In 2024, I was diagnosed by a doctor at this clinic with dry macular degeneration. Believing that diagnosis to be correct, I lived for more than a year under the impression that I was slowly losing my vision. The anxiety and emotional stress from that belief had a significant impact on my overall well-being. Recently, a comprehensive re-evaluation by a retinal doctor at UNM Hospital confirmed that I do not have macular degeneration. My findings were instead limited to mild hypertensive changes and a small, stable retinal traction area--conditions unrelated to any degenerative disease. I believe this experience underscores the importance of confirming complex retinal findings through advanced imaging and specialist review. I encourage patients to seek a second opinion when facing a serious or life-altering diagnosis. read more

I guess I should've checked the reviews before I went here. I used to go to Casey optical and absolutely loved the facility and Dr. Kniffen. Unfortunately they stopped taking my insurance so I had to find a new optometrist. Sandia vision clinic was close by, but come to find out, that's about all it has going for it. in short: their glasses suck and their return policy also sucks. I ordered progressive lenses with basic frames which set me back more than $400. Anti-glare, which comes with scratch resistance, contributed to the cost, but I wanted them for night driving so that was recommended. As soon as I got them, I could tell they were far inferior to the glasses I got at Casey for about the same price. A) They did not reduce starbursts, as they claim to (or at least not well); B) After two days of owning them, they acquired significant scratches, though the pair I bought from Casey three years ago are still like new; but worse, C) they are so blurry on the peripherals, they provide only an hourglass shape of correction. It makes me feel a little woozy wearing them because of the abruptly inconsistent clarity. They said that's normal for progressives, but again, I had no such issue with my Casey pair. Regarding service: The doctor was nice. But upon picking them up, i waited 20 minutes for the only person available to fit them to be done serving someone else. Finally, another staff offered to take care of me since the wait was so long... (why had I waited that whole time to begin with then??) I tried them on and did not like them, but I (and they) figured my eyes would adjust. After a month, they still had not, so I decided to get the standard lenses instead. But when I tried to change them based on their 90 day policy, I was told they can't refund me the difference I paid for the upgrade (about $200). I suppose I understand they can't lose a bunch of money on returns of specialty lenses, but surely they could offer SOME accommodation. It otherwise would've been a $20 copay! I expressed my dismay about that particular ripoff, asking can I at least have store credit? She said "I'd have to ask my manager." Blink. Given my thinly veiled dissatisfaction, I think it would've been more appropriate to say "I understand your concern, let me just go ask my manager about that." Well how about a basic second pair then? "That'll be $100." Blink. So can you tell me why my scratch-resistant lenses look like this? "Yeah, scratches can happen from the weirdest things." Blink. Location: there are two off-street parking spaces, both reserved for handicap placards. I'm not saying Sandia vision clinic is Albuquerque's worst, but it is far and away worse than my other optician experience. I will absolutely NOT get glasses here again. read more

DO NOT EVER GET GLASSES HERE!!! They made my two year-old's glasses incorrectly. They were his first pair so he could not tell me that they were wrong. We discovered the error at the ophthalmologist when they looked at his glasses and discovered they were wrong. They put the prescription for his right eye in his left eye, and the one for his left eye on his right eye. His prescription for his left eye and right eye were very different. When I confronted them about this, they switched the lenses while I waited. If you are familiar with the way glasses work, you know that you can't just switch the lenses without making brand new lenses. The lenses are centered for use for either the right or the left eye but can't be used for both. It was infuriating and they were horrible. They should not be allowed to practice. If it is not important to you to get your glasses done correctly, then you could still get glasses here. If you choose to get glasses here, then you should have them checked by someone else after they tell you they are done and correct. Both locations of Sandia vision clinic are horrible and did not correct the problem. We had to pay for a brand new pair at a reputable optician read more

I have difficulty sometimes hearing someone speaking fast and/or turned away from me. When I asked Dr. Lindsey Sandoval to articulate more slowly, instead of acknowledging my hearing disability, she jumped all over me accusing me of being insensitive to her disability. She said she used to stutter as a child, but she exhibited no sign of any disability the day I saw her. She was aggressively rude at first and passive aggressive for the rest of the examination. There are many good eye doctors in ABQ, so I advise everyone to avoid Sandia Vision. read more

My prior visits here were pretty positive. I see someone new every year but I don't need glasses so it's pretty much just an annual checkup. This year they texted me to say I was overdue for an appointment in June and when I called to schedule, l was booked for early August. I just received a text confirming my appointment and informing me they masks are optional. At this time (August 2022), this county is experiencing high rates of COVID transmission. I am not comfortable with the close contact required for an eye exam happening without masks on everyone in the facility. I will be finding a new place for annual exams that takes patient health seriously. read more

Terrible experience. The assistant asked if i had any concerns with my eyes. I said my eyes get watery. Doctor told that I had dry eyes. Then they billed me $60 bucks because my routine eye exam would not cover the dicussion about dry eyes and they would have to bill my medical insurance. They have you sign something at intake about potentially billing your medical insurance. Dry eyes is in the middle of a list of clearly medical concerns like cateracts and glaucoma. But I didn't mention dry eyes. I mentioned watery eyes. This is a scam. Eithor on behalf of this clinic or the insurance companies. The doctor or assistant should get your consent before taking the appointment in a direction that will cost you extra money. For example they could easily say- "Before we talk about your conerns with watery eyes, I want to inform you that this appoinment maybe become a medical appointment with additional costs. Do you care to continue with that discussion?" I felt so bad for the front counter staff who are the ones who have to inform the customers about the extra fees. To them I say- go work somewhere else, somewhere that has good practices/policies. You should not be in that postion and neither should I. read more

This business operates as crooks. Stealing money by charging more than on the sticker for frames and adding not requested futures to the bill. Never go there again. Horrible experience read more

Aaand, never again. I scheduled an exam with my regular doctor, several months out, and when they called to confirm two days before the appointment, they said it was with a different doctor. I explained this wasn't correct and that Dr. Byington was my regular doctor. The woman on the phone did apologize and said she wasn't sure how that happened, but now there are no appointments with my actual doctor for several more months. So I canceled the appointment and told her I'd be going elsewhere since this type of mix-up has happened several times already. (FWIW, I called Walmart after I hung up with her, spoke to a super friendly and efficient person, and was able to get an appointment for the same week. I would love to support local, but Sandia needs to get their shit together if they want to retain customers.) read more

No! Don't go here. Sandia Vision Clinic Nobhill I'll be thorough because I thoroughly DO NOT recommend Sandia Vision Nobhill. The best ever, Dr Alyssa Irons, no longer accepts Presbyterian Centennial after my family and I have been happy going there for twenty years. I was looking forward to another office and Dr and Sandia was the place that had the first appt months out. The parking lot appears to be only for handicapped so I parked at next door. I stood at the locked door looking into the office with three workers ignoring me while I followed the directions to call from my car to be allowed in (10/21). They finally acknowledged me and unlocked the door while four people STILL didn't acknowledge I was standingin the office while they discussed me. I was looking for new frames and only updating my prescription. I was the only person person waiting in more silence than a library. There were signs to not touch any frames until a staff member allowed it. Dr was timely and came into the room very soon (No one else was waiting) and recited everything about what was about to happen to me. Dr Estrada is very good at reciting things as if I was not an actual person and no matter how nice and engaging I attempted to be to draw out an ounce of personality, there wasn't one. That's fine, I only need to see, not feel like I'm speaking to someone in the people business. I took all the tests but wasn't able to see because it was fogged up by my mask. Instead of allowing me to take my mask off after asking how I was supposed to see, she handed me a tissue and said to wipe it off. So unacceptable since I'm here to find glasses that work. After all that she asked what readers I get from the Dollar Tree and I said 1.75. She said she agreed with me that is what I need to see. After what I think was a very good examination of my eyes and contact exam, she said I was wrong about my contacts of 20 years and I should wear what both verified I can't see with and was told that no matter what my previous Dr said, she was right. I had to take them out to see. Fine. I waited about 20 minutes for a guy who had been wandering around to come attend to the frames my insurance covered. Rather than have a selection of the 30 plus frames my insurance covered, he had to go take more time to pull out the ugliest 12 same frames ever. I was told that, although my insurance offered many more frames, that's all they had to offer and maybe go see our other office or call them and ask some other place. The best part of this entire review is that I did what Dr. Estrada told me and wore the contacts I could not see with so I made Halloween cupcakes ... with my LEFTOVER FRY OIL because I still can't see and I feel everyone in her office should eat them except I won't be going back. read more

I dropped in yesterday to pick up my wife's contact lenses. The young lady at the front desk asked for her date of birth which I provided for her. My wife's name wasn't in the system. The female then asked me to repeat the date of birth 3 times--like I didn't know my wife's DOB. Well guess who was wrong? Someone entered the wrong DOB in the past which is why she could not be found. When they finally found her in the system, I was told that there was a balance, which when I called my wife, was not the case. Despite that, they still alleged that she owed money. I wasn't prepared to pay a balance, so I said I would return. My wife picked up her contacts today and guess what? There was NO balance owed. This is so typical of the so-called "customer service" in Albuquerque. These kids at the front desk have no manners, no customer service acumen and no common sense. They are the epitome of why NM is last in education in the US. As a native New Yorker, this lack of professionalism is more striking to me than it is to the oblivious New Mexicans. I cannot wait to move back East to Florida. read more

Great new eye doctor! Very friendly and informative! Highly recommend!

It's been two weeks since my glasses were supposed to be sent to me. They sent me a tracking code for UPS which doesn't exist. nobody can tell me when the glasses were actually sent or if they've been sent out yet. I would have set up an appointment to pick them up had I known it was going to take so long.it's really annoying to give all your information to one person just to be transferred to another person who loses you on the phone. I should have checked the reviews before I went here I didn't realize they were so low. read more

I am so disappointed with this company. First of all, I am NOT disappointed with the optometrist I saw. But actually getting the glasses which I paid for in advance takes over three weeks, then when they actually came in, I requested that they be sent to me (which was a service they offered since Covid). It's been over a week, and I sitll have not received anything. I have called and called, emailed and no one answers the phone, no one responds to my voicemails. Nothing. I called the BBB and they said they would call me back.....nothing. I don't know what's going on. This company is definitely not reliable. In fact, I have a feeling they just closed their doors. Don't go to them. read more

Hi! I'm happy to recommend Sandia Vision Clinic 2 on Hermosillo St. SE in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque. Dr. Magnus the Man in charge of the clinic is a great listener, as well as a confidant, and well practiced diagnostition . The staff is very friendly and well organized ! I highly recommend othe Professional , and friendly service that is always available at Sandia Vision Clinic in Nob Hill . I guarantee you will have a positive experience , leaving the office satisfied , and glad you went there for your visit. Thank you for your time and consideration ! Bruce G. read more

I was very disappointed by Sandia Vision Clinic. I came here because they were the closest eye doctor recommended by my insurance, and I should have checked Yelp first. Not only did I wait much longer for my appointment, but they hurried me through and I never got dilated. The doctor even mentioned to the assistant that she needed to push me through because she had to pick up her kids - I found that very unprofessional. They told me to wait until contacted to hear about my contact lens order with my insurance, and then never contacted me. A month later, I am trying to order contact lenses independently and somehow have no allowance left on my insurance. I've tried calling several times to no avail. Now I'm preparing to either wear my old prescription or pay hundreds out of pocket. read more

Don't be misled by the claim that you have 30 days to test out the glasses you purchase. It is in no way a "satisfaction" guarantee. It is very limited. Be sure to get the specifics from whoever you are dealing with and that it is in writing. read more

We have been coming here for several years and love it. Friendly and knowledgeable people. A great selection of frames, from nice but not too expensive to "they look GREAT and I must have them!" We've gotten glasses other places around town and keep coming back here. read more

Every once in awhile you come across a business staffed so terribly that you wonder how they have any customers at all. Every person I've dealt with here seemed unprepared, poorly trained, and lacked any basic people skills let alone good customer service. My experience with the doctor was not much better. I found him to be pretentious and off-putting treating me like I was a young child who needed a firm hand. I don't know if I've ever completely sworn off a business, but this is one place I will never, ever return to. read more

I don't know what's wrong with the reviewers here. It's an eyeglass clinic. You go there, you get your eyes tested, you get a prescription, and you get frames or contacts. This isn't a wedding photography studio. To everyone who needs a convenient to nob hill / university vision check that's in-network for VSP, then this place is just fine. No, they won't give you a foot-rub while you are getting your eyes checked, as many of the other reviewers here seem to expect. But it's fine in all other respects. read more

My wife had gone in today and had a very bad experience. The Manager Alex is not customer service oriented and has no clue how to run a business!! He called my wife a liar about sandia vision not calling my wife to reschedule. Said that she probably deleted the phone call. I'll pull the phone records and shove down your throat!! Then Alex had the never to tell my wife that here disease sounded made up!! I am shocked that this chump thinks he can talk to people who pay his salary that way. I will be filing with better business bureau and a few other places!! Sandia vision needs to lead Alex to pasture!! read more

Ok folks, as someone who as worked in the optical biz, these people sure know their stuff. Friendly faces, genuinely caring, and professional as all get out. I stopped in without an appointment to talk with an optician about replacing some lenses in an old pair of frames and to also get some Rx lenses in my sunglasses. The woman helping me (Jennifer) was not only able to find me a couple of discounts (they give 30% for employees in the Nob Hill area), but she also made a couple of suggestions that ended up saving me over 300 bucks. She was honest and upfront--I almost hugged her. Wait, I did hug her. When you're faced with corporate groups (LensCrafters, Pearle Vision) or local gems like this, the choice is obvious... GO LOCAL!! read more

Been going here for years mainly because of location. My last turned into a nightmare. Apparently after a certain age your routine exam turns into a medical exam and therefore your eye insurance doesn't cover. Davis in my case. Does the doctor inform you that he has switched to medical exam. NO Does the belling person return your phone calls? NO. When you are finally able to talk to him, he is unable to explain, he suggests you call insurance. Which you do and the person there says they will call him. You hear nothing, till collection agency calls. Two days until he will actually talk to me. I was do with age related stuff continue to monitor. Ok, I know I am an elder and baby boomer. This is a policy that reeks of AGE DISCRIMINATION, I will pay but will continue to fight. read more

I liked the doctor a lot, he was informative and explained everything he saw during my eye exam. His name was Dr. Magnus, O.D., and I saw him at the location on Hermosa. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Magnus for over 15 + years. I have always gone to the clinic in the NE, but last year I came to his Nob Hill office. I came again this year. The clinic is definitely not as busy as the NE locations. I like that! I was in and out in about 1 hr. (Complete eye exam). Dr. Magnus was thorough as he always is. He is very conscientious, listens and explains what he is doing through out the exam. He is professional, but personable. His staff is pleasant. I had a very good experience and I recommend Dr. Magnus and the Nob Hill location. read more

Unfortunately for me, this clinic did NOT do my exam correctly, and although they refuse to redo the exam (which tells me that yes, they suspect what I know - that they screwed up), they've taken payment from my insurance AND essentially robbed me of the only exam that my insurance will allow - once every 3 YEARS. My insurance company is what people with little income can afford, so they are also not terribly diligent - but the clinic that should have done THEIR job didn't do it right, so I'm stuck with their screw-up and nothing to show for it. When I do a task and I'm told that I may have made a mistake, my first instinct is to say "ok, let's double check just in case." Rather than taking the whole 20 minutes tops to redo the exam, because I didn't purchase expensive frames from them that I couldn't afford - meh - can't be bothered. If you feel like taking your chances, that's up to you - because they have taken my insurance company's money and run - and again, denied me the ONE exam I'm allowed every **THREE YEARS** - I very strongly suggest that you don't get taken the way I did, and look for another provider. read more

I really like the Nob Hill location. It's much more relaxed than the Eubank location. Like the Dr.s too. The front desk staff is courteous too. read more

This location by far is our favorite. We live about 30 min from her and about 10 min from the other location. Same doctors but the atmosphere is much better here!! read more

Very disappointed in general. They actually got my contact lens prescription wrong. They were able to make my first appointment relatively quickly, but it took two weeks to get my follow up contact appointment. The first OD I saw was no longer working with the company when I needed a second follow up, and there was a long wait when I did return. The front desk staff are friendly enough, but not super helpful. I won't be coming back and do not recommend going here. read more

Pretty lousy support. Had the coating on a pair if glasses just stuff off 20 days after the 2 year warranty expired and they refused to do anything. Said "it's not our problem; the lab we sent them to won't honor that warranty." That's just a scam and/or some seriously lazy service. read more

Price Gougers. They're nice enough but they literally charge double for glasses and contacts what you'd pay online. Especially if you're buying contact lenses in a year's supply. read more

Terrible. Went here for about four years. Different optometrist each time. Not that big of a deal, but some consistency would have been nice. Came in earlier this year. Tried to pay when I left, but computers were down. They told me they would send a bill. Six months later I get a call from a collections agency. Sandia Vision claims they sent a bill to an old address (apparently they don't enter your new information in the computer when you fill out the "did anything change" form before your appointment. Then said the left "several" messages despite admitting that they only left one message. Given that they never updated my address, who knows where they left a VM. They then refused to do anything to wipe out the interest that the collection agency charged. Now I am off to find another optometrist. read more

Rachel was awesome!! She helped me pick out my glasses & was so nice && professional. I had to get a second appointment because they had my birthdate wrong and sent me to a Dr. That I was not familiar with, once I called & notified them that I wasn't happy, they set me up with my original Dr. & made sure I was taken care of!! I will continue to go there & hopefully Rachel will continue to help me read more

I love my doctor and have been going to him since before he joined this practice, and only continued going there to see him. As for the entire rest of the office staff, not so much. I've used both locations for years and the attitude is pretentious, which is ridiculous because their aptitide is average, at best. They always act as if they're super busy and make patients wait to even look up, and eye contact (ironically) is almost nonexistent. As for the optical staff, you would think you're in some high-end gallery in NYC. While they're somewhat more pleasant than the office staff, it's clearly ingenuine and motivated primarily by sales. They take pretentious into the realm of snobbery. Yes, they make eye contact but only because they have to as part of fitting glasses. Oh, and if youre getting your glasses through Davis Vision plan, good luck...you end up on the back burner or falling through the cracks. This practice is purely profit-driven and its very clear that it's their highest priority (always pushing goods and services beyond what insurance pays for). Save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere for eyecare and glasses in Burque! read more

I had a very good experience at this clinic. Dr. Estrada was very professional and a great listener. I picked up 2 pairs of prescription glasses today. I am a happy customer of the Nob Hill location now. read more

The clinic seemed to run smoothly. I was greeted by friendly staff when I arrived and was taken back for my appointment early. I spent about as much time as I expected with both the technician and the eye doctor. While I have plenty of choice things to say about my insurance coverage, the only complaint that I can make against Sandia Vision is that they didn't have very many affordable frames. Most of the eye doctors I've been to in the past have had a separate section for affordable frames to make shopping easier on a tight budget. Instead, I took a copy of my prescriptions and will fill them elsewhere. Otherwise, we had a positive experience and will likely use their services in the future. read more

I will not be returning to this business. I went a month ago and had an eye exam and got new lenses. I also needed a new pair of glasses. Dr. Melissa Hockett was fine, very personable and I left the office excited to get my new pair of glasses. They told me it would take 7-10 days maximum. Well, fast forward one week. I call and they tell me they aren't in yet. Ok, I can wait. I call back at the 15 day mark, I was about to leave on a trip and really wanted my new glasses. They tell me they still aren't in. Ok, I am getting annoyed now. I ask if anything is wrong, they say no. I call back at the 3 week mark to once again ask about my glasses. I figure that the woman at the front desk probably saw how long I had been waiting and so she put me on hold. Roger gets back on the phone and tells me that my frames had never been brought to the lab, they would send them out today (this was a Wednesday) and they would put a rush on them and have them to me by Friday. Guess what happens next? Friday comes and goes, no word from Sandia Vision Clinic. I call this morning (Monday) to ask, they say the glasses still aren't in, but they will have the lab personally bring them in today and call me. They called this afternoon and told me my glasses were ready to be picked up. I went in just now and got them. The manager, Natalie, was the one to do the fitting. I received NOT ONE WORD OF APOLOGY from her or from anyone else the whole time I was dealing with this, even though I had just spoken to her that morning. I realize that it is just a pair of glasses, but I paid good money for these and for a business to deal with their customers in such a flippant way is absolutely unacceptable. Even though this office is conveniently located for me, I will never return. I will not give my hard earned cash to a place that has zero customer service. This is my first Yelp review, I was so incensed by my experience that I just had to share. read more

Wish I could give negative stars. My son was seen for a refraction (he needs glasses) and we were told insurance would cover it. After the appointment, they wanted us to buy glasses on site with the results of the exam and we were also told that insurance didn't cover the exam after all and that we had to pay in full otherwise we "would not be allowed to leave". Seriously. I spoke with the office manager, who was very defensive, did not show even the smallest amount of concern about either the insurance or with us being told we were hostages until they got a credit card number. He eventually acknowledged we could leave, but that we had to pay everything immediately. I asked to see my son's refractive results and was told that I could not see any records until payment was made in full. Needless to say, I will not be going back to Sandia Vision Clinic. I have literally never *EVER* experienced such shockingly unprofessional behavior in a doctor's office. I have requested to speak with the owner and have as yet to hear from them. read more

Saw Dr. Magnus because it's my concern with a relatively sudden change in distance vision. He did an exam, saw the beginnings of cataracts and clearly explained my options. He made me feel comfortable with my situations and options. Very helpful. Front desk staff were also friendly, prompt and helpful. Good experience all around. read more

This awesome clinic helped me out when I hit town for the balloon festival without my contact lenses. Not only did they help me get lenses, but they didn't even charge me! Such sweet people to work with. Many thanks, Alicia! read more

While the optometrist we saw there was a nice enough person, the care was questionable and we had to see another dr. Also, at the Nob Hill location the office staff is just simply inept. When I called to get my prescription sent to me it never came and then I called to ask for it again and was put on hold for about 15 minutes!! Our family will never go back to this business for care again. And, contrary to what their voicemail says about caring about their patients, I would have to disagree completely. read more