I just moved to the area and went to Vestavia Eye Care for the first time today. I was seen by…read moreTaylor and Dr. Essinger and they were both amazing! They were both warm and knowledgeable, making it a great experience. I highly recommend this office and will be back!

Let me start by saying I was prescribed glasses for the first time in fourth grade. Needless to…read moresay, for the past 19 years, I have been in optometrist's offices 1-4 times per year. Dr. Essinger is hands down the best optometrist I have ever seen. The staff at Vestavia Eye Care was friendly and helpful from the moment I reached the front counter. The initial tests and evaluations were thorough, especially when I told them some recurring issues I was having. (Note: make sure you have at least an hour for your exam if you have an issue.) When I told Dr. Essinger the issues I had been having for two years that were unsolved mysteries for every doctor I saw, he was the first to care. He ran texts on me I had never seen and he came up with two theories for me to test. In fact, he was so concerned that he told me to text him as soon as I had progress. His caring concern brought tears to my eyes! Birmingham- We are so fortunate to have this office here! If you need a reliable optometrist for your family, look no further! I was also told they have a pediatric optometrist on staff for those of you with little ones.

My daughter, aged 23 and college educated, needed to renew her contact lens prescription. I told…read moreher to just call around and find out a place that has a good price on a contact lens exam and go see them. I knew that a contact lens exam costs more than just an eyeglass exam so I told her to make sure she was specific. She called me back surprised and said "Schaeffer Eye center has the best rate --it starts at $75. And I'll automatically have an eyeglass prescription, too." I was surprised because my sister has used them for years and spends a fortune there, but, hey, they have a stellar reputation, why would they lie?? I told her to be careful about ordering any additional procedures and sent her off. So my daughter goes in, asks specifically for a contact lens exam and when she goes to pay it is (wait for it....) $220. The optometrist and assistant (Christine Hodge) both said they were real sorry since they had BOTH told her it was only going to be $75, but she had to have toric lenses and an eye health exam so they did her a favor and marked off a mandatory followup appointment charge of $49 --so I guess I'm lucky she didn't walk out of there paying $269.' That evening I called and spoke to employee Christine Hodge, who had apologetically checked her out. Christine told me that Schaeffer eye center will not give a contacts exam unless you've already had a $90+ "eye health exam." And then, there was $60 upcharge for toric lenses. And then a mandatory appointment $49 follow-up fee for I don't even know what. My husband and I have been glasses wearers for over 30 years and this kind of price gouging is NOT standard practice--not at LensCrafters, Pearle, Eye Care Associates of Cahaba Heights, Sears, Sam's, Costco or Walmart, where all optometrists are fully trained and licensed and where we have always received excellent vision care. If anything, other eye care offices err on the side of caution ("okay, we recommend that you have this test done and it's going to cost an extra $25--please sign here if you want us to do it..") Any follow up appointments are included in the exam cost--they make sure that by the time you are through, you've got the exactly perfect prescription for your needs. Incidentally, I've had torics for almost 8 years with no up charges whatsoever. I know there are plenty of folks out there who don't mind paying Schaeffer a king's ransom for their eye care. But heads up, folks: If someone calls in to check on the price, guess what they're interested in? THE PRICE! Incidentally,during her visit, my daughter gave at least three indications of her concern for the cost of the exam. First, she said "I want a contact lens exam. It's $75, right?" When they asked her to sign a form, she pointed out a $25 dilation fee, which they crossed out and told her "that doesn't apply any more." Finally, when the technician, David King, asked her if she wanted an "Optimat" (sp??) test and she said "no" because it sounded like it might cost more money. Oh, and did I mention she still doesn't have her prescription?? After all that, they were trying to get her to make a fitting appointment. By that time, my daughter said "they had taken all my money and I just wanted to get out of there." She's scared to go back and I don't blame her. If someone had told me that for thorough, honorable, professional, eye care, your best bet is WalMart??? I would have thought they were a little bit nuts. But I know better now. Forget boiling crawfish, Dr.Schaeffer, it's your pricing practices that need sterilizing.

I will never wear glasses again, and the amazing thing is that I don't need them, thanks to…read moreSchaeffer Eye Center (I just have to write this note of appreciation). I'm taking mine today to Dr. Williams at Schaeffer Eye Center, because each year he goes on a mission to Peru -- both at a clinic they set up, and to homes -- to help people with their sight, and soon these will be doing wonderful things. For me, I never thought I would be able to live without glasses or contacts. My acuity was something like 20/1000-1200 before, plus I had astigmatism. I could not get out of bed without glasses. I even swam with glasses on. In November, I went to Schaeffer Eye Center at the Colonnade and Dr. Woolfson (he is *the* go-to Lasik doctor in Atlanta) was there to perform my LASIK. It took maybe...not sure...ten minutes tops? Very little discomfort -- and I'm very sensitive about pain, it really didn't hurt -- and only a couple or three days later I was able to drive without any aid for the first time, ever. Every single person at Schaeffer that has helped me has been amazing: incredibly professional, super-friendly, very attuned to anything I wanted to talk about or ask. Last week, I had my latest post-op visit and I have 20/20 and 20/15(!!!) vision. It's wonderful to sleep, swim, exercise, and not worry about broken glasses, fogged-up glasses, lost glasses, torn contacts, dry eyes, foggy contacts, do-I-have-plenty-of-contacts-and-solution, and all the money spent on those things. I just need a regular appointment to check the health of my eyes from now on, just as people who have great vision all their lives. I really appreciate when I see others post about the experiences they have had with local doctors, businesses, etc so here's mine. And I love that my doctor at Schaeffer does wonderful things for people in other parts of the world, and I love supporting Dr. Schaeffer and everyone at SEC because of what they do for our community (like CityFest and the money that's been raised for Camp Smile-A-Mile and many other charities). I'm so glad I did it, and am appreciative for everyone at Schaeffer for helping me achieve something I never thought I would have.

I haven't submitted a review in a while, but Red Mountain Eye Care deserves some love!…read more I've had an ongoing stye for the last few months that turned into a full blown infections a few weeks back. I couldn't get it to see my regular optimist so I called them for a last minute appointment. Not only did the receptionist put me at ease, but the doctor provided tons of feedback, solutions, and prescribed a regime that cleared it right up. A few weeks later my boyfriend and I returned for an eye exam. My boyfriend is legally blind and has trouble with optometrists in the past, but he loved Red Mountain Eye Care. They were friendly, easy-going, and really listened to the problems he was having with his vision. I would highly recommend this great practice!

I cannot recommend Dr. Gagnon and his staff enough! Not only did they explain the ranges of why my…read moreinsurance would cover and what I would be responsible for, they also never tried to talk me into the "high-end" of anything from the lenses to the frames. There was no pressure to buy anything from them at all. The prices of their frames are a fraction of what I was used to at my former eye care facility and I was truly impressed by everyone I worked with. Dr. Gagnon performed a thorough exam and helped me to understand the changes my eyes have gone through and helped determine the perfect prescription for me. I will definitely be going back and recommending Red Mountain Eye Care to everyone I know!

They were very personable. Offered water when we first came in. They were also very conscious about…read moreyour personal space. And also very helpful with picking out frames and getting the best deal with your insurance. Will definitely be back! And will recommend to family and friends. They also have Saturday appointments which is appreciated.

They were certainly cautious and careful about Covid. The extreme cost (even with good insurance)…read moredid not make it worth the money spent on new glasses. My "scratch resistant"lenses were scratched within a month of careful wear. Then 6 months later they would not get me new lenses again when they were scratched yet again. Not worth the money folks!

Wouldn't trust these people with a carton of eggs. I know nothing about the doctors because I…read morehaven't even gotten past the unhelpful, dishonest and incompetent front office yet.

We have been using Dr. Davidson for my son for the past 7 years and she is amazing. However, the…read moreincredibly rude and unprofessional front desk staff has made it impossible to continue using this practice. She is cruel and sarcastic and all around unhelpful. I haven't encountered this level of rude and unprofessional behavior from anyone we have ever dealt with at Children's. Apparently, they are not affiliated with Children's and only rent this space from Children's. We would never receive this level of plain meanness from anyone that is associated with Children's. I do not recommend this practice at all.

Everyone in this office is so friendly, and my appointments are always quick. I've been seeing Dr…read more Ansley for the past few years. Highly recommend!

Was my First time there. Was greeted with a nice welcome and…read moreDr Amanda Duty was very sweet ,took her time to explain to me what the difference between glasses are , which I haven't had the pleasure of before . Place is very clean and with a wide selection of glasses. Would recommend this place to anyone looking for a new optician.

Advanced Eye Care is the place to go. The staff and Dr. Vaughn are so nice and very attentive you…read moreyour eyes care needs.

I have officially found my new eye doctor! After having a not so great experience at another place…read moreit was a relief to find Alexia Vaughn and her amazing staff. It's always easy to make an appointment and they have a good selection of glasses and contacts. They take their time and answer any questions you may have. And when my contact shipment was running a bit behind schedule they made sure to give me extra pairs to get me through until my shipment arrived. If you have bad vision, like myself, you know how important it is to find a place that's caring and always willing to help when needed. I found that in this place. If you're looking for an optometrist definitely check this place out!!!

I have been seeing Dr. Epstein for about 20 years and during this time she has kept me seeing close…read moreto 20/20 despite having a very high refraction (~-11) and astigmatism. Highly reccomended.

Attentive and personalized care. Variable hours so easy to work appointments around work. Nice…read morefacility with plenty of parking. Wonderful team who each help with whatever you need!

Friendly helpful staff. Kind and patient doc! The care was exceptional. Found an issue and…read moreimmediately referred to specialist.

Dr Cook has been my doctor for years, and i love him. I couldn't recommend him enough. All of my…read morefamily and friends have switched to see him as well. He and his staff are incredibly friendly. Even though i only see him once a year, he manages to remember our conversations from the last visit. My vision insurance at work changed and he is no longer covered. The insurance rep told me it was easy to change eye doctors, i explained that would be out of the question. I canceled my insurance and pay out of pocket for his services. I trust him completely, you will not be disappointed.

My husband and I usually visit the other location in Birmingham for our eyeglass needs, but with…read morethe kids in tow, we wanted some place with easy parking to get in/out with them. So we came to the Summit location. Along with everyone else in the city. On a Monday afternoon. They had a waiting list, but they did not abide by it, and tended to customers that came in after us. Super frustrating when dealing with two littles. Will visit the downtown location from now on.

Very mixed feelings about this place Staff excellent and…read morevery helpful. Problems occurred when I received the totally wrong pair of glasses with wrong prescription that I could not use or see out of. Thus began long customer service phone call to correct the process with the claim that I had to pay extra to receive the new correct prescription. So very disappointed! ! there is a huge disconnect between customer care in the store and the manufacturing. Presently i am on hold with a very polite customer service rep who is trying to find the EXPERT team to help her give me a new pair. I would very much like to talk to a CUSTOMER Service rep. I find it very disappointing that Tamara and DR. Drew worked so hard on their end but experts are pitiful. ELITE SUPPORT IS SO VERY