Harvard Square Eye Care

Committed to satisfaction

Locally owned & operated

I am shocked to read the (couple of) negative reviews here. This is the best optical store I've…read moreever been to, both in Boston and New York City. John is so sweet, kind, cooperative, helpful (on and on), and Dr. Shah is thorough and kind as well. I can't fathom someone feeling "degraded" or having any kind of negative experience at this store.

Wow! My partner needed glasses in 24 hours for an event. Searching for someone who could manage the…read moreexpectations of a rocket scientist is not easy, but we found the utmost professional in John Bejakian! He made the glasses in 24 hours and they were perfect. Not only perfect, but John patiently stayed at least an hour after closing with a science geek and perfectionist to get the glasses exactly right! This is not typical perfect, this was unflappable extraordinary above and beyond excellence and professionalism, perfect! If you need glasses and your seeing well is paramount to your work, see John, he will give you exactly what you need! If I could double his stars, I would!

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241 Optical

4.8(94 reviews)

1.5 mi•Harvard Square

I'm a repeat client and he is always kind and has a great selection of glasses. He doesn't take…read moreinsurance but the price is always right 2 for the price of one you can't beat that and you can use your flex spending. He can make your glasses there and they'll be ready in a couple of hours. If he doesn't have your lens he will order them and will be there in no time at all. I just bought my first pair of glasses with progressives, yes we will all get there some time in our lives lol. I'm now stylish af and can read fine print haha( see pic for my red pair) he will let you know what fits your face and what's best for your prescription. You must visit Michael it's a no brainer! Fyi limited hours on Saturday 10-1pm not open on Sundays. Support your local community!

I fairly recently visited Michael for the first time and I quickly discovered his integrity,…read morepatience, generosity and kindness. When I went back with what seemed like a problem with the main (graduated) pair it turned out that the prescription was a little off. He did not charge me for the new lens (based on a new prescription)! In passing I had mentioned that I realized I didn't really like the reading glasses after all, and he exchanged the frame, again without charge. He knows his business and values his customers, and I am now a loyal one.

0.2 mi•Porter Square, North Cambridge

Beautifully crafted eyewear in the heart of harvard square

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General Optical

4.3(66 reviews)

Dr. Klaahsen is fantastic!! Here's why. It had been about 7 years since my last eye exam and I…read moregenerally viewed these interactions as transactional until I met her. She explained to me the importance of eye care in a super loving way and walked me through everything she was doing and why. She uses state of the art tech and actually teaches you about your eyes. Dr. Klaahsen really took the time to find the right contacts for me and WHOA...I didn't realize how much I couldn't see anything before! That's a long story BUT the point is that Dr. Klaahsen is a great Doctor. She really cares about her people in a way you don't often get from physicians. The staff is really helpful and inviting when you walk in. I can't recommend Dr. Klaahsen enough! If you don't go to her...switch. It's totally worth it.

I had gone to General Optical many years ago and was very satisfied. The staff has changed. I…read morebought glasses and got sunglasses to go with them. In order to put the sunglasses on your must take off your glasses and use both hands. Obviously this cannot be done when you are driving a car. If I had been warned I would not have bought them. Genevieve C.

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Custom Eyes

4.2(197 reviews)

2.1 mi•Central Square

Friendly service with reasonable prices. I go in often to try on new frames and never feel any…read morepressure to buy. Kevork Tinkjian is lovely to deal with.

Friendly guy running this place. Unfortunately, I had 1 major issue and 1 smaller issue…read more I came in for a same-day lens replacement for a scratched lens. 1. He gave me the opposite prescription at first (I have a positive number for my spherical, and he gave me a negative number). I immediately knew it was wrong because it was incredibly disorienting, and he told me that my old lenses were prepared poorly and this is what they were supposed to be like and I just needed to keep using them and adjust to this. He confidently showed me the measurement on the machine behind the counter to prove it, but luckily I happened to notice that the number was wrong and pointed it out. To his credit, he apologized and fixed it, but it took an extra hour of sitting in his shop to wait for it. I can't get over how badly this would have messed up my eyes if I did as he said and just used them until my eyes adapted, which would have never happened. I have new glasses now with allegedly the same prescription, and they feel shockingly better when I compare them one after another. So I am concerned that at the end of the day, something was still wrong after all that. Perhaps it was the pupillary distance which he measured in a rush using a device which I may have been looking into wrong since I didn't have an explanation. 2. The whole process was expensive, and the lens quality was poor. I think they were the lowest quality lens material with no or poor antireflective coating. I accept that this is to be expected when buying on short notice, but there was no discussion of what i was buying or what options were available. This is mostly poor judgement on my part, and does not contribute much to my low score here besides the subpar price/quality ratio. He seems like a really nice guy, and perhaps service is much more accurate and faster on a day that isn't as busy as the day I went in. However, I wish that I had just put up with the scratch for another few weeks and waited for my glasses from the internet.

Kevork Tinkjian opened Custom Eyes in December of 2003. Kevork has been a licensed Optician since 1998.

Kevork Tinkjian

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SEE - Don't miss SEE's Spring Trunk Show - April 14-May 2!

SEE

4.2(166 reviews)

Like a dedicated employee, I went into the office where I inadvertently set a notebook on my…read moreglasses. Smush.... I brought my glasses into SEE where the arms on my glasses were realigned. They were straight and stayed on my face. I was ready to replace them but they were able to straighten them. :) If I need glasses, I am returning. They get my vote.

XLent, XLent, XLent Service, styles and Staff!…read moreNow, lets talk about their corporate design department... they are a little slow on creating new styles. For those of US who buy glasses for THAT reason it makes one want to stray but then there's Staff and Service at this location -Trang and Rob - the best. OH way, we'll just have to wait out the season and HOPE to be surprised by the mothership.

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Medford Eyeglass Shop

5.0(37 reviews)

2.5 mi

•$

I went in to have 2 designer sunglasses fixed. The man in the shop immediately fixed the in less…read morethan 10min and charged only $20. Professional, fast and friendly! Go here for your eyeglass/sunglasses needs. They are the best.

Rick is the best! Very customer service oriented and always willing to take the time to explain how…read moreto pick the best glasses for the customers needs. Highly recommend!

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Tuscany frameless eyeglass assortment and Leader sports and activity eyeglasses and sunglasses

All Eye Care Doctors

3.0(78 reviews)

0.4 mi•Porter Square

Dr I. Was fantastic! She fixed my vision to 20-15 with RGP scleral contact lenses after having my…read morecross linking procedure for my Keratoconus diagnosis. Life changing work! Cannot thank her enough. 10/10 Highly recommend

Eye exam, frames, and lenses - difficulty seeing with the new Rx and lenses, so lenses were…read moreremeasured and remade. Still uncomfortable. The solution, pay for another eye exam. The same OD produced a new Rx and the new lenses were still unacceptable. Tried to cancel an order for replacement lenses in another frame, but even though it was within 24hr(not certain, might've been 48hr), the order was not canceled. Finally went to another optometrist and the Rx was different from the previous two. Had new lenses fitted - less expensive for the same manufacturer, and still have a pair with the lenses i can't use. Expensive, spent more than 2k for exams, frames, and lenses that i can't use.

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Eye-Q Optical - Cambridge

4.1(154 reviews)

Certified professionals

Offers payment plans

Claire was incredibly kind and exceptionally skilled at adjusting my eyeglass frames. Thanks to her…read morehelp, I was able to get comfortable with my new prescription and my new frames. I really appreciated her patience and expertise.

I had a great experience here for a vision exam. The customer service was excellent and they even…read morehave a special machine that can detect changes to your eye health which my insurance covered with a small co-pay. Highly recommended!

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Warby Parker Cambridge

3.5(15 reviews)

They are the poorest quality glasses that I have ever owned…read more They keep breaking, and my optometrist's office keeps fixing them for me for free without complaint. If I try to get them fixed at Warby Parker, where I purchased them, they will send me on a goose chase to make an appointment via email or mail in my glasses. What a load of crock! I would never recommend their glasses.

This place is way over-hyped…read more After hearing some good things from others about prices and variety of frames we went to check out the Harvard Sq. location. The staff was friendly and eager to help and fairly knowledgeable. We didn't find a whole lot of variety for frame styles. But the main downside to Warby Parker for us were the prices. Highway Robbery. Just as expensive, if not more so, than other eyeglass stores. A nice vacation could have been had with the money spent here. This place is nothing more than a marketing ploy disguised as a business.

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Harvard Square Eye Care

2.6(126 reviews)

I came here for an exam a couple weeks ago and was so happy with my experience that I was shocked…read moreto see the low overall rating on here. But it looks like the 1 star reviews are at least a year old. If you're in the Cambridge area and need an optometrist, go here! Truly. I stopped into and called several optometry offices around Harvard Square, and this was the only one where I immediately felt a genuinely welcoming, no-nonsense vibe. That was NOT my experience elsewhere. Harvard Square Eye Care is clearly not trying to scam you or push overpriced frames. I never felt pressured to buy anything, and I really appreciated having the option to do traditional dilation instead of being steered toward the more expensive imaging option that my insurance doesn't cover - something most other places didn't even offer. It's such a relief to find a practice that understands the simple need for an eye exam and prescription, especially for those of us who just want the most affordable pair of glasses possible. Honest, transparent, and refreshing. Ignore the negative reviews and go here!

Friendly, knowledgeable and quick. Not aggressive with their sales tactics, which is a huge turn…read moreon. Easy parking or a short jaunt from alewife station.