Dr. Patel is so kind and patient! My husband and I contacted him after my husband had an eye surgery done. He was very helpful and didn't act bothered at all by our contacting him. He followed up to ask how he was doing. Thank you, Dr. Patel! read more

My family and I started using Santee Family Optometry in Feb. 2010 and are very happy with the care we have received. Dr. Gendelman is very knowledgeable and the staff is welcoming and professional. The office is very modern and clean, which is a nice change from our previous eye doctor. I would definitely recommend you give them a visit. read more

Dr Irene Gendelman has been my optometrist for the past 3 years and I could not be more pleased with my eye care experience. The appointment process is easy, the insurance forms are easy to fill out and understand and the staff are always friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend Santee Family Optometry to friends and family. THANK YOU and Keep up the great work! Dave E. read more

Dr. Patel has been my doctor for years now. I have pretty tricky eyes and he has worked with my in every way to make sure I can actually see - which is no easy task! Not only does he spend the time trying to figure out the perfect prescription for me, he also recommended an insurance for me and worked with them to save me a ton on money. My whole family goes and he is always helping us, even going in on Christmas Eve morning when my sister had on ulcer on her eye. Thank you Dr. Patel for all of the help! read more

Dr. Gendelman and her staff are knowledgeable, courteous, flexible and helpful. What a pleasure it is to have an optometry practice that I feel is giving me the facts and what's best for my eyes. I will recommend Dr Gendelman to everyone I know! Dr Gendelman, Kim, Marissa, Alex and Heather you ladies are amazing. read more

My family has been coming here for several years and we are all delighted with our care. The staff has been quite helpful and Dr. Gendelman is very knowledgeable and caring and worked with me to get the best prescription for my needs (custom goggles for use on my motorcycle, safety glasses for use on the gun range, daily wear lenses, etc.). I could not be more pleased. read more

I started coming here when I heard Dr. Amini had moved and started her own practice. I was a patient of hers at her previous office, and always loved my experience with her. She is so friendly, knowledgeable, and very patient with my questions. She makes me feel at ease even when eye exams are not the most comfortable of situations. I make it a point to see her at least every year, and have referred her to a few friends who love her as well! The new office is great- very clean and welcoming! read more

I called on January 8, 2018 at 9:06 a.m. They set me up for an appointment on the 16th. I called on the 16th and was told I didn't have an appointment. They asked me if I wanted to reschedule. After I reschuled my morning for this appointment. Why would I go through that again and set a new appointment. Goodbye Santee Family Optometry. read more

I originally came here because I knew that they carried Kate Spade frames. Once I found out they took my insurance I was even happier. I walked in and the staff was more than willing to help me find the frames for me. I had my prescription and insurance info on hand and the process was so quick and easy. I can't wait for my glasses to come in! read more

Great service! Good prices. Makes going to eye Dr a pleasant experience. Definitely going back!

Everyone here is wonderful. It seems like most optometrists try to pressure you into 'add-ons' not covered by your insurance, but there was none of that here. Everyone was super friendly, the exam was quick and efficient. The doctor is very customer-service oriented, and so is the rest of her staff. They work well together as a team and help each other out to provide the patient with the best possible service. The optician nailed the best frames for me on her first try but was happy to try several pairs on me. A++ read more

I'm about to get my second pair of glasses from here. The Dr. is so nice and the staff always friendly and helpful.

Went for an eye exam and to pick out glasses. Very friendly at the front (not sure of his name), and also very friendly Dr. I arrived early and was able to go into my appt early and was out quickly. Great selection of designer frames including several below $200 which was my price point. No complaints. read more

Awesome experience! I booked my appt via their website. I got to fill out all the paperwork online. When I arrived they saw me immediately. The Dr was really sweet and patient. Afterwards they did a great job explaining my insurance and what I could get for free. The whole experience was quick, easy, and pleasant. Will defin come back! The office was clean, modern, and high tech. Everyone was nice/helpful. Most importantly- I can see better than ever!!!! PERFECT prescription- nailed it!!! :) read more

HORRIBLE. I went to this place and the girl before me had a seizure and then passed out on the floor. The doctor (short, brown/black haired) didn't seem to care at all. Knowing that the previous patient was in her care and then collapsed at her feet. She didn't make sure she was okay she just called the next person up, me. I was shaken up. She just assumed the girl had epilepsy (I know this because she told me!) and did NOT stay out in the lobby until paramedics arrived nor did she stay out there till the girl woke up from the seizure. I stayed. When I shouldn't have. She prescribed me, -1.25 in my left and -.25 in my right plus -1.25 in both eyes for my astigmatisms. I felt that it was a HUGE jump from my previous glasses. -.50 and -.25. So one eye changed severely and no change in the other. When I got my glasses, everything felt distorted, bent, smaller. It was so bad I felt extremely unsafe to drive. I told them the problem the next day and they claimed nothing was wrong with my prescription and I just need to get used to the glasses I demanded I go again and get another exam. Finally they allowed it and she claimed again that she's right and that's my prescription so that's what I'll get. All she did was lower the astigmatism strength and changed the lenses from polycarbonate to plastic...I was furious. So I went to another place NEW VIEW on El Cajon blvd and they in fact CONFIRMED that the lady over powered my left eye and under powered my right eye! And showed that my astigmatisms aren't as bad as she claimed they were. DO NOT COME HERE. read more

Santee Family Optometry is a great place to get all your visual needs taken care of. I have been under Dr. Gendelman's care for the past 4 years and have had the best eye examinations performed each time. I've been to the Costcos, Sears, Lens Crafters and the Walmarts and you just don't get the individual attention that one would get from a private family practice. I always opt for my eyes to be dilated so that she gets the full view of my retina and I always feel confident that her diagnosis regarding the health status of my eye is accurate. I tend to gravitate towards the newer doctors because I feel that their training in medical school is up to date (unless there's surgery involved, of course). Dr. Gendelman's staff is always courteous and her examination instruments are of cutting edge technology. This practice looks new and is super clean plus the waiting room has a tv to occupy your short wait time. I highly recommend this doctors office and I forgot to mention parking. I always like to include ease of parking in my reviews and this practice is located in a plaza/mall so there is plenty of parking and plenty of food too! read more

I've been to my fair share of optometry offices, and this is BY FAR the best practice I've been to! The staff is very nice and attentive right when you walk into the office. I have never had to wait long and their office decor and feel is one of the best I've seen. Dr. Gendelman is phenomenal. She is very knowledgeable in her field, easy to talk with, very attentive, and has a great personality. She takes the time to go through the exams and cares about each patient. I also recently had to take my 5-yr old there to get his eyes checked, and even he loved the office. She made him feel very comfortable during the exam and made the experience fun for him. He even left the office feeling excited and comfortable with the idea of getting glasses! read more

I have been going to Dr. Irene Gendelman for 2 years now. The practice is very clean and the staff are all friendly. My appointments were always on time. I, however, can only give 2 stars because I feel like the level of care I received here was not up to par. I have been a contact wearer for 10+ years now and have never had a problem getting contacts that work for me. After my last visit to renew my prescription I was having a very hard time seeing. Everything was blurry and uncomfortable which lead to headaches and frustration.  I returned and expressed the issues I was having with the new prescription and my inability to see without straining. Dr. Gendelman, in my opinion, gave up and said that was the best she could do for me. After a few months of "giving them a chance" I decided to pay out of pocket to go to a different eye Doctor who was willing and able to listen to my concerns and helped get me into the prescription that was right for me. I will not return to Dr. Gendelman for my vision needs. read more

Santee Family Optometry is a great overall experience. When I saw the new office in Henry's shopping Center I was anxious to see what they were like as I wasn't too happy with another optometrist. The staff is inviting, friendly, and knowledgeable. Wendy is so helpful; she goes above and beyond. Dr. Irene Gendleman is warm, friendly and an expert professional. She explains everything. It is also comforting to know their equipment is some of the best available. It is so nice to feel welcomed, respected, and valued. They are the absolute best! read more

My first time EVER seeing an Optometrist. The overall experience was wonderful!!. The doctor and staff werte very pleasant. The office was clean, I was seen in a timely manner. My husband and I would recommend this office to anyone looking for a Optometrist. The doctor made sure to explain each procedure and asked me if I understood everything and if I had any questions. When I had to pick out glasses the staff was not over bearing but helped me pick out some glasses that looked great and were well within my price range. read more

This place is amazing! It is always a pleasure to go in to the office. Dr.Gendelman and her staff are always friendly and knowledgable. I went in the other day with my friend to look for glasses. They have a great selection. Marissa was very nice and helped me pick out some really cute frames. I would recommend this office to anyone. read more

When I first started going to see an Optometrist, I never really thought I'd find one that I'd look forward to going to see! In past years, I've always either just found one that's close or I've gone to one of the general eye doctor places so I could keep up with my prescription. But last year (May 2011), I discovered Santee Family Optometry...and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else when it comes to eye exams, contacts, and picking out glasses! The place itself is very clean and the service is outstanding! Because there is only one Optometrist and only a few staff, each patient gets really personalized attention. The Optometrist is very professional and pleasant, and Kim and Wendy are fantastic! In addition to being great at their job, they always have me walking out of there laughing and looking forward to going back. I recently went in to buy a new pair of sunglasses. I could have gone anywhere since I wasn't going to have a prescription put in them, but I went in specifically because I knew Kim and Wendy would give me their honest opinion when it came to picking out the perfect pair! My recommendation...when it comes to your eyes, this is where you should go! read more

Excellent customer service and great quality. They have a great selection and I have referred some friends already.

The front office gals were generally pretty great. Dr. Barbadillo (spelling?) - not so much. She was impatient when I asked her questions regarding my prescription, answering my concerns in a monosyllabic manner with little to no eye contact. I did not feel she cared about my vision needs, just wanted to get me through and done with the consult. read more

This office is fantastic. The staff is very nice and attentive. There was no waiting and I was even taken back a few minutes early for my exam. Dr. Gendelman was great. She is very professional and knowledgeable. She is very personable. read more

Dr. Irene Gendelman at Santee Family Optometry is a wonderful eye doctor. She answered questions in a friendly and professional manner and the office staff was welcoming. You will receive great service here. read more

I've been a patient at this office for a couple years and absolutely love them and highly recommend this office! The staff and doctors are so kind and passionate. They get you in asap if there is ever a problem or you just need an appointment sooner. It's always nice to have a staff and doctor that you enjoy going to see! read more

LOVE them! Took my daughter for an appointment, it was clean, organized and had SUPER customer service! Our appointment was taken on time and they were very helpful in helping my teenager select frames (for anyone with teens this is huge). They didn't try and sell us "up"; they asked our price range and showed us a selection within our budget. I have since schedule appointments for my other two children. read more

I have been coming here for a few years now. In fact, my entire family of four now come here. The Doctor is great, friendly, professional, and to the point. My entire experience here has always been great. Definitely will recommend! read more

Perfect service and friendly staff! Everyone was well dressed! I would/will definitely recommend to friends and family!

We will be back! The staff and service was amazing!! So many glasses to choice from! The whole family went and we will be sending all our friends!! read more