I went in hoping I wouldn't be upsold like Visionworks on Northgate. These people are DELIGHTFUL! The front desk people were nice, concise and expedient. Dr. Hoffman was very nice, supportive, and great to work with. I had had a bad experience at Visionworks up the street in being upsold again and again and having to pay $300 more than what I had been prepared to pay. When telling him I was just being honest in saying I needed to get my glasses on Zenni, he was polite, understanding, and friendly. The exam was quick, we talked about how the new glasses would help neck pain and eye strain. I told him I would love to have one place I go back to again and again for eye care as I don't have insurance for it and am paying time of service. I cannot recommend Seattle Optical and Dr. Hoffman highly enough. read more

Professional and friendly. I was looking for a new optomitrist and I'm very glad to have found Seattle Optical.

First time here and have nothing but amazing things to say! Both Dr Hoffman and the sweet lady up front were so helpful, kind and understanding (it was my first real exam in 22 years). I did end up getting a prescription and it went so smoothly despite not knowing how anything worked; 11/10 can't wait to come back! :) read more

Dr. Hoffman was very nice and professional! I got my prescription easy and fast. I had to go back for a contact fitting but it was simple and quick. Compared to other places they were very straightforward. Minor issue with email communication. They seem to prefer calling which is hard for me to do since I work most weekdays during open hours. My husband liked them too! read more

Overall had a positive experience although I did feel like they were disappointed when I mentioned that I usually order glasses online. I plan on going back for my next checkup. read more

Seattle Optical gave me a superb eye exam - very complete, with detailed explanations and care attention to all aspects of vision. The Front Office was very helpful in my frame selection, with accurate measurements, etc. I now have my new lenses and frames and all is well !! read more

the customer service is great! they have a lot of beautiful selection of eyeglasses. I can't help myself buying extra everytime I see the. All my eyeglasses (3x) are made from Seattle Optical. read more

Incredibly warm people here. I brought my glasses there for adjustment. Both the optician and the staff at the counter were incredibly nice. You can see their smile and feel the warmth of their service attitude. The optician does a good job. Really detailed work and professional skills. Frame adjustments can be tricky and in fact it involves in a lot of tweaking in different spots. The optician takes his work seriously. They take COVID precaution seriously too. Overall, you can just feel this is a professional optical store with great skills. I would recommend to all people in the big Seattle area. read more

Seattle Optical - They take COVID precaution seriously, which makes customers relaxed in their store visits. - Optometrists Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Update... woot woot! It's 18 months later. Somehow a lens in my glasses broke. Ok, 'stuff' happens... I throw lens in kitchen garage, yuck... Go into Seattle Optical "Patty".. not Peggy. She somehow... remembers that I am still under warranty on lenses. (That's the point of the whole revShe sets me on mission to recover lens from nasty garage. I find lens.. Patty sends in nasty lens for 'Full refund'. Literally 4-5 days later I walk in and pick up new lens/fixed glasses, @ no charge. Like I said, these people are great!! read more

Seattle Optical - Optometrists Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Adding onto my previous review. If you get glasses from Seattle Optical they will make no cost adjustments and minor repairs. I have had to take my mom back several times because she will crunch them so often. read more

Dr Hoffman was great! Staff was super nice and I can trust that they knew what they were doing. I've spent years switching different eye doctors every exam because I didn't feel like certain doctors knew what they were doing or that they were unorganized so I'm glad I found somewhere that I'll want to come back to now. read more

This place is fantastic. We went here with our two kids who both need glasses. The staff are super helpful and always go above and beyond. Once my son broke his glasses on a Saturday and Patty and Mark stayed late to make sure he got new frames before he went back to school. Can't say enough good things about the wonderful folks here! read more

I decided to search for a new Optometrist. I found Seattle Optical, Dr Hoffman. It was the most comprehensive eye exam I have experienced to date.. I have a tendency to research things, resulting in me questioning aspects of science a bit. All my concerns, (which I had many), were answered in detail. Dr Hoffman is extremely knowledgeable, respectful and has great people skills. The support staff was respectful and patient with me. Finally, Seattle Optical and Dr Hoffman are an asset to the profession, as well as to our community. read more

Ive worn glasses sense I was a baby. This is by far the best glasses place I've ever been to. Mark and crew are amazing. They will find the perfect glasses for ya. If you have any problems, they will fix them for you asap. The eye doctors are pretty good as well, but it is the front of house folks that set this place apart. read more

Dr. Hoffman is the best eye doctor I've had in over 20 years of receiving eye care from over 10 doctors. He doesn't just go through the motions--he truly cares, and takes time to teach patients how to care for their eyes themselves. I thought I would never wear contacts again, but Dr. Hoffman gave me a protocol with my dry eyes that worked! Now I am comfortably wearing my contacts again and couldn't be happier with how my eyes feel. It's amazing what a difference quality care makes. read more

Met a friend of mine today, for her eye appointment at SO. I was there purely to offer advise & give my opinions on frame choices. Her main criteria for new frames; FUN factor! SO has a smaller selection than your basic chain eye glass stores. However, SO offers a much more attentive staff & a variety of frames you can't find at your basic eye glass store. A lot of brands I haven't heard of, but then again; several that I had. So after I found the perfect glasses with the FUN factor for my friend, I decided to do a little looking; since I was in desperate need for a pair myself!! The first pair that I found that I loved I asked how much they would be after my insurance coverage. According to Mark, I have the "Cadillac" of eye insurance. So much to my surprise, my out of pocket was doable. I've never bought glasses through insurance and I didn't know how affordable they could be. Glasses were cheaper than my contacts are for 6 months! The best thing, my glasses were in stock and were made them for me in 45 minutes!!! They also take down payments. So, had I wanted to only put $50 down, and then pay the rest upon pick up, they are totally cool with that! Oh and did I mention they offer a 2 year guarantee on the glasses/frames for FREE?!? (Lens crafters charges you for a warranty, by the way!) Seattle Optical is great!! AND I love my new specs!! read more

Seattle Optical - My new specs! them! - Optometrists Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Quick and easy, they had what I wanted in stock, the optometrist move fast explain things in a way I can understand oh, and overall it just made me feel okay about being half-blind. read more

The sandwich board outside says "$88 Eye Exams. Walk-ins Welcome!" No customers that I could see. The lady I spoke with wasn't friendly. "We're booked up until at least Sep. 16th." They didn't even offer to make an appointment for the future, so they just lost a potential customer. Walk-ins are not welcome, after all. read more

*Super friendly awesome people and service *They know their stuff with insurance and can order pretty much any contacts needed if not in stock *Solid local place with surprisingly more inventory than you would guess read more

Great experience!! Dr. Hoffman was amazing. I needed new contacts and update my prescription (haven't been to eye doctor in almost 4 years). Also scheduled an appointment for boyfriend right after (he has never really been to an actual eye doctor, is 28 years old). He helped him out so much! Dr. Hoffman is one of the main reasons we will now continue to use Seattle Optical as long as they are there. We also don't have eye insurance. This was the most reasonable price with high reviews that i called. They should be charging more for the type of bedside manner and knowledge that Dr. Hoffman provided!! He didn't not make me feel bad when i was honest about how i don't take my contacts out to sleep ( i use day/night ones). He never once made either of feel bad or lecture us which is actually a reason i dread going in. I know i should take them out every night even if they are day/night ones. I can not explain how amazing it felt to have him understand why i don't and just work with me, while reassuring me it was okay! If i could give higher the 5 stars i would! Also Patricia at the front was amazing at helping me pick out 2 new pairs of glasses and my boyfriend his first two pairs!!! My boyfriend never realized how bad one of the vision in his eye was. Dr Hoffman really helped him out and changed his outlook (literally) on it all. All staff is great!! I wish i got the name of the man who helped put the frames on and adjusted the glasses because he was so great as well!! All around amazing staff! Seriously, thank you Optical Seattle!! read more

I've had great service. My frames almost two years from when i purchased them and they replaced them at no cost. Actually the frames were unavailable so they credited me the amount towards any new pair and included lenses. I'm as happy with my new pair as my old. They also really prepared me for how strange it is to wear glasses for the first time! read more

I saw dr. Andrew to get a contact lenses exam. The doctor is knowledgeable and competent. He examined my eyes thoroughly and explained everything. After that, he and Patty trained me to wear lenses and take them out. They made sure that I could really wear lenses before dispensing them to me. They are very attentive. Also, Patty gave me a rebate for contact lenses. She also calculated the cost for me. read more

As a working mom with kids, I don't have a lot of time to do Yelp reviews. However, the experience that I had today at Seattle Optical was so terrible from the first to the last interaction with the receptionist that I felt that I needed to warn other consumers about it. Before I made the appointment, she told me that a contact lens evaluation is $65. The receptionist was very rude to me when I arrived to check in. After seeing the doctor, she told me I had to pay $75, which include $10 copay and $65 contact lens evaluation. She refused to give any print out of the invoice for the service. Instead, she told me the prices verbally, and as she spoke I wrote them down on a business card. She insisted that I write on a business card rather than my own paper. She told me I didn't write it down correctly, and took my card and immediately shredded it. Then she wrote the prices down on another business card and showed it to me. She had written down the same thing that I had written down. When I had questions about what she wrote down, she shredded it immediately using the paper shredder next to her legs. I asked her to bill my insurance for the contact lens evaluation. She told me that most insurance doesn't pay for the contact lens evaluation. I asked her to call my insurance right then. While talking to my insurance, she stated that contact lens evaluation is $98 and the comprehensive eye exam is $198. I asked to speak to my insurance company's representative, whom said she was speaking to she refused to let me talk to the representative she had on the phone. She then changed the story, saying now I had to pay $33. I confronted her, and said that just a few minutes ago she told me there was a $10 copay and the contact lens evaluation was $65. Then after calling my insurance, she increased the price for contact lens evaluation to $98 and that I had to pay $33 and that she admitted to me that there was no copay. At this point, she turned it around on me, saying that I just did not want to pay for the $33, and that I misunderstood her because I had a language barrier. She told me that she would not give me my prescription until I pay $33. I told her that there was no language barrier, I speak English fluently, and I graduated from the University of Washington with two degrees. She then told me that she would only give me my glasses prescription with no contact lens prescription. She made a copy of the original prescription, put white-out on the contact lens prescription section and told me that she would only give me this copy until I pay her $33. When the doctor returned to the office, I told him what had happened and how unbelievable it was. He and the receptionist blamed it on the insurance and told me that I need to call my insurance and read the fine print. This had to nothing to do with any fine prints and that I had already spoken to my insurance and confirmed the price with that receptionist before making the appointment. I trusted Yelp to find a new optometrist. I did my due diligence. I called my health insurance to find out how much it would cover for my contact lens evaluation, which was up to $65. Since Seattle Optical is near my house and has an average rating, I called Seattle Optical to find out how much they would charge for contact lens fitting. As I mentioned, the lady on the phone told me $65, so I made the appointment. How to avoid scammers? Always call your insurance to get the printed explanation of benefits. Ask the doctor's office of interest to mail you a letter confirming the prices before you make an appointment or sign any financial agreement. All the charges should be itemized on either a printed paper or email. If the doctor's office refuses to do any of these legitimate requests, move on to find another business that don't scam customers. read more

The 1 star is for customer service and irrational profit seeking behavior. After having paid out of pocket for a contacts prescription and an eye exam, we had a very thorough eye exam with a pleasant eye doctor and were very happy. Contacts ordered, success right? Not so fast. After having mentioned that we were wanted to buy the actual glasses from a fair-trade company and not the attached eyeglasses store, we ended up getting a prescription missing the "pupillary distance" or PD. We made another trip in to see if they could rectify that (remember, we paid out of pocket cash money for the exam), we were told that no, they only do that if you buy the glasses from them. Here's the really fun part: They said they wouldn't measure the PD because it was dangerous if the PD was measured wrong, so we should do it ourself. But wait, "wouldn't it be more dangerous to do it ourselves then?" I queried. "Yes but that's what you get when you try to buy cheap glasses online" - Remember again that we are trying to buy from a fair trade company, not "cheap glasses online" because that's something we deeply believe in, but apparently because we aren't giving our money to them, they'd rather we mess up our eyes. read more

Seattle Optical is fantastic. Another reviewer says they didn't give her the prescription at the time of service which is intentional because you have to do a follow up appointment to make sure your eye wear is working for you. He will then write the prescription, which you are free to use where ever you want. I will say the doc is a bit awkward, but he knows his stuff and is very conversational. They also offer free lenses for your frame if you come back within 30 days of you appointment. I got busy and missed the window. I had to call them because my contacts were giving me issues and I asked about the discount for lenses. They offered me the discount anyway! Megan also picked out several frames for me to try while I was meeting with the doc so I didn't have to go through their huge selection. I love this place and recommend it to everyone. Really nice, genuine people who care! read more

Brought my mother in to get glasses. Patti helped us. She was great. She has been working there for years. She works really well, patient with my elderly mother. My mom is very pleased with the service. They are "Covid clean" with everything. I would recommend this company. read more

They are the best. From fashion forward but well-priced frames to expert advice on vision correction. I spent less and got a better result than I did with my fancy downtown optical guy. Their optometrist is extremely competent and progressive. She actually tried to talk me into a solution that was less money for them (no frame sale), and presented a convincing argument as to why contacts would do a better job correcting my extremely weird vision than glasses would. read more

4 instead of 5. They tried to force me to wear a stronger prescription but I wasn't having it.

I had my first eye exam today at Seattle Optical since Dr. Montes retired. Dr. Hoffman is very friendly and knowledgeable. He took the time to explain the results of my eye exam. The office staff is professional and friendly. Patty helped me select the lens for my updated prescription. I'm happy and I'll be coming back. read more

I wanted new glasses, something very specific, but not actually existing They managed to create the perfect thing! It took some extra work, but they didn't charge extra. I am also very satisfied with the exams and prescriptions, the medical side of things. So I have found my opticians, after a couple of not so great experiences elsewhere in Seattle, such a relief. And yes, proper pandemic precautions were in place. read more

My husband's insurance changed last year and after seeing our former eye doctor for 15 years whom we both loved, we searched and searched for someone in our area and covered. The experience was awful. The doctor was cranky, out of date and down right rude. When he asked me why we were here I said it was time for our annual eye exam and he said that is a valid reason and yet, just a day ago we received our reminder card so I guess we should see him once a year after all? He was dismissive to my needs and concerns. My husband had the same experience. I will not go back. The front desk was very nice however. read more

These guys rock! I came in with a glasses emergency- snapped frames on pretty old glasses- and Patricia was a lifesaver. They had one pair in the shop that fit the lenses exactly and she knew exactly what was needed and where they were. I was in and out in 15 minutes, plus she gave me a discount on the frames and let me know adjustments were free, and if we needed new lenses soon they could probably do them in an hour! Amazing, and super helpful. Definitely coming back again as me and my boyfriend both wear glasses/contacts. Thanks!! read more

I came into Seattle Optical because of their sign on Northgate Way. I was overdue for a checkup and needed some new contacts and glasses asap before leaving for an upcoming vacation. Even though when I came in, no optometrist was available, Patty (receptionist/ glasses fitting genius) was wonderful, made me an appointment for the next day, assured me my glasses would be ready later in the week before my flight and being the fairy-Godmother that she was, all came about just as she said. Dr. Hamilton's tough love about eye care and expertise made me completely confident I had chosen the right place. I'll be back again for any eye care needs. read more

A little metal piece on my glasses frames had snapped, leaving the glasses not sitting right on my face. So I looked online and called around to find a place that could do the fix fast and for a decent price. I went with Seattle Optical because they were far friendlier and more helpful on the phone than the other places I called, who acted like I was annoying them by asking if they made this type of repair and if so, whether I could get a general idea of what they charged. So I brought the frames in the next day (a Saturday) without an appointment and they were fixed in an hour and a half, even though a custom metal piece needed to be cut and sautered on. Both the technician and the support staff were very friendly and helpful. I sort of winced at the $40 price tag ($43 with tax), but it is in line with other shops in the area I called (who quoted up to $49 for fixing a frame if sautering needed to be done), and Seattle Optical also puts 1/2 of that towards the bill if you come back to their shop for new glasses. read more

The optometrist was strange. He kept talking about how bad bread is for you and told me to watch a 2 hour YouTube video about how bread is bad for you. He kept talking about stuff and quoting various authors and it was totally awkward. He either didn't understand or didn't care that I didn't want to be there talking about various topics with him. I was also given a prescription for glasses that I do not need. I have 20/15 vision. I only needed readers. I am a chump for falling for it, but they took advantage of my naivete and really ripped me off. I don't recommend this place; they are obviously more concerned about selling glasses than they are about actually giving the customer what they need. read more

Loved this place. Dr. Mark Hamilton is very nice. I took my 6 year old in for his first official eye check and he was very thorough and extremely patient with my fidgety child. The desk staff and optical technician were very friendly and knowledgeable as well. I will continue on with them as my son gets older. read more

I had the pleasure of going in with my husband and had a WONDERFUL experience! Dr. Montes is FANTASTIC! He is very thorough and runs a lot of tests to make sure you get the perfect prescription. They had some amazing frames as well and lots of options. I'm glad we have found an amazing optometrist in Seattle. I just wish I could give Seattle Optical more stars! read more

Seattle Optical is one of the best places of this type I've ever been. The people who own it are so kind and easy to work with. No sales pressure or snobbery whatsoever, just really solid and friendly customer service. They are very knowledgeable and will help you find great glasses within your price range. My whole family goes here now and we will be loyal customers as long as they are open! They have an amazing variety of frames, too. The optometrist also provided me with one of the best eye exams I've ever had and really knows a lot. I highly recommend Seattle Optical! read more

These guys are great! I was a first-time glasses buyer and Patty was incredibly helpful. She is very knowledgeable and took her time to show me a variety of frames that fit my nose and face. As she was showing me frames, they surprised me with a couple of unexpected, but welcome surprises: 1) the frames were 20% off and 2) because they had my lenses in stock, I would be able to pick up my glasses in an hour! Other places had quoted a 7-10 day wait time. Upon pick up, Patty took her time to make sure my glasses fit perfectly and took them back to be adjusted twice to make sure they were just right. If you're into supporting local businesses, give these guys your business instead of handing it off to a national chain where you're just another number. read more

Dr. Louis Montes was very cool & explained what was going on with my eyes. He took his time and knowing that I had a thorough eye exam. I really enjoy the selection of glasses this place provided. The fitting was done perfectly and expertly. Mark & Pattie are friendly, professional, and clearly passionate about everything dealing with vision care. Highly recommended and I will certainly be back! Cheers! read more