eye exam was fine but the counter lady was totally Unhelpful to customers and not a people person. She should find another job maybe in underwater welding or a winter caretaker at remote inn or perhaps a for lookout girl. read more

This was the fastest and through exam. I have to see a Retinologist for retina issues. She never pressured me to dilate the way others do, she handed me the perception and said I could get the eyeglasses here (Costco) or anywhere else. Never happened at other offices. read more

Dr. Sung was so thorough and attentive, noticed some troubling issues in my retinas and gave me lots of time to answer all my questions. A+

I've been to Dr. Kavanagh twice, and had positive experiences both times. The appointment was timely, fast, and straightforward. I don't have vision insurance, and found her prices to be very reasonable. It's very convenient that her office is inside Costco. You can take the prescription right over and order your glasses immediately after the appointment. read more

Good price, but tiny waiting room and they don't accept debit or credit cards

This woman is the finest Optometrist I've yet come across in San Diego. Believe it or not...her office is situated inside the Carlsbad Costco. I've been to her a number of times for contact lens prescriptions and for full on eyeglass prescriptions. Her chair side manner isn't much to sing from the rooftops over..but boy oh boy...this woman is excellent at fitting contact lenses. I have a large amount of astigmatism in one eye...believe me, I'm no easy fit for contact lenses. This woman sent me on my way with better than 20/20 vision. Her prices are amongst the most affordable in town (remember...this is Costco we're talking about). I only deducted that coveted fifth star for the testing of my vision that was required by her office. I just wasn't confident that the very young woman doing the testing actually knew what she was doing. Nevertheless...Kavanaugh herself is excellent. One tip: If you have a pair of current eyeglasses or an old prescription...I'd recommend bringing them in with you. No sense in re-inventing the wheel. read more

The almighty dollar is obviously much more important to Cecilia Kavanagh than providing proper care to her patients. I arrived on time to my appointment, however due to the Saturday hustle and bustle in the Costco parking lot, I spent several minutes driving around trying to find a parking spot. When I arrived 3-4 minutes after my scheduled appointment I was given paperwork to fill out and sat in their incredibly small and uncomfortable office for quite some time. When Cecilia Kavanagh called me back she never introduced herself nor shook my hand, which I found really odd seeing as how it was my fist appointment. I was told that I had missed my appointment and that she was doing me a huge favor of "squeezing" me in. I shared with her that my appointment was at 3:30 and she quickly pointed out it was 3:45 (however, I had been sitting out in here office the entire time!!). Not only did I experience terrible service, Cecilia Kavanagh was just plan rude. She was not at all thorough and rushed to get me out of her chair ASAP. She did nothing more than check my prescription-didn't look at my eyes, dilate them or anything. She took me from the exam room out to the main office and was off to the next person. Never asked if I had any questions, never said goodbye or thanked me for coming in. The receptionist was perfectly happy though to collect my check -$89 for horrible service and no more than 10 minutes of time being evaluated??!! Please! Cecilia Kavanagh is clearly in the wrong line of work. It is shocking that Costco affiliates themselves with this poor quality! read more

In a nutshell, if you want a thorough "medical" exam,this probably isn't the place for you. But if you want your vision checked fast by doctors who know what they're doing, come to Costco & you'll be seeing clear in no time. I learned my lesson the hard way thinking I would go to a big "vision group" and get a better exam. Morris Eye Group is horrible- do yourself a favor & stick with Costco. Dr. Kavanagh and the other doctors are great, will give you a prescription in no time & you walk out and can do whatever you want with it. Morris Eye Group won't even give you a RX- they want you to spend a zillion dollars on their overpriced lenses. Save $$, go to Costco!!! read more

Gift of Sight! Pros: No Nonsense, no high pressure sales pitch. Not affiliated with the actual sales of contacts or eyeglasses as Costco keeps separate. For 5 years I've just dealt with not being able to see very well even with readers. In 15 minutes she did my exam, put contacts in and I can see better than I have in 10yrs. My old glasses are being donated as they have been the wrong prescription for years. Cons: Cash or check only, I was able to walk in but generally you need an appt. closed Sundays. read more

I have done approx 8 exams over the years with Cecilia and her associates. I really liked their down to business model, everything is geared towards getting you an accurate prescription in a very timely manner. I read another review where this put someone off, but really, what are you there for? I am a doctor, my time is short and these people are very professional. I thought I would try my wife's OD because he is closer to my work, but I will be back at Costco and Cecilia next year, as they are not as good as Cecilia in getting the exam "right". read more

Quick and easy to get an appointment- even though these guys are in a Costco and it's not a pretty office, they are professional and thorough - not to mention reasonably priced. I've been going to Dr Kavanagh for years and have zero complaints! read more

Dr. Luskin was amazing. He corrected my previous glasses prescription and also recommended the same contact lenses he wears, which I will try mañana. With Covid, wearing glasses has caused sweating/fogging. Hopefully contacts will improve that situation read more

I've seen both doctors that work in this office. They are kind, and professional. We've been going here for years, and I trust them with my vision needs. read more

Have been coming to see Dr. Kavanaugh for years at this Costco. She has been doing eye exams for my entire family. Efficient, knowledgeable, and extremely professional. Great staff, accomodating when it comes to scheduling, and they have you in and out in a jiffy. I can't think of any reason that I would go anywhere else. read more

My son and I have seen Dr. Kavanagh for a few years, but unfortunately we feel that our most recent prescriptions from her have been inaccurate. I felt that my prescription was perhaps too strong, and when I later went back (without an appointment) while I was at Costco to see if she had time to fix it, she was polite and quickly wrote a slightly weaker prescription for me without doing a recheck in the exam room. While I understand that Dr. Kavanagh probably did not want to keep the next patient waiting, the fact that she was willing to just change the prescription to whatever I suggested did not make me feel that she truly cared about getting it right. It is no surprise that my prescription still feels off even after that 'correction', and I had to put the new glasses away and have been wearing my old ones. I am disappointed that I will have to look for another optometrist. Dr. Kavanagh and her staff are friendly and the Costco location is convenient, but none of that matters if I end up with a prescription for glasses I cannot wear. read more

Such an awesome experience! I have terrible eyesight (legally blond since 16) and not only did she have a polite and helpful demeanor when examining me, she suggested some other eye surgery options when I was turned down for lasik and ICL corrective surgery. Dr. Kavanagh also helped update my contact prescription and switched me to a non-toric lens which is saving me a lot of money. I NEVER have good experiences with my eye doctors, but this was great. I truly appreciated her during my exam! read more

Friendly, quick and efficient. Best eye exam experience I've had thus far and I've been wearing glasses/ contacts for over 10 years. Completely recommend without a doubt. I won't go anywhere else moving forward! So happy I can see again! read more

Dr. Kavanagh is awesome! My daughter has seen her for the past 5 years. She is quick, but thorough. She is great at fitting you for contacts and makes individual adjustments based on how your trials go. The staff there are efficient and you can usually get an appointment within a few days. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Kavanagh for over 8 years. I thought my eyes were getting worse because I was getting older. I had to wear reading glasses and my eyes were never in focused. "Growing old" is what Kavanagh keep saying. So I went to go see a different optometrist at Costco (her name is Donna) because Kavanagh was on vacation. The new optometrist (Donna) decreased my prescription by almost 50% (I was "over powered" she said). I found out my prescription had been wrong over the past years. I just kept getting the exact same prescription from Kavanagh every year...which really sucks. I have lived in a haze for over 8 years. With my lower prescription, I can now see perfectly clear and do not need reading glasses anymore. Stay AWAY from Dr. Kavanagh, and find another optometrist to double check to see if your current prescription is actually the correct one. You might have the same issues with this optometrist as myself. read more

I arrived for my appointment on time to see Dr Kavanagh. About fifteen minutes into my wait a woman and her son came in without an appointment. They were greeted enthusiastically (unlike the icy reception I received) and she told them she would see them ahead of me. I spoke up and said I had an appointment and had been waiting a while already. She insisted on seeing them first and acted like I was a jerk for wanting to keep my appt. I insisted since i had another appointment afterwards. She rudely took me back for the brief and abrupt exam and gave me a Rx that was incorrect. I had headaches & distorted vision for a week before i could schedule an appointment at the Tri--City Costco. That Dr at Tri-City was so nice, he examined me and corrected my Rx. He also discovered that I was a candidate for monovision so I only needed correction for one eye not two which saves a lot of $$. I next got Lasik on one eye so now am contact free. She did me a favor in that that I ended up with such a great Dr in the Tri-City location. Prefer not to deal with people like her though. Life is just better without bad treatment so am writing this review to warn others. I had torn a contact lens so needed help badly as I was also out of contacts as she knew so was stuck with a bad Rx. Who behaves this way? It was unbelievable. . After all this I still had to battle ths dr for a refund forget about an apology. I was NOT paying for that kind of treatment. read more

AVOID THIS DOCTOR AT ALL COSTS! Her assistant is charming and nice but I do NOT recommend coming to this doctor at all! She did not correct my vision, in fact, she prescribed me contact lenses that made my vision WORSE! I thought it was just me not cleaning them properly, so I threw away and wasted many pairs. Then I had someone look at my Rx and was finally told the truth. She did not try to accommodate me nor did she attempt to apologize! I am outraged! read more

I have NEVER experienced such poor patient service ever!!! I traveled 70 miles (from Orange County) for my 9:50 appointment. I encountered traffic and CALLED the office to let them know I would be 10 minutes late. When I arrived I was asked to complete the new patient forms. It was obvious she was already in with the patient scheduled after me. They schedule patients every 15 minutes. This indicates that the first patient is only allowed 10 minutes. After watching another patient taken back, it became clear they were not going to "work me in". After asking, the receptionist said I could "wait around" to see if any cancellations may occur throughout the day! REALLY? I have worked in the medical field for over 20 years and have NEVER heard of such "cattle herding" patient scheduling or disregard for patient service. What if ALL of our medical providers dismissed us for being 10 minutes late? What happened to the goal of providing the amount of care required by the INDIVIDUAL patient, even if it provides a slight wrinkle in your schedule on any given day. My family and friends will not be returning NOR referring to this practitioner. I did find an amazing optometrist in San Marcos, Dr. Skay, who provided an extremely thorough eye exam which lasted approximately 40 minutes. His exam included eye health and diagnostics,with nutrition and lifestyle evaluation as well. Now THAT is service! read more

This happened a while back, but it finally occurred to me to Yelp about it. They took my appointment over the phone and told me to come in at a certain time. When I got there no one had any idea or record of my appointment time. I explained everything that happened including my time of call, what the person I talked to sounded like, etc but it was essentially 'tough luck buddy, that's your problem'. They made no accommodation whatsoever. I was treated like some pain in the butt that was doing something wrong, not like a customer who has been inconvenienced by THEIR actions, which was the truth of the matter. I can't say anything about the competency standards of the doctor per se, I don't know who took my call, and maybe when a doctor makes a deal with Costco she makes a deal with the devil, but the end result is the customer service was as bad as it gets. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Kavanagh for 20 years. Yep. When I got VSP from a new job 13 years ago, I took a "break" and tried another doctor. Suffice to say, I don't use my VSP for appointments because no one compares to Dr. Kavanagh. And the price is not a significant factor compared to what I would pay for co-pays with VSP coverage. Don't expect a frilly experience. She is about as no-nonsense, straight to the point, business-like doctor as it gets. Understand you are going to Costco, so allow time for parking. I trust my eyes and health with Dr. Kavanagh and her staff, 100%. read more

Nice quick exam, and new prescription. The Dr. was friendly and did what I expected. I was surprised by all the bad reviews, I suppose I wouldn't come here expecting a really personal touch to the appointment but she gets the job done for a reasonable price. I'm happy! read more

I left multiple messages over a two week period trying to get an appointment (no one ever picks up the phone so you have to leave a message). Anyway, never got call back. I gave up and went to the optometrist by my house. read more

I am frankly very surprised by the negative reviews here. I have gone to Dr. Kavanagh for several years, and although the office is pretty bare-bones (inside a Costco), Dr. Kavanagh is always kind, knowledgeable, efficient and I've never had any problems with any of her prescriptions. It's always easy to schedule an appointment and I've never been treated rudely by either her or her staff. I keep coming back because it's easy, affordable and with good customer service. read more

The Dr (Kavanaugh) is very nice and quite good. The exam is not a drawn out affair...they get right to business at this office. I have heard from various glasses retailers around town that this is one of the most competent docs around and that she specializes in astigmatism and the like. Unfortunately, the administrative staff is not quite as up to snuff. The secretary was rude and short with me, and seemed put out that I insisted she look for my chart after she couldn't find me in the computer. I agree with another yelper here that the admin staff is a bit lazy :-( read more

I had very good experience with her. I have astigmatism in one eye and wanted to try monovision contact lenses - one for distance the other for near vision. She told me that gas permeable would be the easiest to adjust to (I have 60 year old eyes and haven't worn contacts since they first came on the market.) She let me know that 20% of people who try monovision don't adjust to them but that the brain can usually make the transition. She also told me that the eye I would use for distance needed so little correction, I could save money and not get that lens. She then showed me what the difference would be and I agreed, I could barely notice the difference So, I gave it a try for 3 weeks. I adjusted to the lens itself with no problem but not to the monovision part of it. She saw me again and told me that I could either try the toric lens (soft lens for astigmatism) or just go for a distance lens and wear reading glasses when needed. I decided to go for the distance lens. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could exchange the lens that didn't work for the new one and if I decide I want to bail on it all together, I can return this lens and get a refund. I'm very happy with Dr Kavanaugh and my daughter saw her for soft lenses and had a good experience as well. I recommend her and the prices are really good. I was going to go to Kaiser but they were charging $159 for starters (not sure what it could've gone up to) but Dr. Kavanaugh only charged $109. read more

I have never written a Yelp review, however, do refer to Yelp reviews on a regular basis and find most of them helpful. I was surprised to read the negative reviews about Dr. Cecilia Kavanagh, so wanted to add my positive experiences with her. Today, I had my second eye exam with Dr. Kavanagh. My first exam was in December 2011 and today's was merely a check-up, since I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. The entire experience for both appointments was seamless. She and her assistant were friendly, efficient, on time, and professional. They both took time to answer my questions. Today's exam revealed cataracts, so Dr. Kavanagh referred me to an ophthalmologist for further examination. The negative reviews, which I read before scheduling my appointment for today, reflect a dissatisfaction with a particular patient being late for his/her appointment. When I mentioned this to Dr. Kavanagh, she explained that she doesn't like to wait to see a doctor, so tries to be on time with her patients and is unable to do so if a patient is late for a scheduled appointment. So, plan to arrive early and have an excellent experience. Ann L. read more

I have gone to Dr. Kavanagh for many years, and have had a great experience every time I go. Please keep in mind that she is very busy, as we all are, and make sure to arrive at her office on-time (not in the parking lot looking for a spot) Dr. Kavanagh is always very efficient, professional and knowledgeable, as well as friendly and kind. I've never had a problem scheduling an appointment and have always been treated well. I come back because of the speed and easy of the appointments, the reasonable prices, and the comfort of knowing my eyes are getting excellent care. read more

First good doctor. Not interested in rushing me through. I had a relaxing exam. Next, the staff. Each time they were nice on the phone and helped me with what I needed. Lastly, the price. Better than most OD's around here. read more

I have been getting my prescription through this optometrist for several years and she is competent and knowledgeable. My insurance doesn't cover her but I've been to other companies/doctors and they all try to sell you things you don't need or do unnecessary tests. read more