I had a new stronger RX from my Optimologist so of course. I looked at only two name-brand stores Lenscrafter and Pearl Vision. the others America's best, vision works, four eyes. We're giving two fair price of one. It wasn't interested in those. I needed Progressive or transitional. lenses were something special. I found out that. The only two brand stores I was interested in buying glasses from had merged and there were both the same companies. both had merged into an Italian lense conglomerate I also learned that almost all of them send their lenses to the same few labs some of the labs were overseas so that's why it takes two or three weeks before you get your glasses back Now I just did not know Where to go with my new prescription A neighbor said he got glasses on Touhy & California thought I'd try it. The very important measuring it determines if you're going to see out of your glasses well or not, so these people how to measure they were using all kinds of strange instruments measuring all kinds of ways for more than an hour It was the best measurement I. ever had. another happy surprise was when I got my new glasses back in just a few days another If that wasn't enough. my bill was very reasonable In comparison with. PearlVision and Lenscrafter's well somebody's got to pay for all that advertising. I've been wearing my new Prescription. glasses with. progressive lenses. for a couple of days and I can see much sharper with them so when I need glasses again, I'm going to go there again. I'm glad my neighbor told me about this place read more

1-F Optical is amazing. Beautiful store with all the brands! I went in to get my sunglasses realigned and they did it for free!

Back when I had bad vision, back when I was in high school, about to get in on some vintage glasses, someone told me about I.F. Optical. It is a super secret shop!!! It's amazing. If I found some amazing vintage frames and want to have a prescription in them, they will do it. I know back in the day it was super cheap, just give them your prescription and boom, you're done. I had about 4 pairs of glasses redone there and I think each prescription was like $40. The price doesn't seem to have changed that much based on the reviews. Since I have perfect vision I haven't used them in a while ( like 13 years), but I'm happy to know they're still around. And super professional. Call ahead since they're orthodox and there might be a holiday you didn't know about and they might be closed! read more

I am torn about writing this review lest too many people discover this wonderful shop and make us wait longer for our glasses. I had a pair of lovely designer drill-mount frames with rimless lenses (progressive, anti-reflective) for which LensCrafters charged me $500 back in 2010. Took them nearly four weeks from exam to pickup. I doubt whether I wore them more than ten times (mostly onstage). Treated them delicately, kept them nestled in microfiber within a hardshell case. Took them to Vegas for a vacation last month. My husband and I sat across the table at an insanely expensive romantic French restaurant--he took my hands, gazed into my eyes and softly cooed "......your lenses are cracked." WHAT??? Sure enough, little cracks radiated from the mounting pins on the bridge. Took them back to LensCrafters. They took one look at them and said, "Sorry, we can't replace drill-mount lenses." When I stressed I didn't care about warranty and would pay full freight, the clerk replied, "We don't sell them any more, don't have the machinery in our store, and even our factory stopped doing them." She then leaned in and whispered "I-F Optical, on Touhy. But you didn't hear it from me." Brought them in to I-F today, along with a copy of my new prescription. They said "Three days without anti-reflective coating, a week with." I told them I was headed to Spain this Fri. and asked if I could bring them back in to be coated upon my return, and they said "sure." They re-measured my pupil distance, despite what the 'scrip said, just to be sure. They will be ready Thurs.--and at a mere fraction of what LensCrafters had originally charged. Oh, and my everyday glasses, which kept slipping down my nose and LensCrafters couldn't tighten without making them sit crookedly on my face (took half an hour to get them right)? I-F's tech went into the back, tightened them and came back 5 minutes later.....and they were spot-on. They are Sabbath-observant Orthodox (they have an eye chart in Hebrew!) so they are closed Fri., Sat. and Sun. And with Passover coming up Fri. night (with all the intense preparations leading up to it), they are going above and beyond the call of duty to get my glasses done by Thursday. If that's not a mitzvah, I don't know what is. Okay, so I went ahead wrote this review. But let's keep it our little secret, eh? read more

As evidenced by the profile picture, this shop is pretty low-key, though they've started some renovations and their new storefront is a lot more presentable now that there are new windows with some cool see-through signage. You wouldn't tell from looking at it but they have all the top brands and carry almost any frame that you'd find on Michigan Avenue or Oak Street downtown, and at a much better price. From what I gather, it's locally and family owned and has been for as long as it's been around and the family that runs the shop is very involved, which is something you don't see very much today and makes it a nicer experience. They also have a lab on site so they don't outsource any work, so a quicker turnaround time. If I were to nitpick I'd say that they have too much to chose from....it can be an overwhelming experience going in there, especially if you don't know what you want, as there is a TON to chose from. So if that's the case make sure to set aside some time and work through all your questions with one of their salespersons, who are all really sweet. If you can't tell, I love this place and I can't imagine anyone wouldn't after coming here! read more

I usually go to Perle Vision when I need to get new eyeglasses. However my cousin told me about this company and based on her glowing recommendation I decided to check them out. Their storefront window was drab and unimpressive. However when I walked in the door I was bowled over by their selection of eyeglass frames. There were racks of eyeglasses from floor to ceiling all around the room. When I selected the frames I wanted the owner spent a LOT of time measuring the frames to my eyes to my pupils. It was the most thorough fitting I ever had. He had the glasses ready for me in a week. (I could have gotten them in a couple of days but I wanted anti-reflective coating on them.) They fit perfectly. They charged me $330.00. I paid $700.00 at Perle Vision four years ago for comparable glasses (although that included an eye exam). My eyeglasses are more expensive than most because I have graduated bifocals, anti-reflective coating and premium "bendable" frames than don't break under stress. Please note: they DO NOT perform eye exams and they are closed on Saturdays because the shop is owned by Orthodox Jews. This place is a hidden treasure that I think very few people know about outside of the Orthodox Jewish community. They don't advertise. They don't know that I am recommending them to people but I had such a good experience I feel compelled to let people know about them. read more

I've been going here for a few years (first discovered it here on yelp). The prices are great. The quality ranges from cheapo (what I always get) to high end. The cheapo plastic frames I usually get don't last more than a year of so (my toddler is admittedly hard on them), but they are very inexpensive to replace, so it's hard to complain. Last night, I stepped on my daughter's glasses (the aforementioned toddler had tossed them onto the stairs earlier), the lenses didn't break, but the frame was totally smooshed. I tried to bend them back to no avail. This morning, I brought them in, and they took them in the back and diligently went about reshaping them and managed to make them look good as new (he even had to extricate a broken screw in the process). They handed them back with a smile, no charge. Couldn't ask for a better experience. read more

This eye glass place is one of the best kept secrets in Chicago. Their service is absolutely incredible and the prices are unbeatable. I got two great pairs of glasses for $110 TOTAL that includes everything lenses, tax, everything for TWO pairs of glasses. The lady who helps you find glasses is so nice and helpful (I wish I could remember her name). She helped me find glasses that would be a good fit and made the entire thing go very quickly. When it was all over I got my glasses less then 36 hours later and they were perfect.. They have such a quick turn around because they make the glasses on site. I would highly recommend this place for glasses. read more

I shopped around some to find this place, thanks to Yelp reviews. Big name optical companies - forget it, you can't get a straight answer out of anybody about prices at these places. Private ophthalmologist - about $450 for exam and progressive lenses only (I planned to use my old frames). Costco - $210 for same. So I went to IF Optical based on Yelp reviews. You need to bring your prescription with you, so I got the deluxe exam at Costco for $85. (The service was excellent, by the way.) IF Optical is only 6 blocks from home but despite having driven past it a million times, I'd never noticed it. They had at least ten times as many frames on display as Costco. Really, anything you could want. The service could not have been better - they're right there to help, but not the least bit pushy. I got two new frames, two pairs of progressive lenses (one regular and one sunglasses) and a pair of reading lenses for only $225! They put the lenses in my old frames while I waited about 15 minutes. I am very happy with my new glasses, and couldn't recommend this place highly enough! read more

Like everyone else reviewing, I love this place and was so happy with my glasses and how quickly I got them. Plus the prices are reasonable. The person who helped me out was great and they have an amazing selection. Yes, the outside is kind of grotty and nothing to look at. The interior decor is lacking and kind of run down looking, but is chock full of frames, so who cares about decor. read more

This place is great. I bought my raybans for half the price of the rip off optometrists. Do your self a favor and get your exam from a doctor and your glasses here. My only complaint is that they dont carry Oakley read more

Ugly store, overpriced and unfriendly staff. I will never again shop this store. I work too hard for my money to be treated so poorly.

I asked if i could pick up the glasses for my mom and guy started yelling and lecturing me in front of everybody . I had to leave the office . This is by far the worst customer experience i ever had . They are truly cold , unprofessional and very rude . read more

Amazing selection. Great service. Low prices. Fast turnaround. What more could you ask for?

Be very careful before using this place (I would have given it zero stars if allowed). The quality of their eyeglasses can be poor. Needing bifocals, I shopped around, finding this place on a recommendation from someone who worked for an ophthalmologist. The eyeglasses were cheaper than the typical North Shore optical store, but I still paid about $450. Recently, I was working at my computer when one arm of the eyeglasses fell off (this wasn't the first problem; I had to have the glasses readjusted one other time). In any event, I took the glasses to the store to be fixed, only to be told that I was out of warranty by about 20 days. The only solution they offered was for me to pay $100 more for a new arm (plus, presumably, an additional fee to have it re-installed). Given that I was unwilling to throw good money after bad, I ended up paying $450 for one year of disappointing use. This place is probably okay if you're looking for standard, cheaper eyewear. If, however, you're looking for more high-end eyeglasses, go to the good eyewear stores or use an online provider, where the quality will be better and they'll stand behind their product. read more