I came to Saratoga Vision Center for a medical eye exam after a sports-related issue, and the experience was awful. The doctors themselves are fine, but the front office staff are rude and completely unprofessional. They insist you show up 15 minutes before your appointment -- but the office isn't even open then. They bombard you with unnecessary reminder calls and texts even after the appointment is confirmed. Despite having active medical insurance (and my family having been patients here for years), I was refused service because the receptionist couldn't "validate" my policy -- even though there was no issue with it. The way they handled it was disrespectful and dismissive. I was left waiting, treated with no courtesy, and ultimately sent away. There are much better vision centers nearby with staff who actually know how to treat patients politely and professionally. I'll never go back. read more

I highly recommend Saratoga Vision Center. Dr. Fanelli is an expert optometrist who knows his stuff! He is so knowledgeable and so nice and patient and worked with me to get my eye glass prescription exactly perfect. His staff is friendly and professional and the office is beautiful. They have tons of frames that are fashion forward and there is something for everyone's taste. They even have a cute section with kids frames!Well done Saratoga vision center! read more

Saratoga Vision Center - Optometrists Near Me - Saratoga, California

See all

After 15 years of going to this office with very happy results and great care by all the doctors and staff, I do have one beef. I realize that my insurance does not cover contact lense fittings, but to charge $300 on top of the covered exam cost to get a refill on my contacts seems a bit outrageous. I can go to America's best and pay $129 for 3 years of contact lense fittings. I called Saratoga Vision to make sure I was correct before posting this. Great doctors and staff just be careful of the additional costs you may be charged. read more

I work near this location and I took a co-worker here that had an "emergency" glasses frame break. Not only did "Super Tyler" lead to the rescue but he is by far one the kindest opticians, actually persons, I have ever met! The front desk woman and gentleman were quite lovely as well. I used to go to Saratoga Vision Center when they were a building over and I worked nearby 10 years ago. Now that I work nearby again and with the customer service I experienced, I am bound to return as a patient again. Kudos on the great team and on hiring the amazing Tyler! read more

I was visiting San Jose and forgot my contacts at home. I literally called 8 other optometrists and not one of them would sell me contacts without first having an exam. I called Saratoga Vision Center and they empathized with my situation and just gave me 5 days worth of contacts free of charge after I showed them my prescription. I offered to pay and they wouldn't take my money. The lady I spoke with was an angel and the doctor was so kind. If they treat their non customers this way, imagine how they treat their customers. Thank you so much! read more

Worst experience ever! I felt I was being scammed. I made an appointment to do an eye exam to get new prescription for my contact lenses. After providing my insurance information, I was told by the lady on the phone that I only need to pay the $15 copay and if I want the retinal imaging there is an extra fee. Came in on the appointment day, I confirmed with the front desk guy the amount for the eye exam and the retinal image. I specifically asked if I will get a prescription for contact lenses and he said yes. Then I was guided to a room and a nice lady was recording some personal information and did the retinal imaging and eye pressure test for me. She explained that my insurance will reimburse me $150 towards the contact lenses purchase then asked me to sign a paper to acknowledge that she explained the insurance benefits to me. I didn't go through the paper word by word but I signed. Then I went into another room where the doctor did all the testing with me including changing different lenses to make sure that I get the correct prescription. The doctor was very nice and knowledgeable. After the exam, I went to the lobby with another lady to get the pricing and rebate information for the contact lenses. The contact lenses price there was way higher than online pricing which was expected so I decided to just get the prescription and order online myself. She asked me to pay over $300. I asked the breakdown and she told me it included the contact lenses eye exam fee which was over $200. I said I was never told about this charge. She said the regular eye exam doesn't include the contact lenses prescription and I have signed the paper agreeing to this charge. I said I confirmed the charge before the appointment with the front desk guy and he didn't mention this at all. The lady then brought out the paper I signed and pointed to the fine print that was circled with black ink and said this was explained to me before. I swore to god that when I signed there was no black ink circle otherwise I would have read it carefully. The lady kept saying that this was explained to me but they only told me that my insurance will reimburse $150 towards contact lenses. I couldn't believe that they tricked me this way. I said I refused to pay what I did not agree to. The staff lady was so rude and kept complaining that I didn't understand my insurance benefits. My insurance benefits have nothing to do with the fact that they were misleading and telling me one amount then charging me a different amount after the fact. After about 8 minutes of arguing with other customers in the lobby, the lady said she will waive the $200 plus contact lenses eye exam fee and ask me to just pay the copay and imaging. I made the payment and walked out. Shame on you for tricking your customers this way! read more

Still not enough superlatives to describe this business, especially Margaret. My wife and I have received such outstanding service here that even though we live 3 hours away now, we still come here for our eyewear needs. I can't think of a stronger recommendation than that. read more

Went in for red itchy eyes. Gave me a prescription for antibiotic eye drops which didn't help which is fine since they were still diagnosing. Gave me a sample steroid drops bottle instead of a prescription which worked. I would have preferred a prescription so I could have some left over for later use. I was then charged 35$ for some eye drops from Saratoga vision center "for applying on the eye lashes" which I didn't need and were useless since I got the same itchy red eyes within 2 months. read more

Great doctors and great care!! Went in and they were incredibly helpful, on-time, and efficient!

My whole family has been patients here for years. I've mostly visited the Saratoga office, but I've been to the San Jose office several times. Several years ago, I had an appointment canceled. It was annoying, but I forgave it. One-offs happen. I also had a rude interaction with an office staff member several years ago. Again, I forgave it. One-offs happen. This morning, I had a very early appointment (for a Saturday), booked 6 months ago. One week ago I got a text from their automated system and responded 'YES' to let them know I was coming. I got reminder texts two days ago and yesterday. So this morning I got my family up early for my pre-teen's appointment and we rolled in just before the appointment. (Full disclosure: The pre-teen and I both could have used some more sleep. I've battled a minor cold this week and I'm heading out of town tomorrow for longer than I like.) Here's what I hear: 'Your appointment has been canceled.' 'Well,' I say, 'I have a text from 4pm yesterday telling me otherwise.' From frustrated office staff: 'I'm so sorry. That system is glitchy. There is another appointment in our San Jose office at *time I can't make it*. We are completely booked today.' Me, now super frustrated, cause I booked this appointment 6 months ago and did everything right: '-When- was the appointment canceled?' After frantically looking through the system. 'Don't know, but looks like it was canceled by office manager in the San Jose office. Can we reschedule you?' Me: 'So let me get this straight -- you have an automated system you knew was glitchy, and you canceled my appointment without having a person try to reach me, and the person who made the decision to cancel isn't even a person I see on a regular basis?' Office staff, still apologetic: 'We've been complaining about the system, but no one listens.' No one at the front desk offered to have me talk to an office manager or a doctor, even though we had dealt with this issue until past the time when I was supposed to meet with the doctor. I had originally intended to write an email, but their website only has a contact form and no email address, so . . . . first bad Yelp review I've written in years. I've seen several of the doctors here and love how thorough they are in the exam room, and how patient they've been with my occasionally-difficult-to-deal-with children over the years. I've accredited the odd issue here or there (including my previously canceled appointment when I didn't respond fast enough) off to understandable kerfluffles. At this point, though, I'm done. If you get a few bad reviews about office staff, the answer isn't to empower an automated system and take control away from the office staff. read more

Saratoga Vision Center - Optometrists Near Me - Saratoga, California

See all

I have been going to Dr. Mary Dougherty for years and she is the best! Plus, Margaret is a genius at selecting frames and doing everything necessary to ensure they fit. With my progressive lens, this is imperative. I confidently rely on Dr. Dougherty and Margaret, who always take excellent care of my vision. read more

I will keep my review simple. You need to train your staff to be polite to customers. You need to train them to have a customer first attitude and not be rude to customers. Also, you need to re-assess why you want customers to get an appointment for every small thing. read more

This review are for the receptionists! Please get new ones or train them well to handle customer support. They are very rude and hang up on you and always seem inconvenienced and rushed that you called. I understand that there might be staffing issues and you need appointments for eyeglass repair but their behavior is inexcusable. People will understand if you are slow or take longer to deal with customers because of COVID but not the awful behavior. The optometrists are excellent as well as their office manager, Ms. Margaret, and Lovey, who is an awesome optician. However this place is horrible when they are not there. I'm all for supporting local businesses but this office needs to do better. Why would I come here, spend my money and be treated like garbage? read more

Rude... "We don't have any appointments available." "Not ever?" "Are your going to treat me this way?" She hung up... Go somewhere else. I's certain there is a caring eye doctor that has appointments. They just lost a family of six. Join me! read more

Stay away! If you need contacts, they will do everything they can to sell you the dailies. You will question after hearing the exact same pitch from several of their staff whether you need them or if it's just more profitable for them to sell them. Even after I said that I did not want them (2 or 3 times) they wrote in their system that I ordered them. When I called them out, they seemed annoyed and almost scolded me because they needed the doctor to approve the regular ones. You've got to be kidding me. Another example: They told my wife that she needed progressives. She mentioned that she was going to check at Warby Parker about them. What they told her is that WB was not able to make them. Obviously not true, however she took their word for it and bought the glasses from Saratoga Vision. She nevertheless went to WB to get a second pair. WB called Saratoga Vision to check the prescription. They said that her prescription was single vision not progressive. She called them and SV said: yes, your prescription is single vision. Then why did they sell her super expensive progressives!? In short, they care more about profits than about you and your preferences. Don't bother. Me and my wife came in at different times for th read more

They canceled my appointment without letting me know. They even sent me an appointment reminder mail. They didn't make a room for the appointment and nobody said sorry. They don't open their door until you call them in front of the door. They treat the customer like a germ. read more

They lie to you to rip you off. They repeatedly told me that I would have a difficult time adjusting to non-progressive lenses encouraging me to continue paying for them even though my insurance didn't cover it. I recently went to a different eye doctor who told me that not only with my eyes not need to readjust, but that for my vision issues progressive lenses were not a good solution. The doctors are very good here, this review is aimed at the sales staff. Do yourself a favor and get your prescription filled somewhere else. Don't get scammed like me. read more

The woman on the front desk is very rude and impolite. I came to this place with my own prescription and wanna get a quote for neurolens. Before coming to this store, I told what I need to do there. when I was actually there and told them my purpose, the staffs there were kinda rude. Instantly, the way she looked at me was odd angry. Afterward, she kept me waiting for 30 mins just because I didn't want do eye exam through them and only wanted to get a free quote of neurolens with my own prescription. I highladvise people avoid this place. read more

First off the Doctors are great, ,it's the staff that made me decide to never come here again. I had been coming here a few times, and the last time I can I only got a half year's prescription for contacts. But when I needed the other half, the staff decided to hold my prescription hostage. Why? They said my prescription was expired. (My prescription hasn't changed for the past 6 years by the way) When I asked for some helpful solutions, other than paying $300 out of pocket for another exam, they said there were none even after consulting my (admittedly crappy) vision insurance plan. Fast forward to me calling my insurance, only to find there was a plan that cost $30, which my helpful insurance agent said was very clear to anyone who could read, there was a $30 plan. Bottom line, I always knew this place was sort of off, when the receptionists would get into very loud fights in front off all the clients. But I never thought their ineptitude would actually affect my need to see. read more

The Doctors are good, take their time doing exams and providing lots of good tips on things to do to avoid worsening your vision...especially useful for children. We have seen all three doctors and all are good. What takes the review down to two to three stars is Margaret, the long standing office manager. My wife and I have had in three separate transactions difficulty with her attitude, a passive aggressive, nickel and diming negotiation mindset that comes across as sneaky and makes me not trust that we are getting charged correctly given various insurance discounts, coupons, and provisos. (the other front desk person was extremely pleasant and an asset for the customer facing part of the business). I shared this feedback with one of the doctors and hope that his counsel will get Margaret to change her ways, lest she turn off and turn away more patients whom the doctors work so hard and well to serve. read more

So the optometrists in this practice are good but their time management needs a lot of work! The reason that I got so irked is they send two reminder emails, 1 call and 2 texts to remind me of my appointment and every time I've waited over 25 min. The front desk told me "things happen" but to me it's clear that you respect your time more than mine. Everyone is busy so why make patients wait... Maybe space out your appointments. We all have other options so if your time is valuable rethink this one! read more

Up through recently I have been pleased with the care we have received there but.... Have a family member that paid over $500 for lens that came and apparently were defective and had to be returned to the lab....and somehow the lab who messed up is taking an additional 2 weeks to redo the lens.....seriously???? Seems to me the eyewear department messed up somehow. We are going to be going on over a month waiting for the lens. The docs there are great but the eyewear department had been horrible. I say get your prescription there but eyecare elsewhere!!!!! read more

Dr. Jeff is beyond outstanding. He really cares. His expertise in eye care is second to none. If you're looking for great eye care, this eye care practice would be hard to beat. My wife and I have visited both locations. The staff is also top notch! read more

This review is for the support staff and not the doctors. the doctors are kind and patient. The front desk, the support staff helping with exams and billing are rude. Very rude and unwelcoming. My family and I have been patients for a long time but being sarcastic and passing rude comments is unacceptable. read more

RUDE. VERY RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL. I am canceling my entire family's appointments. My son had an appointment and the front desk would call me several times to check if my son can make it. With the classes in COVID-19 times, he was trying to make it work but the front desk would FORCE to make a decision while on the phone. She even said "your son is 16 can't you make a decision right away for him"? SERIOUSLY? I am not the one deciding his class schedule. I told her to cancel the appointment as I do not want to go near them anymore. There are tons of great optometrists around, in fact better than them, and these people are just being horrible. I read more

Laura is the super-star of this office. I had an exceptional exprience at SVC today. I had broken the nosepiece on my glasses and was very upset about this. Laura came to the rescue. She was patient and kind and was able to fix my glasses at no charge. Laura has helped me several times in the past to make adjustments and order spare parts as necessary. She is always helpful and a true problem-solver. I was also impressed with the Covid 19 protocol. You cannot walk in without an appointment. They ask you severral health questions, take your temp, an offer you hand sanitizer. These procedures took a little longer, but I was grateful for the clean, sanitized environment.. Rosemary Coates read more

I've been going to Saratoga Vision for years. I have always found the staff to be accomodating and helpful. Typically I see Dr. Dougherty. She is great to work with. I highly recommend. read more

I've been a patient at this location for 25 years. Yes, they've been around that long. What does that tell you? I've seen all three of the doctors and they are all good. Office staff has been helpful over the years as well. If I needed FREE contacts to bridge the gap until my next exam? Done. Way back in the day when I was short on cash and they greatly reduced my bill....No problem. I was in yesterday and here is my bill breakdown AFTER insurance paid its portion. So this is my NET cost: Eye Exam: ($10) Contact Lens Exam ( $60) 1 year Daily disposables for astigmatism ($601) So there you go. Cost is reasonable, service is on point (and a two way street) and the doctors are very experienced. I'm not going anywhere else anytime soon. read more

This was my first experience with Saratoga Vision Center and Dr. Fabian. I'm extremely pleased with their service at this location, and their office staff was incredibly nice too. I was in dire need of a new prescription and having some eye irritation due to my old contacts. After we corrected the irritation with some prescription eye drops, he had me try different 1 day contact lenses that would help me with my astigmatism issues (which is farely severe). The last brand would shift/rotate after a week of use, and my vision would be fairly impaired due to my poor eyesight. I had the most thorough eye exam of my life, which I'm happy about, because I felt like Dr. Fabian took the time to listen to my issues with my last prescription, and explain in detail which contacts may and may not work for me. After a week trial, we had to increase my prescription in one of the eyes, and I've seen everything perfectly since last Friday. It did take a tad bit longer than other places I've been to finalize my prescription, however I feel the time spent was well worth it as I need perfect vision to do photography and graphic design. I didn't feel rushed through like my last optometrist - which left me looking for a new one. It did work out because I'm planning to stick with this office and recommend them to my friends. Don't let some of the negative reviews scare you off, try them out for yourself! Thank you to everyone that helped me here! read more

My husband went there and said the doctors are great but the staff is unfriendly and never smile . So I have decided to take my business elsewhere. read more

Everyone's nice and professional. But it's been almost a month from my visit. No matter how I asked, they just wouldnt give me my prescription. It takes a century to process anything. Waiting to see if it's gonna take longer.. read more

Exceptionally discourteous,contemptuous,crotchety,condescending, front desk person Linda!! Not sure why she is there when she needs to learn fundamental customer service etiquette at a medical center!! This place is going to lose patients with Linda around even though there are good Doctors. read more

I visited the center today for a routine eye exam. Dr Dougherty was very thorough and answered all of my concerns. The reason for my review is to give recognition to the excellent optical assistant, Laura. She not only helped me select the correct frames but she worked within my budget, helping me to save money in the end. I really appreciated Laura's professional demeanor, kindness and excellent customer service. Saratoga Vision Center has an excellent support staff overall but Laura took the prize today. read more

This review is for the support staff and not the doctors. the doctors are kind and patient. The front desk, the support staff helping with exams, and billing are rude and incompetent. Very rude and unwelcoming and ready to always blame either the customer or the doctors for not fully disclosing what they are doing. Prices of frames are blown-up and they do not give clear information. Today was the last blow. I went to pick-up my daughter's glasses for what I thought it was a progressive lens indoor and outdoor to find out that glasses are only indoor and I need to do a new visit to have a full prescription. Why was I not told about this? I would have certainly objected to it. I can go on and on for what happened to me at the same visit, but I am simply to upset to add to it. It is just unacceptable the way how they do business. read more

Rude staff that has tried to price exploit me...be very cautious. There are plenty of other vision centers in the Bay Area that can offer significantly better overall customer service... This place has lost the business of not only myself, but also my friends & family. read more

This office did not give me my diagnoses for an eye condition( Kerataconus) for 2 years after knowing about it. The doctors want money and the front desk staff who was showing me how to use contacts smelled of Tobacco and was impatient. They charged for the contacts after having a hard time learning how to put them in. I am glad I was able to find a surgeon on my own accord (Dr. Daniel Goodman in San Francisco) to do a corneal transplant. Had I not pursued my condition I would have never known why I had blurry vision. Now if you were coming here just for a checkup you may want to think again because after all they are out to get your money. You may want to go to Dr. Saul Levine and Baretta who have better experience than this place who is out to sell you glasses. I wish I could get all of my co-payments back and refunded for the unused contacts. In my opinion the first pair of trial contacts should be at not cost to see if you could use the gas permiable contacts. If the owner is reading this please contact me. You should be ashamed of yourself for not telling me I had Kerataconus when you knew about it for 2 years. If you had told me then I would have pursued it when the condition was in its infancy and I may have not had to go through a corneal transplant or went through another less invasive surgery. Please refund my money. If not this is a lesson learned the hard way thanks to you. My quality of life was impaired and I could not work due to you not diagnosing my condition and letting me know in a more in-depth way. You told me there was nothing that could be done. Well there is its called a cornea transplant and anyone with a brain can Google their condition and learn about it. But how would one know if you are not diagnosed by the professionals. You could at least of told me that we are not sure what you have and to go to a specialist in Kerataconus. You made it as if this is your specialty when its not. Your specialty is to sell and fit glasses. read more

The doctors are the best! The office staff ruins the experience over and over. Literally the rudest behavior I've ever seen to customers (including me) on multiple occasions. read more

My family and I have been coming here for the past six years and we are very happy with the service. Dr. Fanelli is great, he works well with kids, and goes the extra mile to explain everything. The office also has a great selection of frames on display so you can try them on. read more

Been coming here for a few years and I gotta say, its always been a great experience. Dr. Fanelli is a true professional - always courteous, informative, and just plain friendly. Staff, in my experiences, have always been friendly. read more

The staff is wonderful and knowledgable. Saturday appointment was a blessing! I am so impressed with the exam it was very complete