I visited Dean Optical in early May 2020 for a scheduled appointment and appreciated Dr. DeLee's unique expertise and vast experience, and the top-notch technology of the practice. His staff implemented safe procedures and was very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommended. read more

I had been going to Dr. Meifert for years, but after two billing mistakes I am not going back. They double billed my husband (the amount I don't remember) and just recently sent me a bill for $233.11 from contacts I got a YEAR ago! There were no bills sent during the year- and though they called me to schedule an appt there was no mention of an outstanding balance. On the notice I received it didn't even state what the $233.11 was for! No thank you! read more

Ok. I never write reviews. Even when I've had bad service. Who has time for that? Plus you have to setup an account and express your frustration through complete sentences. Not my thing. But today. Today is different. Dean's Optical struck a nerve I didn't know I had. But it's there, trust me. I would avoid this place like the plague! It all started when my husband had new lenses put in a frame he bought elsewhere. He got top of the line lenses and asked for anti-glare, that was it. My husband was walking in downtown Chicago and caught a reflection of himslf and noticed his lenses had darkened. He called me and said they put transition lenses in his frame. No offense to people with transtion lenses but we do not like them, honestly we think they are for old people. We are in our mid-twenties. They did fix them but another 10 days without glasses. Fast forward. My turn. I go in for an eye exam and contact lense fitting. All was good, until I went to order contacts. I'm at home trying to find the contacts online (becuase they're typically cheaper online) and I can't find them to save my life. I was drowning. So I go in there the following day. What's that you say? I can't order them online? They're a speacial lense for that doctor? WTF, are you serious? So I have to order my contacts through you now matter what? Can I get a different brand? Oh, Id have to see the doctor again? And give you more money? Awe gee wiz do I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Here take my money. Fast Forward somemore. I order some frames online and bring them in to have lenses put in. They're a thick black frame with no edges on the lense exposed. Mr. Wonderful who ordered my glasses had the edges polished. Anyone who's worked in optical before know that having a polished edge on a lense in an enclosed frame will cause a glare around the edges (I worked optical in college). So I immediately bring them back in (I work in the same buidling) and they say they can fix it. When I go to pick them up I notice they buffed the edges so much that there is a nasty line all the way around the lense. I go back up stairs to work and asked a few collegues if i was crazy or did they notice it too. Everyone agreed, BRING THEM BACK. So I did. When i brought them back this man tried to tell me that if I got them made with no edge polish it would be worse. At that very moment, I lost it. Needless to say they're fixing them. I pray to God they get it right for their sake. I'll let you know how it goes. Now in their defense I kept bring my happy butt down there knowing damn well that they just can't get it right. read more

I recently moved to Chicago and lucked into finding Dean Optical from a Google search. The staff is friendly and helpful, they are able to get me in quickly, and I truly believe Dr. Olson cares deeply about patient health and well-being. I am very happy with my experience! read more

I have been using Dean Optical for 10 years and will not be giving a positive review to the 100 employees that could be customers in the building. Eye Exam was good and would give exam five star Glasses frames are 60% over priced, flat out rip off Did not give insurance discount of 20% as they should on both lenses and frames This is the second problem with ordering in 12 months, The first time was for a sunglasses and they took the order and payment then called back to say the girl had messed up and I needed to pay much more.. Get an exam and then run for the door read more

Don't go to these chumps. The eye doctors were kinda rude. The glasses were really, really expensive. They gave me an eye exam last year. A year later, when I went to order contacts from 1-800-contacts, these guys refused to confirm my prescription. Jerks. read more

TERRIBLE customer service here. Had a normal eye appointment with Dr. Delee and then the most shoddy customer service afterward. Trying to order my glasses and pay for my appointment took forever... the guy who was 'helping' me had to ask two other people for assistance, and then of course spend some time chatting to coworkers about how much colder it was here than when he was on vacation last week. I ordered contacts and was told to come pick them up anytime after 2/5, when they'd be in. I came in on 2/6, and spent 20 minutes waiting while the same guy bumbled around the office trying to find my contacts, my missing file, etc... turns out the contacts hadn't come in, so I'd wasted a trip. I told him to let me know when they came in. No call, no call, finally I called back this morning to tell them to refund my card and I'd go to 1-800-CONTACTS. The woman I spoke to was so rude, needed my card number again to HOPEFULLY refund my card, hung up on me when she tried to put me on hold and never called back. Then when I called back and gave her the card number for the refund, I also asked for a copy of my prescription to be sent to me and she said "Ok" and hung up on me again! I called back to see HOW she was sending it and the second lady I spoke to was equally rude. Not only did they not care that they were in the process of losing a patient, they didn't even display the most rudimentary customer service you'd expect as someone calling a business... you know, like not being hung up on twice. It's too bad all the front of office staff are so terrible, because Dr. Delee was really nice and professional. UPDATED TO ADD: I got several messages from the office manager at Dean Optical, and called in. She was very apologetic and thankful for my feedback. She asked what they could do to make things better, and I said I just wanted my refund. She eagerly said she'd mail me an itemized receipt and that I'd see the refund within a day or so, and then said she'd also be mailing a Starbucks gift card. I think she wishes as much as I do that what happened hadn't, but her swift and sincere response was much appreciated. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Meifert for the last four years and have been very happy with my experiences at Dean Optical. I always get a comprehensive contact lens/eye examination and the front desk staff have been helpful and friendly. Late last year, I got new lenses for my glasses and the turnaround was pretty quick. Plus whenever I order my year supply of contact lenses, I get them delivered for free and receive them within a matter of days (even though I'm told it can take 7-10 business days). read more

I've been going to Dean Optical for a few years and have found the service there to be good. (I saw Dr. Olson for contact lenses.) Unfortunately there was a recent billing incident, after which I will not be going back. After each visit, I always settle up in full for my outstanding bill. At my last visit in August, per usual I settled up again. I was surprised to receive, about a month later, a bill in the mail for $4.50 - apparently they made an error and short-charged me $4.50 when I settled up. Normally I would not mind a small bit if human error, except that this invoice was marked in all caps "THIS ACCOUNT IS OVER 31-60 DAYS OLD." I recognized this to be a paper trail so that Dean can ship my account off to a collection agency immediately and make it appear that my account is past-due. I called Dean Optical to confirm this, and the receptionist did in fact confirm that the bill was designed to be sent to a collection agency if not paid, despite the fact that this was their own error. I explained that when I go to Target, and the cashier forgets to scan a pair of socks I buy, Target a) does not come after me later for the $4.50 and b) will not send my account to collections. This is how normal commercial transactions are done. Yes - Target screws up my bill from time to time and overcharges me, and the reverse happens as well sometimes, but the risk likes with the party that was not diligent during the transaction. I understand this is small potatoes, money-wise, but this is exactly the sort of nonsense that characterizes the medical/insurance community. I pay in full (in combination with vision insurance) at check-out. I do not want to be subtly threatened - and then overtly threatened on the phone - with collections actions due to Dean Optical's error. Haven't we all heard horror stories about mishandled medical bills on a much, much larger scale, resulting in personal bankruptcies and financial disaster? I may be tilting at windmills, but I am going to leave Dean Optical and look for another eye doctor that treats its patients (a/k/a clients) with more integrity. read more

I've been going to Dr. DeLee forever now. He's really awesome! He's so funny and super nice. But most importantly, he is oh so thorough with the examination, even looks at the "back" of my eyeball, comparing the size and widths of veins. He listens to me when I tell him my eyes are dry and has me try new contacts and drops until it gets better. If I am running low on contacts, he'll have a pair ready for me to tide me over until my next order or my next exam. They have a nice selection of glasses too. Everyone is always very friendly and nice. I can't say enough good things about them. I'll keep coming back. read more

I went to Dean Optical because they carried a brand of frames that I wanted. They ordered the frames for me and filled them with a prescription from another optometrist. The glasses didn't feel right the first time I put them on. So they redid the lenses. Turns out my optometrist called in the wrong prescription. The staff at Dean worked hard to get my glasses right. I'm really happy with the results. Folks there are really professional and helpful. I will be back. read more

I moved to chicago a while back and wanted to find a eye doctor and these guys were covered by my insurance. I figured I'd give them a shot because they also have Optos, which is a fancy eye-scanner that replaces the need to get your pupils dilated. I was very impressed with the operation. They had a great selection of eye glasses and the folks working up front spent a lot of time with my wife and I while we tried to find the best pair of glasses for me. I would totally recommend them to anyone in the area. Good people, very friendly and on-time. what more do you want? read more

Beware of the on line appointment booking tool. I thought it was cool and convenient but they had no record of my appointment despite my receiving confirmation I was good to go. Outside of that my visit was great. Really liked Dr. Meifert. Super friendly and didn't make me feel rushed at all. read more

Overpriced and poor service. I have been going to Dean Optical for a few years because the Rookery location is close to my place of work. Over the years, I have had a few unpleasant encounters with staff (forgetful, bad service, bad attitude) but I stuck with the place, again mostly for convenience. This month, when I had about a week's worth of contacts remaining (dailies), I called to order replacement contact lenses, per my usual routine. I was assured that the order would be placed right away. However, when I called back a week later to inquire regarding the order status, I was told that the contact lenses are on back order and it may be up to 4 weeks before my order could be filled. I told the staff member that I found it frustrating that no one called me to let me know that the lenses were on back order in the week that had gone by so that I could make alternate arrangements. No response, no apology or explanation. I asked the staff member what she recommended I do since the option of navigating blind for the next three to four weeks did not suit me. No response. I asked the staff member to put me in touch with a doctor so that I could discuss whether there was an alternate solution - I was told none of the doctors were available. (**It is now two weeks since my initial call and no one, doctor or staff member, has gotten back to me to offer alternatives or to offer an explanation.) I asked the staff member if I could get some samples or replacement contact lenses to tide me over. Dean Optical graciously offered to give me a 5-day supply for $10 (this is ridiculous since a three MONTH supply of my prescription is approximately $65) I told the staff member I could not afford to buy contact lenses at this rate for 5 days at a time, particularly when Dean Optical was predicting that it would be three weeks before my prescription could be filled. No other alternatives were given to me. The staff member did come up with one suggestion during our call - why don't I order a year's supply of my contact lenses. I told the staff member I found her suggestion confusing. If the lenses were on back order, how would placing a order for a year's supply (as opposed to my existing, unfilled order for a three-month supply) address my problem. Her response was well if you order a year's supply you won't have to wait if the lenses are on back order in the future. (!!?!) No, thanks. I called back and spoke to three separate people, all of whom were not helpful, and I spent approximately 35 minutes on the phone with Dean Optical. I called Sears optical instead. Sears said it could fill my prescription within a week and I was welcome to stop by and get free samples the same day to hold me over until the order came in. All I had to do was to have Dean Optical fax my prescription over to Sears and she would take care of it. (Characteristically, Dean Optical got the fax number wrong and then the prescription wrong!) Although the walk to Sears on State is about 5 blocks longer, I'll be going to Sears for my optical needs from now on. read more

I saw Dr. DeLee yesterday to get contact lenses for astimatism. In the past, I've never been able to see clearly or crisply with soft contacts, so I was resigned to go back to rigid lenses. Dr. DeLee went over all the options with me after a VERY thorough examination and asked me to try a different kind of soft toric lense. It's amazing! I can see so well, so clearly, I just can't stop looking at everything!!! Not only was Dr. DeLee wonderful, but the staff was also extremely friendly. Tom spent time with me after my appointment to choose the right replacement lenses for my existing glasses and didn't try to pressure me into getting new frames or make a "sale". He helped me work within my insurance limit and gave me several options. As a budget conscious person, I truly appreciate that. The office is located only a few blocks from where I work, so it's in a perfect location. I would highly recommend Dean Optical. I was thoroughly pleased with my experience! read more

I've been seeing (ha!) Dr. DeLee as my eye doctor for almost thirty years, first at Woodfield, then Water Tower, above the Shubert Theatre and now the lobby of the Rookery. The latest office is in a really beautiful Chicago landmark building; it's a treat just to go there for a visit. The office has all the latest equipment, the staff is professional and friendly and Dr. DeLee has been giving me fine eye care for a good chunk of my life. I have no reason to look (ha! again) elsewhere. read more

I'd have to say my experiences with Dean Optical hasn't been the best. The waiting time was at least 1 hour after the scheduled time for me to see the doctor and when I had my glasses, the prescription was too strong and the lenses material were incorrect so the glasses were useless. I went back and asked for a reassessment but was told nothing was wrong and they charged me an additional for contacts lens exam. I ended up going to a different doctor and they figured out in less than 30 mins. Needless to say, it felt like the doctors here cared more about making money than their patients and I would never go back or recommend it to anyone. read more

One of my favorites hands down. Dr. Delee is very personable and professional. He had a great selection of frames. I hate that I do not have vision insurance anymore or I'd still go there faithfully. He found me the perfect contact lenses just by asking a few questions. I ended up also getting a pair of cute Calvin Klein frames too. read more

I've been a patient for years and I HIGHLY recommend this office, doctors and staff. Always professional and friendly and Dr. DeLee is very focused on keeping up with technology and how it betters his practice and patients. Office staff is great to work with and they are very focused on the follow through, so you appreciate the value of the services! read more

Great place. Friendly, knowledgable staff. I loved the building and the lobby. It's not every day that you can get a new pair of glasses in an architecturally significant building. Good selection of glasses. The gentlemen who helped me pick them out was phenomenal. My glasses were made in less than a week and they turned out great. The only complaint I had was that they took some high resolution pictures of my eye early in the exam and then later the doctor asked me if I wanted to save them. I said sure. Then he said it would cost $60 extra and that my insurance wouldn't pay for it. Then I said no. I'm 27 and the chances of 1) my eyes failing in the next decade and 2) that these "premium" images would do anything to help are close to zero. I'd rather take that $60 and put it toward a nice night on the town with my wife. A little slimy but wasn't enough to drop them down a star. read more

Been going to Dean's for a couple years. Good place for optometry, and fine place to get glasses.

Dr DeLee is an expert in the field; Tom us the best in helping with eyeglasses and lens selection and ordering

I've been going to Dean Optical for the last 11 years, and seeing Dr. DeLee for about the last 7 years. The practice is truly professional and the office is absolutely beautiful. Dr. DeLee is a fantastic doctor, who takes a true interest in the care of his patients. He referred me to an excellent surgeon for PRK surgery, and was very supportive of my decision to move forward with the procedure. I cannot say enough positive things about this office and would not hesitate to recommend anyone to their care. read more

Not only do I love Dean Optical, everyone I have ever sent there loves him too. I knew Dr. DeLee was the doc for me when I called him one day because I thought I had an eye sty and he gave me his home phone number in case it got worse over the weekend. When it turned out that we lived near each other, he offered to bring my contacts home so I could pick them up. What a awesome guy! I've been going to Dr. DeLee for the past five or so years and probably have referred about five or six people to him since. Although I no longer work near by, I continue to travel to the loop for my annual check up. Besides, it nice to have an excuse to go the Rookery Building ever year - its beautiful! read more

Have been a client for many years. Dr. DeLee is constantly upgrading his equipment and maintains a great culture in the office.

I've been seeing Dr. DeLee for nearly 8 years now, and have always had a great experience with him and others in the office. Last year, I tried a new eye doctor located closer to my work purely for convenience, and was so disappointed in the service that I have returned to Dr. DeLee this year, and will not think about changing doctors again! The extra travel time to get to Dean Optical is worth the better service and very friendly experience. I have never encountered any billing issues that others have noted, and have always left satisfied with my experience. read more

Dr. Meifert is a very patient eye doctor. He helped me to transition from hard lenses to soft lenses, which was not as easy as it sounds. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is the wait time can be very long. I've never started an appointment on time. read more

Dr. Meifert knows Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses. That's a rarity these days. No pressure to switch to something different, since my old-fashioned RGP's work well for me. The frame selection includes the brand Prodesign Denmark, which is a brand that will add separate nose pads to most any frame. That's important for people with flat, wide noses, like me! The opticians know their eyeglass material, and are very helpful in choosing lens material suitable for someone with a strong prescription. They are not an "in-and-out in an hour" type shop, but really, your vision and your face requires more than an hour, in my opinion. Worth the money. Convenient downtown location. read more

Dr. Miefert is really great. He is very personable. Been using them for over 3 years. Found an issue with my eyes 3 yrs ago and sent me to specialist right away. Staff is very good quick and efficient as well..i feel i get great service with personable care. It is pricey but still feel i get great sevice...plus it is located in the Rookery..a landmark building in Chicago! read more

So I called to see if they sold clip on sunglasses - you know, so I wouldn't have to walk across town and find out they don't - and they said "limited selection". Sounded ok to me - only need one - when I get there they said "we no longer carry those". Hmmm - coulda said that on the phone. read more

Dean Optical is the best. We just moved to Chicago from the East Coast a year ago and were so lucky to have found Dr. DeeLee. His entire staff is professional, polite and accomodating. I've been to a number of different optical offices but have never had such a thorough exam. They use all the newest technology then the Doctor explains all the results in layman's terms and with visuals. They also have a great selection of frames at reasonable prices. My husband's lenses arrived in less than a week and he is estatic with the results. On top of it all you get to see The Rookery Building which is a treat in itself. I highly recommend Dean Optical to anyone looking for a new place to get their eyes examined or buy glasses or contacts. read more

My eye exam was very comprehensive. I wanted to try contacts for the first time and when my trial pair came in, the staff person helping me REALLY helped me and stayed with me as I tried over and over again to put them in and take them out. He was extremely supportive. The staff were all friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable but not cheap. But the frames are good quality. They will help you look up alternate colors, etc. I really feel that your eyes are incredibly important and if you have any sort of complexity in your prescription you must go to a quality opto read more

We had great service by Gabrielle at Dean Optical two years ago and so I decided to have my exam and looking for a new glass frame today. I had to say that I am very disappointed by their current staff. The sales gentleman is nicely dressed and groomed with his grey hair. However, when he heard that I had VSP, he made an excuse retreating into the reception desk and tending other customers. I overheard his sentence, directing other staff by saying "that guy has VSP...". I am not usually the type of person that gets easily offended. I guess that if you have VSP, take caution not to disclose it too soon at this place. They also took a picture of the "back of the eye" using a blinding green flash light and later asked for an additional $38 (uncovered by insurance) if I wanted the optometrist to examine the pictures. How could an eye exam become a tourist spot that does "pictures first, money later"?? This is not to even mention that I still have discomfort in my left eye at this moment. read more

I've been a patient at Dean Optical for over 15 years. I believe they have the best eye care in the loop. The staff are very nice. This office has the latest technology for examining eyes and provides excellent diabetic eye care. Dr. DeLee is an outstanding Doctor of Optometry with a great sense of humor. He takes takes time to explain everything going on with my vision and even goes over scan results comparing them to previous years. He is very thorough. The office has a great selection of frames and the opticians make sure the fit is perfect. I've worked with Tom to get fitted for several pairs of glasses over the years and he's fantastic. I highly recommend Dean Optical for your vision care needs. read more

Caution: This place is a rip-off...go elsewhere! If you want to spend stupid money just so you can brag to your friends, go here. Otherwise, go elsewhere. Read below regarding my eye exam 10/08/13. While Dr. Meifert was very pleasant to deal with, I will not be going back to this place ever again. Coming into my appointment, I told them in no uncertain terms that I ALREADY had a comprehensive eye exam in July 2013. All I would need from them was just an exam for contacts. I figured since I wasn't speaking Greek that they would understand. Imagine my shock when the bill came out to be $204!! Without ordering any contacts, eyeglasses, nada...just the exam. I didn't want to make a scene and I was in a hurry to get out of there since it took another 15 minutes after I was done with Dr. Meifert before I was able to check out, so I paid the total and left. The bill didn't sit well with me so I called around to places similar to this and they quoted me well below the $204 (I'm not talking about places like America's Best, etc.), I made sure to call around comparable places (Spex, Eye Optical, Visionary) and the most expensive I was quoted was $100 bucks less. So I sent them an email asking them for a detailed breakdown to my $204, didn't hear anything from them and had to call them to ask. While on the phone with a guy over there (Bill I think his name was - not one of the doctors), I asked about my bill and the reason of the cost. He looked it up and said "yup...that's the cost of the contacts' exam". I asked him why it's so obscene at $204 bucks when I can go to Lenscrafter for the same thing. He very arrogantly stated he's sure the "quality" is not the same. Ummm...forgive me but don't you guys all go and study the same thing? Have the same equipments? It's not like Lenscrafter will pry my eyes out to examine it and you guys don't. I guess it's my stupidity and naivety to believe that it shouldn't be that much more expensive from place to place and I wanted to give my money/business to businesses that aren't a big huge corporation. $204 bucks is not a lot for me IF it's worth it. This to me is just a rip-off. So Dean Optical, enjoy the $204 bucks since that will be the last you'll ever see from me. read more

Although I like Dr. DeLee's services, both my insurance company and I were billed for the same service. I would like to think that this was a mistake, which it may have been, because the staff makes many, many mistakes with bills and scheduling and even with the eye tests. read more

Dr. DeLee came highly recommended by a close friend. I fell into the right hands for sure. My baby boomer eyes have taken a dive BUT I have no doubt that he will get my eyes back on track. After having a retina specialist take additional exams and maybe correction, Dr. DeLee will pick up and then help me with contact lenses. Thank you Dr. DeLee! Oh and by the way, he has a great sense of humor. And the staff is close to perfection. read more

Dr. DeLee is so kind, caring and compassionate. I would highly recommend him! The office is conveniently located downtown he is very thorough with his eye care and takes the time to explain it. I personally love their ability of the advance eye testing, if you are interested in that. I have stigmatizims in both eyes and Thru Dr. Delee patience he tried every contact contact out on me available, no fault of his, none would work. But he took the time with me to try them to make me happy. Highly recommend the office even if you just need a good pair of glasses! read more

These guys are great. I brought a prescription from another optometrist because they had a better frame selection, they were very helpful picking out a frame. Had the glasses made, got bad headaches every time I used them, they did a re-exam for $30 when they could have charged full price since I didn't have the first exam with them. First prescription was too strong, they had the lenses remade at no charge and now everything is good. Excellent customer service all around. read more

DO NOT USE DEAN OPTICAL. They prod you on the spot to pay extra money out of pocket for bogus eye imaging (to see inside your eye "better"). Rude staff. Will not work with you to fill online contact orders (presumably to make it so inconvenient that you relent to buying contacts from them at much higher prices). Overpriced, underserved. read more