I called yesterday to schedule my annual appointment for an eye exam and contact refill. I was bewildered when I called and the scheduling person on the telephone said they have no record of me as a patient. I told her I have been a patient of Dr Howard's since the 1980's. She told me the practice was sold and Dr Howard no longer owns the business. She then told me only active patient records were available and I must be in-active. I wish Dr Howard the best and want to thank him for the wonderful care over the past decades. Now I need to find a new eye doctor...... read more

I am SO happy I found this gem. I came in my first time a few months ago because I saw the $69 special for frames and lenses. When I arrived, they were SO welcoming. I called and had my prescriptiont sent right over, no hassle! They have a nice selection of affordable frames for any look as well as designer's if ya wanna be fancy. They were so patient with me and did not make me feel like I was cheap because of what I was purchasing ( some places kind of look down on you when you don't have a huge budget) So fast forward to today, I broke my frames so had to stop in. Since my lenses were still good I actually ended up getting TWO new frames for $49!!! (I had my lenses put in one) and I can pop lenses out to change with other frames when I want to color coordinate! What a steal! I was so happy. The place is great and I totally am recommending to my friends! read more

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I just left Dr. howard's office and I have to say this was my easiest eye doctor visit ever. I found him here on Yelp looking for an Opthamologist. I saw that he only had a few stars and only 5 posts on his front page, but he had a bunch of awesome filtered reviews so I gave it a try since it was near my house. Not to mention it was only $85 for a check up with no insurance. Everyone else wanted anywhere from $150-$190. Plus I was able to fill out my paperword online so I wouldn't have to sit around their office doing it. So I came in because my eye has been inflamed and red for the past few days. I didn't know what was wrong with it and I couldn't see my regualr doctor since hes just an Optometrist and if I needed a prescription he wouldn't be able to give it to me. Anyways, I got there and I was greated by two lovely ladies. They were very sweet and friendly. I een got a compliment about my outfit. :) They asked for my name, grabbed my folder and I was taken into the doctors office immediately. I have to say that's the fastest I have ever since with any of my doctors. So the doctor came in just as fast as I was taken into his office. He was really nice and made me feel comfortable. He checked my vision, asked me what was wrong, and did a few tests. Yeno, check my eyes with the weird machines and lights? Then basically told me everything looked good. He said it was inflammed and it should be fine using some eye drops for about a week. He then wrote me a prescription and walked me tothe front desk. Got back with one of the ladies and we chit chatted a little an I paid her. And off I went! Overall it was an excellent experience. Everyone was friendly and I was literally there for 15 minutes. And it was definitely a great price compared to every other place around the area. I might even come back for some glasses. They had a huge selection to choose from and they also do contacts. read more

A friend recommended this place and I couldn't be happier. All the staff is very friendly and especially helpful in answering any questions or concerns you might have. They also had a nice selection of frames to choose from. The turnaround on my glasses was very quick, only two days. They did have same day service available but I was in no hurry. read more

Way cool eye doctor! His office helped me out of a HUGE bind. See I was traveling in Cali... and I did an awesome swan dive into a swimming pool and somehow managed to lose both my contacts in the process. I didn't have any extras, and I couldn't see. I had my prescription faxed to Dr. Howard's office, and they hooked me up with a trial pair and SAVED THE DAY! Of course, I had to buy a box of contacts, but that's not too big of a deal. The huge plus was that they didn't try and charge me for an unneeded eye exam, as most optometrist offices would. read more

Always have such a great experience at Eye Care Plus. Just got a new prescription for my reading glasses. Love that they have blue light lenses too. read more

I wish I could give zero stars. I've had many bad experiences here. I went to this doctor because my husband went to this doctor before we got married. He said that he thought it was cool because they do extra tests on your eyes. As it turns out, the extra test costs extra, and its in the paperwork they have you fill out when you get there. So if you're not reading what you're signing, you'll be out an extra $35. In addition, they are just shady. Earlier this year, I used my insurance for glasses, so when I went to get a check up, I could not use my insurance to buy contacts. I just asked for the prescription so that I can buy it online. They said that the prescription would cost $110. $&#&$! They said it was because I need to be fitted to the contacts, etc. They are the same contacts I had last year, with a -.25 change. My other option is their "package" that includes 1 years worth of contacts with a prescription for $335. After hearing that, I thought....Costco charges somewhere around $100 to get your eyes checked and a prescription...and this place charges $120 for an eye exam and $110 for a prescription (that one of the receptionists signs, not the doctor). What a rip off. So in response to the ridiculous price I had to pay for contacts, I said no thank you. I said, I'll just wait until January when my insurance cycle starts again and order the so-called package with my insurance. They said they can't do that because I can only get the prescription within 6 weeks of the exam. Ok...there goes that idea. Instead, they said that what I can do is still order my old contacts so I have contacts to wear. What do you mean, don't prescriptions expire in 1 year, I said. They said, they keep their prescriptions valid for 2 years. So wait, you want me to order contacts with my old prescription even though I just got my eyes checked 5 minutes ago? And that you won't let me order contacts 8 weeks from now because it's more than 6 weeks from my exam date. Yet, you'll let me order contacts with my prescriptions from 2 years ago. Yea...makes real sense. My husband had a whole different issue. He wanted to only order 6 months of contacts instead of a year. He was told that he could not do that because of the way they order contacts through their suppliers (even though he did it last year). My husband then went back to complain to the doctor himself. Dr. Howard said that there's no "package". He also told him how outrageous it is for him to charge $110 for contact lens prescription. The Doc said it was because it includes a follow-up. My husband replies, she doesn't need a follow-up they're the same contacts she had last year. He walked away frustrated, accomplishing nothing. Did I mention that our insurance covers 100% of follow-up visits? Don't go here, they're sh-sh-sh-shady!!! read more

Since the good doctor has two Yelp listings, I've decided to post my review from the other one in here as well. I don't think I'll be coming back to this optometrist ever again. While Dr. Howard himself is a nice enough fellow and gives a quick exam, the assistant that "greets" you when you walk gives exceptionally poor customer service. When I walked in, there was not a friendly greeting, and it was rather unpleasant to begin with, as the receptionist greeted me with a "do you have an appointment" from the beginning. No attempt at pleasantries, and she was clearly trying to charge as much as possible, as she didn't give me a chance to decline the optional eye scan (which I was planning on doing anyway), instead only saying "make sure this is correct, and this is not covered by insurance". After the exam, I was shocked to find that the total for the eye exam and a year's worth of contacts would be well over $300 after insurance. I was not expecting it to cost this much, so I asked to instead have a 6 months worth of contacts instead, and the receptionist only responded to me with a "you won't get the rebate". So when I get home, I realize that I was overcharged as they had neglected to bill my insurance provider the full $110 that I was allotted for the year. When I called back it was like pulling teeth to have this receptionist look at the charges, and she was so smug and confident that she didn't bill me an extra $81 that it was infuriating. And when she saw that I was overcharged, there was no apology or anything, but she merely said "give me your CC number so we can refund this to you". So in short, the doctor is fine, their prices are higher than I would have liked to pay (even with the correction to my bill), and the assistant up front is so bad I wouldn't ever come back again. read more

I've been going to see the main optmetrist, Dr. Howard, since I was a kid. (Yes, I have been blind that long.) I've referred many people here and we all keep coming back. They have a good selection of frames and take insurance. Their contact lens packages are really reasonable as well. (I sometimes see a coupon in the Reader. ) The rest of the staff is friendly and they don't keep you waiting. I'm docking a star for the parking lot. It's super small and hard to get in and out of. read more

Worst eye doctor experience I have ever had. Very poor customer service, in every way. They are HUGE scammers!! The lady was so unbelievably rude that she made me cry! I was already very skeptical when she wouldn't tell me how much my contacts were going to cost me until I finished my exam; (which they rushed me through) Then they want to overcharge me almost double to what my contacts usually cost me... and it would be a 4 box minimum to order! So by now I'm extremely pissed, and I tell this gal, "I WILL NOT pay that much, I would like to just take my prescription and buy contacts on my own"... she actually had the nerve to make me take out my sample pair of contacts and through them away!!!! To top it off, to even walk out of there with my contact prescription, I had to pay for a contact fitting!!! WTF!!! If it couldn't get ANY worse, the placed just reeked of cigarettes. read more

I will be fair here. The Optometrist himself is actually a nice doctor. But why on earth do I have to buy a whole year worth of contacts ($240) when I don't even wear them every day. The glasses themselves are fine. The prices are O.K. But they wanted to charge $130 just for the contact lens PRESCRIPTION because it includes a "follow up and fitting." Keep in mind that this is after I have already paid for the eye exam and retinal scan (which is about $150 total). They then used the excuse that I have astigmatism is why it's this much. Okay seriously, I had astigmatism for as long as I can remember and been to a lot of Lenscrafters for many years. They NEVER charged that kind of money for "follow-ups." I understand that the economy is tough but this just isn't called for. My advice? Shop Around! read more

I can't believe my experience here. The doctor is lackluster, I feel indifferent with him. But.. the staff is inadequate. There's a rude cranky lady that just glares at you when you walk in and refrains from greeting you, she also sounds highly unpleasant on the phone. She's monotonous and she maintains that attitude the whole time. After the doctor saw me she then just makes me wait after she finishes chatting with another worker, and says "where's your card?" after she's done chatting, without asking me if I had any questions or if everything is okay.. Point is, if you are a receptionist, shouldn't you be personable and friendly to the clients? Doesn't that account for what a major part of your job? I got my eye-exam here during January for eye-glasses.. I paid almost $400 dollars for an eye-exam, frame and lens. They told me to pick out the frame I wanted, but they don't have the lens in my prescription. It'll take a week they said.. I told them I just want my prescription, and I'll go to costco and order my glasses and frame.. Then out of the blue.. the lens/glaas cutter said he has my lens prescription in stock. One of the receptionists wondered how he found it, when the other client waiting had to special order his lens after the other woman mentioned he had the same prescription as me.. the glass cutter said "hers are different".. I already sense something was off with this scenario.. I was desperate to obtain glasses that day because I broke my back-up and I kept getting pink eye, my primary care doctor told me to only wear glasses for several weeks with the prescription eye drops.. So, 6 months later I decided I wanted contacts again.. I called the Dr. Howard's office to see how much it would be to get a contact prescription since I already received an eye exam before and they said $51 dollars.. I didn't hesitate to pay for this because it would have been cheaper to pay $51 than over $100 again for prescription when I just needed to get contact prescription added on... As I left the office, I felt cheated because I didn't even walk out receiving any eye-exam for my contacts, nor did I receive a prescription or a copy of the receipt. The only thing that happened during this visit was the doctor fully ripping off the prescription grade from these sample contacts, telling me to try them on in the office and come back within a week to see how they feel. I set up an appointment for next Thursday.. and I'm not planning on going to go for this "follow up" because I don't know if they will charge me anymore money for their lousy service. I have never felt so uncomfortable before and this place just seems desperate for money. I've spent enough, and I rather waste money at a place that I actually feel comfortable in. You would think they would treat me better since I paid out of pocket without hassling them of going through an eye insurance company. I wish I can go back in time and spend $450 else where. I have doubts that my prescription are wrong, as I feel dizzy wearing my glasses. The $51 visit today in reality was for one pair of sample contacts without a written prescription and without an exam. I will have another optometrist look at my eyes and see if the prescription is right, and actually get a prescription for my contacts and not just have them take money from me without justifying what the hell I'm paying for and charging me $51 dollars without giving me a prescription and an exam. I will NEVER come back to this place. They are unprofessional and deceitful. Another precaution, don't buy frames from this place either, the Tory Burch frames I got were marked up. Be wise and read the reviews before coming in, don't waste your time and money here. read more

My husband and I went here while visiting San Diego on a business trip. All I can say is RUN!!!! This business is a waste of time and money! The receptionists are aweful, uncaring, and this was the worst visit ever! They could not figure out our insurance and continued to tell us we owed more even after we paid them. After our first appointment (a Friday) they said they would call us in Monday, two weeks later they still had not called us back! Bottom line is do not waste your time or money! read more

Dr. Howard is ok. However, his staff is rude not friendly and not very good at multi tasking. I was here earlier this year, I had an appointment and still had to wait 30 min's before I saw Dr Howard. Once I actually saw him he was ok not the nicest just ok. When it was time to pay, the receptionist took forever to ring me up. You would think she had my insurance documents figured out. Well, she didnt which meant more waiting. You would assume she was new, but highly doubt it. She seemed to hate her job which is unfortunate. There were two receptionist working which both seemed very unhappy. I'm sure this place would do better with friendlier and more helpful staff. read more

My experience at EyeCare Plus with Dr. Robert M. Howard was the worst eye care experience my husband and I have ever had despite each having worn glasses for more than 20 years. My husband and I went to get our eyes checked last year with Dr. Howard. My husband had his vision checked for glasses, while I also had a contact fitting. My husband wears glasses full time and used the prescription provided by Dr. Howard to order glasses from another retailer whose frames he preferred. When the glasses arrived however the prescription was extremely uncomfortable. After confirming with the retailer that the glasses indeed had the prescription prescribed by Dr. Howard, we scheduled a recheck with Dr. Howard to confirm the prescription. When I called to make this appointment I told them that we were ordering the glasses elsewhere, and they assured me the recheck appointment would be free of charge. At the recheck, Dr. Howard said the original prescription was correct and then proceeded to charge him a $45 fee, and said that we had been misinformed. My husband went to another optometrist for an appointment and was given a different prescription, that is in fact correct and he is now happy with the new glasses. It is troubling that Dr. Howard could give the wrong prescription in the first place, but to be unwilling to change it when a patient finds it to be unwearable due to the discomfort, and then charge a fee despite being told the appoint would be free, is very disturbing and insulting. My prescription seemed to be fine, but when I went to order contacts from another vendor, Dr. Howard's office called and said I had to come back in for another fitting. Although I had told Dr. Howard at my appointment that I was going to order Acuvue contact lenses, he did not fit me for those, would not give my my contact prescription as required to by law, and stated I would have to come back in. I scheduled an appointment to refit the contact lenses at 11:30am on the coming Saturday, so I could have contacts delivered as soon as possible. On the day of my appointment, at 9:45am, less than 2 hours before my appointment, Dr. Howard's office called to cancel my appointment, since I had mentioned we were unhappy with our previous experience. This is not only inconvenient; it's unprofessional to cancel an appointment with this short of a notice. In the end our insurance company agreed that sub-par services had been provided, and covered a second eye doctor's appointment. If an insurance company willingly offers to reimburse you and pay for more services, you know that care must have truly been sub-par. Please do not go to Dr. Howard at Eye Care Plus, his practice is unprofessional, subpar, and dishonest. read more

Call me a huge fan of Dr. Robert Howard and Eye Care Plus. I will start off by saying I have been a long-time patient since the days his office was on Balboa Avenue. First, let me say, I love the staff - best team of folks ever. I can honestly say Dr. Howard's team ROCKS. They are fun, friendly, professional, helpful, efficient, etc. As you can see, I could go on and on and on. The eye examination is conducted in two parts and very straight forward and modern. Eye Care Plus offers an option to take a photograph of your eye to gauge its health. This is so much better than having to have your eyes dilated. The office has a great selection of economic and designer frames. I typically rely on glasses to correct my vision and have purchased numerous pairs of all different kinds of glasses: single vision distance, digital progressives (I love these), computer, and sun. In addition to glasses, Eye Care Plus offers contact lens fittings. I do not tend to wear contacts on a regular basis; however, I love having the option of being able to see and frame free. Dr. Howard and his team have been very helpful in making sure I have the correct vision when I opt to wear contacts. Mere words alone cannot express how much faith I have placed in Dr. Robert Howard and his team. If you wear glasses, contacts, or both, Eye Care Plus, is where you want to go. Dr. Howard and his team will take care of your everyday vision needs and exceed your expectations. read more

Horrible experience here! The most qualified staff member was the woman working the front desk.....she had her stuff together. The rest of them should go back to wherever they came from. And the male optician could use some serious breath mints, aka TIC- TACS! What happened to the folks of the last 3 years?? I might choose blindness over returning to this practice.....p-a-t-h-e-t-i-c read more

Great experience here with Dr. Howard & staff! Dr. Howard answered all my questions and made me feel comfortable as this was my first time at an eye doctor! I didn't feel pressured to get more expensive frames. They had a really good selection of frames and they didn't get annoyed when I asked to try on 20 different frames! ;) Parking was easy - will definitely be back. read more

I went to Howard's several years ago for glasses. Got the spiel about an extra exam, more money of course, did not take it. Ordered tinting to my glasses, when I arrived, the glasses were not tinted. One of the office staff had me wait, while they took the glasses into the back and tinted them. Several months later, the tinting started to mottle, a pattern developed all over the lenses, and I could hardly see out of them. By that time I had insurance and replaced them at kaiser with new lenses. No way to run a business. Everyone I dealt with was friendly, the only reason I am giving them two stars. read more

First day on vacation and my daughter loses her glasses at the beach! I found this place on Google wanting glasses in one hour! It was close to our place the receptionist was very pleasant when I called to inquire about prices and if they could do my daughter's glasses same day. We were greeted nicely upon arrival! It was a no hassle check in and they took my daughter back right away! Needless to say that 20 minutes later my daughter could see again! And the best part was the PRICE!!! Back home in Phoenix I would have easily spent $400 for glasses done that fast but here in San Diego I paid less than $150!!! Simply unbelievable! But totally amazing! Thank you Toya for all your help! read more

Been coming to here for 5 years or more. Love the service I receive and the eyeglass selection they have in stock.

I've been with Dr. Howard for about 5 years, I think he's a great optometrist and eye doctor. Granted, the people working for him sometimes can be a little overwhelmed by customers, but he is a great doctor, and a very personable man. By the way, they do have a great selection of frames to choose from, from high-end fashion frames ($$$) to much more affordable ones. My insurance cover him too. read more

Staff is very nice, accommodating and professional. It has ONLY been Dr. Howard who has been able to accurately prescribe the correct lenses for my eyes - both glasses and contacts. I had radialkeratonomy perfomed in the early 80's (yes with a scalple). Because I have massive scaring, my vision is not consistent. Trying out several eye doctors for exams and places to purchase glasses, I was unable to see clearly out of any thing that was prescribed to me. Until I met Dr. Howard. He takes his time to insure that I can see accurately through the testing (my eyes are very sensitive to light and due to the earlier surgery, the light used in eye tests blurrs my vision). I have been very happy with my glasses, contact lenses, services, customer service, quality of product. read more

I've been going to see Dr Howard and his staff for over 30 years! They are always friendly and helpful. Over the years, I've brought in my siblings and parents, and my kids have gotten all of their eyewear there too! I can't say enough good things about Eye Care Plus. read more

The Dr. (Howard) was nice and clear in his explanations to my questions. The staff was welcoming. I got an eye exam and dilated. Nice office would recommend early hours. read more

I had been putting off going to an eye doctor for my vision issues the way most people put off going to the dentist. (definitely in denial about aging) Eye Care Plus and Dr. Howard made it a quick, thorough, and fun experience. The staff was all really great and Dr. Howard was kind and listening. Ya know, the way a doctor should be! I explained to Dr. Howard that I spend too much time working at a computer and that my eyes were feeling fatigued and seemed to take forever to focus. After a few tests, he shook my hand and explained to me the solution. I had NO idea that the lab manager would personally make my glasses in 15 minutes. While picking out frames, I was thinking surely I'd get them UPS in a week or two. I was even more surprised at how affordable the exam and frames were. Awesome! The best part is, the glasses fixed my all my fatigue problems AND my girlfriend thinks they're sexy. Bonus! read more

I've been going to Dr. Howard since college and have taken my kids to see Dr. Howard all their lives. They are convenient, friendly and have flexible hours. They have a good selection of frames and are quick with getting product in and giving you call to let you know when things are ready. Have never had an issue in the 25 years I've been going there. The only reason I am docking 1 star is because there can be wait sometimes even with an appointment, but usually no more than 30 minutes. read more

I went to this place a few times as it was close to my job at the time and took insurance. The parking lot is cramped, the hallway in the building smelled bad and the place just seemed kind of beat up. I could deal with that. I stopped going after the contacts they gave me caused some sort of allergic reaction. They kept clouding up every 10 minutes and I was using drops constantly. At that time I'd been wearing contacts for about 12 years with no problems. I returned after a couple of weeks to find out what the problem was, they just gave me a new box of the same contacts and told me to try those. I came back a few days later complaining of the same problem. He examined me again and said that it might be an allergic reaction and then switched me to another pair. By the time I was in my car they were doing the same thing. I never went back again and haven't had that problem since then. read more

Going to the eye doctor isn't something most people do not look forward to doing. This place could change that. James up front is a customer service specialist. Right away he makes you feel like you are an old friend. The doctor was very nice. If you have children, he would make them feel 100% at ease. I give this establishment and everyone it it 2 thumbs up. read more

- Friendly staffs - Lots of fancy equipments to check the eye - Convenient location - Open late (6pm & beyond) - Competitive pricing - Clean storefront read more

I was looking for friendly office and a good experience, since my past experience at another eye doctor was a bad one. I was able to email for an appointment for the next morning and had a reply within an hour with a time around what I was looking for. I walked in and was greeted by very friendly staff who got me started with paperwork and then took me back as soon as I had completed my paperwork. I had my specialty test that the do instead of having to have your eyes dilated. The test were easy and explained well. The I was taken in with Dr. Howard who was very nice and use very current vision equipment to get you the best prescription. I was very pleased with everything with this office and highly recommend them. read more

Been going there since 2001. The staff is nice & helpful. Anyway, same as above...parking lot is small but I wouldn't necessarily say it's hard to get out of....unless you don't know how to drive....or you can drive- but you have a really big truck. read more

I have been to many many eye doctors in the San Diego area. Dr. Howard is up there with my top two favorite choices! Looking forward to my new glasses! Many Thanks!! read more

I love the staff, the Doctor, the location and the office! The staff was incredibly personable and comfortable. Dr. Howard was great. Talked just enough so that you felt you had a good visit w/out feeling like you have wasted an entire morning there. Keep up the good work support staff! read more

Thank you to the staff and Dr Howard for your services and hospitality. Even being thousand miles away from Chicago you all helped me feel at home. Also got a killer discount on my glasses! Thanks again :-) read more

Been coming here for 25 years, excellent service and products. Will continue to keep coming here till I die. Doctor Howard is the best!

Can I PLEASE give more than five stars!!!!!!??? Toya was AMAZING. I found this place on Google, looking for eye exam specials. They're friendly, fast and VERY accommodating. My insurance covered EVERYTHING, also o came with $600 cash ready to spend on my husband and my contacts. I can't believe it. I WILL be bringing our three teenagers here when we get back from Mexico. They even gave me two pairs ON THE SPOT to take to Cabo on two days. Unbelievable experience. read more

Everybody including the Dr was very nice informative and patient, I can be a hand full. Great experience I would recommend this place to anyone in the area. Staff was very friendly made me feel at home with family, still very professional. Love it, it's not everyday you meet and deal with customer friendly people anymore. Great experience!!! read more

I walked in needing a quick pair of glasses with a non-standard prescription. As I was going to be out of town for the next few days time was of the essence. The service was outstanding! Emma and Wilson were extremely friendly and did their out-most effort to find a solution to my challenge. The price was also more than honest. Very highly recommended! read more

Walked in as a new patient and wasn't greeted at all. There was a woman behind the desk who payed no mind. I'm very glad I never got the chance to have my eye exam there since they treat people like this. Skip at all costs read more