Rising Star Optometry was such a great experience. I took my family member there for help with a unique neurological eye issue. First I'm thrilled that after all these years there is something someone can do to help. When I called to book the appointment Simon was very patient to answer my questions & emailed me the patient packet. Bonus that we were able to come in the next week after I called. On arrival the staff was patient & helpful. My family member had a great interaction with Dr. Negin. The Doctor was able to prescribe special lenses to help with the unique symptoms & also recommended "physical therapy" for eye training and exercise. We ordered special glasses that day. They had a nice selection of frames and because it was a unique need we decided to purchase there instead of Costco or elsewhere. Frames and lenses about $500. We each learned something new even though I wasn't there for the appointment per se- the doctor took a moment to educate me on some eye health issues as well. Fantastic experience. Just a note: they don't take insurance so be prepared for that. Super bill is available to help you submit to your insurance provider. And they also had some things available at a discount which is appreciated! We'll be back to follow up with the eye training. It's helpful that they have options for both in person and "zoom" sessions. Thank you Rising Star, Dr. Negin and staff. Highly recommend if you need more than a "regular" eye exam. read more

How do I give Dr. Negin Aboutorabian 100 stars?? My 5-year-old son is extremely shy and generally nervous around new people--especially doctors--so I was very, very concerned that he would have a meltdown at his first eye exam appointment. Dr. Aboutorabian could not have been more patient, warm, and accommodating from start to finish. She is experienced, highly professional, and exactly the type of doctor you hope your kids will have. My son walked into the exam room borderline trembling and on the verge of tears, so I was extremely impressed by how quickly she was able to figure out how to connect with him and gain his trust. She expertly navigated him (and his goldfish-level attention span) through all the steps of his exam with age-appropriate language, energy, and props to make the experience fun and engaging. He had the BEST time picking out his first pair of glasses--they have quite the selection for young children!--and he is already looking forward to his follow-up visit to pick them up. The office is clean, modern, and equipped with state of the art technology. There was virtually no wait time once we arrived and I really appreciated how clear and direct the explanations about his diagnosis and her treatment recommendations were. At no time did we feel pressured to do unnecessary treatment or make additional purchases beyond the exam fee. Parking is a breeze--and free!--due to their location in the Montecito Plaza strip mall. 10/10 will return and recommend to others. read more

Dr shumaker is fantastic. My kiddo is not typically cooperative at doctor appointments. Dr shumaker was so patient and unruffled by my kid's reluctance to participate in the exam. He spoke directly and playfully to my kid and got him to willingly engage. We completed the entire exam and my kid had a wonderful experience. If you have a tricky kid who has a tough time at doctor appointments, I highly recommend dr shumaker. read more

The dr. Was great with my 7 year old. The exAm was long but he was patient with her. I was told over the phone prior to the appt. that the initial assessment was $380. But then I was charged for $590 after the appointment. We paid it but I think this is horrible business. You can't quote one price and charge another. Especially because it was an initial visit not covered by insurance. read more

My vision has been changing recently and I wanted to find whether I might be a candidate for some kind of vision therapy or correction or if I was just getting old. :) Dr. Shumaker gave me a thorough exam and recommended that I stick with a small change in prescription. He told me that people who have Lasik hope I have my eyesight when they're done (which is disappointing to hear, but honest!) I've gone to a couple of eye doctors here in Marin since moving 7 years ago and Dr. Shumaker had the best "bedside manner". He was thorough in his explanations and I'll be returning here for annual or bi-annual check-ups. Tip: If you've never been to the office before, the door is a little tricky to find. It's off the walkway that sits between Trader Joe's and Performance Bike. Walk under the arch and the door is on the right about halfway, leading upstairs to their office. read more

I came to Dr. Grisham of Rising Star Optometry at the end of a long chain of neurologists and neuro-opthalmologists, pretty much at the end of my rope trying to solve my constant, daily migraine pain. I'd been referred to Dr. Grisham by Dr. King of Pacific Eye Assoc., and what wonderful fate it was that placed me in his hands. Because Dr. Grisham offered me what none of my pill-pushing neurologists had: an opportunity to help *myself* through eye therapy and work toward solving my own condition. Dr. Grisham's patient examination was exacting and thorough; the exercises he prescribed for my weak vision fusion skills are challenging but gave me *control* and made it possible for me to actually see for myself the problems I was having and work toward curing them. And over time, I could actually chart my own progress -- not only in a reduction of symptoms, but in actual data, both in the results Dr. Grisham recorded, but in the results I charted myself. It was like a freaking miracle. Now my headaches are greatly reduced; what's more, I know exactly why and how to get better. It's all thanks to Dr. Grisham. Well, and to me for doing the exercises. :) Note: although Rising Star is in San Rafael, they are also available at a space in the Mission in San Francisco on some days. Call to find out more. I'm only able to come to the SF office, so that was important information for me. read more

Dr G and Dr S are really solid, smart and good people. They are great with kids and are passionate about what they do. However, I question some of the business ethics. Prices are ridiculous and there are add ons for everything. On top of it, the front desk staff is horrific at calling back to set up appts and what not. Our last experience was particularly bad with a last minute swap in therapists and action plan. I am not sure we will continue. read more

This program works. We have twin daughters who were having difficulty in school especially with reading related issues. They both had IEPs starting in early second grade. They were reading at first grade level by fourth grade. We did the reading clinic for a few months followed by the cutting edge computer based piece that worked with spatial issues. My background is in Feldenkrais technique and I was interested to work with a clinic that understood the deeper issues regarding neurological wiring that was going on and keeping my kids from not only tracking but also fluency. The hardest part about this program is that your kid may be resistant to doing the homework. Follow thru is essential to see results. We did work with our kids' resistance and stuck with both the tracking and the fluency pieces over 18 months (12 months if you go twice a week). The results were amazing. Both kids are now reading at high school level. We cannot get their noses out of books. Their retention is much better than mine. ( maybe that is not saying much!) They no longer struggle with language arts in school at all. In fact, they like it. We are still working with issues related to math problems in which they don't always rewrite the problem correctly on the scratch paper when performing the solving steps. But, hey, we will get thru that one as well. It is not cheap, it is not always easy to corral your child but if you can persevere , it is very likely that you will get results. We were able to get our insurance to pay 70%. That also took some noogling on our part and more perseverance. I highly recommend Dr.s Grisham and Shumaker as well as MaryJo, the reading specialist. read more

This facility was so great for my daughter. She went there for 6 months and and advanced greatly in reading and focus. The office is very friendly. I would highly recommend them. read more

We came to see Dr. Grisham after and deep evaluation on our son. He was having problems reading on second grade and we discovered he had problems with tracking and dimensional vision. When we approach ophthalmologists , they all concurred my son's eye was healthy but not strong enough for reading. We start vision therapy with Dr. Gisham and Dr. Shumaker. The therapy has to be done every day at home and we came once a week, at the beginning, to asses progress and to change the activities. After 4 months our son reach 100% of his eye tonality!!!! He is catching up rapidly in third grade and he says the letters does not move on the paper any longer!!! Thank you Dr. Grisham and Dr. Shumaker you had change our son's future for the best and we are so lucky we found you in our way. I am sharing our experience at school for other people to benefit for this and I could not stop thinking in write this review for other people in a similar situation as Us. read more

Outstanding! Dr. Grisham's examination is very thorough and goes beyond what a regular optometrist would do or uncover. There are many vision issues that will not be picked by a regular vision exam. If your child is having any challenges with reading or is having more difficulties with school than what you would expect, bring him or her here for an exam. Their vision therapy program is highly tailored, effective and efficient. read more