I love coming here b/c the place is pleasant with lots of frame choices, the staff is friendly and Dr. Lew is very knowledgeable --- she really cares about her patients and understand your needs. They also have top-of-the-line technology for the eye exams. Unlike big chains, they are a small practice but efficient and actually has a better selection of glasses than big chains like Lens Crafter or Site For Sore Eyes. They accept VSP. read more

Winking Bee Optometry - Great selection of frames! - Optometrists Near Me - San Mateo, California

See all

Doctors Liao and Lew are both wonderful. We've received professional, practical diagnosis and advice. I do appreciate the care they take with my young children (and me as well). I never thought I needed glasses but went in for an exam anyway. I was happy I did. The facility is very nice and clean. As a side benefit, I got some practical advice about insurance plans that are offered by my work. As a consequence we've upgraded to the better plan and are now getting more and saving more money. read more

Second year going to Winking Bee for new TC Charton glasses. This year I said to myself "hey why don't you try another optometry store" and I did and even though I gave this store all my details, picked the frame I liked, they pretty much ignored me for a month. No returned calls, no returned emails. I emailed Winking Bee once with an email asking if they had a particular TC Charton frame in stock, they didn't but they ordered it so I could try it out within a week. No money was exchanged, this was just them doing great customer service and for that I was like HERE TAKE MY FSA funds. Ordered another strong prescription with progressive lenses in a TC Charton frame. The people at Winking Bee informed me of the pros and cons of different lenses. Very helpful. My complicated glasses came back in less than two weeks which was a real surprise. I came in on a busy Saturday and only had to wait about 10 minutes (there were so many people there with kids waiting to figure out what frames worked for them). Love this place. Will totally go back again. read more

Great experience overall. They're handling COVID operations well and ensuring that things are sterilized in between appointments in an effective manner. Dr AJ was also fantastic and more thorough in explaining my prescription and eyesight than any other optometrist I've had in the past. Highly recommend. read more

I needed to make an appointment for a vision check since I was overdue and running out of contacts. Making the appointment during COVID was very easy and orderly. The staff cleaned the materials before I set my chin down or before I touched anything. The doctor present at the time was very patient and kind. The optician also helped me select frames that suited my lifestyle and how rough I can tend to be. Would highly recommend to friends and family. read more

I've been going here to see Dr. Liao for a few years now and always had a very positive experience. I think I run out of adjectives in describing the positives I've seen with Dr. Liao and how she treats her patients. With her, I never doubt that I am getting the highest levels of care. One of the funny quirks about me is that I have a HUGE head and I've been on a quest for years in finding the right fit in terms of glasses and sunglasses. Each year, she always factors in extra time with me in terms of picking up the write frame that will fit my huge melon and also compliment my face. As a guy, I have absolutely no taste but I am gratified that she spends so much time with me so that I can at least pretend to have some taste and also getting something that at least looks like it fits my face. A while back her office called me out of the blue and asked me to come by the office. It turned out that there was a sunglass rep there that day and they wanted me to come by to try on sunglasses - since I have a huge head and nothing fits me. I was touched by the personal attention and just affirms how great this place is. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone (I do already anyway). read more

What a unique & clever name for an optometry practice! The practice is modern with state of the art equipment. I saw Dr. Lew and my husband saw Dr. Liao. They are friendly, provide thorough patient care, and have a great collection of glasses to choose from. I was wearing the same pair for almost six years, convinced there couldn't be another one that fit me be better. I was proven wrong. Dr. Lew picked out a few for me to try, and lo & behold, I got a new pair of Michael Kors and love it. On a separate occasion, I had a pair of sunglasses that had a loose screw and Dr Liao put in a new screw and fixed it for me, no charge. The doctors here are friendly & professional - I highly recommend Winking Bee Optometry. FYI, the office is located directly across from the Whole Foods. read more

My mom and I have been coming to Winking Bee for two years now. We have never been disappointed with any of our previous optometrist, but I have to say that Dr.Liao is one of the best my mom and I have ever had. Winking Bee have a fantastic staff. They are all very friendly and super helpful. I once walked into the store to see if they can tighten my sunglasses and the staff was super helpful. Dr. Liao is super nice and always take the time to explain everything very thoroughly. She make sure that she gives you the best alternative to save the most money. read more

We love Dr, Liao, my son logan got crt crt lenses for 3 years already. it works perfect for him. Thank you Dr. Liao read more

May they prosper! The staffs are extremely kind, the shop is conveniently located right across the Whole Food, and the inside is clean and organized. I went there today because my mother-in-law dropped her glasses and a lining fell off. I never wore glasses, so I looked up on yelp to find this shop. We went inside, got greeted by a smiling staff (dr. lew, maybe?), and another woman fixed the glasses in a few minutes. They did not charge me any, even though we were not even their regular customers. I didn't have any cash in my pocket so could not give tips (sorry!). If ever I need glasses some day, I would visit Winking Bee (hey, what a charming name!). read more

I went to Dr. Liao last year and really loved how warm and thorough she was. So I decided to go with her this year and called to schedule an appointment. When I called, the front office put me on hold for a really long time and Dr. Liao only had openings during middle of workdays a month later. Since I liked her service last year, I decided to wait for a month and take half a day at work just to see her. It turned out to be a huge mistake. When I arrived, the front desk told me that she didn't see an appointment. She also told me that the next availability would be another month of wait. Seriously?? I waited a month and took time off at work just to see Dr. Liao... And all you can tell me is that I need to wait another month and take another half day off at work??? One more star for the receptionist, she did feel bad and gave me some trial contacts to compensate for the mistake. If you are a busy young professional in Bay Area like me, you are better off with going to another place. read more

I saw Dr Lew last week for an eye exam and was impressed with her knowledge and patience! She seemed to be genuinely concerned that I would get the correct prescription. I also discussed contact lenses and am getting fit with those in a few weeks. She fit me with a Daily disposable that is comfortable and easy to put on and remove. Dustin was great with helping me to pick out the best frames for my face, as well as the lens coatings. He is very personable and is up on the lasted trends and styles-he wears glasses which is a huge help! Gina does a great job in the front office and keeps everything running smoothly. They all work great together, it is a fun place to be. Try them for a new look! read more

The prescription had no pupillary distance. I went back to ask for it but they refused to give it to me because I'm not planning to get my glasses from their store. read more

This was my first time here. They were so nice and welcoming. The receptionist was the sweetest lady. My doctor was great , she actually realized that I was being over corrected in my last Rx. She was attentive, calm, and personable. The glasses selection was great, I couldn't chose. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

I'm giving five stars because I believe they do well in all aspects. First, the office is clean and inviting, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the process is very easy and efficient. More importantly, however, the optometrists are fantastic. After not having my eyes checked for several years after having Lasik, I realized I should get my eyes checked and went to Dr. Liao because my husband went to her. Not only did I get the usual check up, but Dr. Liao is very friendly and incredibly helpful by explaining what she was doing and what the important things to look out for were in my situation. She also noted that insurance would cover sunglasses for me because I had Lasik. I've never had a conversation with an optometrist before, they just did their thing and that's it. But to have one explain what they were doing and why, and the benefits of my insurance was incredibly enlightening. And, on top of that, she was totally fine with me bringing my infant with me to my appointment, and she mentioned that they give a free eye exam to infants at around 9-10 months. We just came back from that appointment, and she was amazing. Entertaining my little one WHILE checking her eyes. Sadly, we are moving out of state so we won't be seeing her anymore, but I wanted to recommend Dr. Liao and Winking Bee to anyone in this area because not only do they provide fantastic service, I feel I can ask them questions to better understand all of my options. read more

Dr. Lui is great with toddlers for those first checkups as well as adults. Top of the line equipment and great atmosphere. Thanks for the great service. Keep local businesses supported! I've had much better service at all of them than the big hospitals and pharmacies. Keep up the great work! read more

We don't see the doctors at Winking Bee but we've gotten my son's glasses there for the last few years and they are phenomenal. Most impressive is how friendly and kind everyone is, at every visit. It's maybe the only business I've ever frequented where I've literally had an amazing experience 100% of the time. My son has broken several pairs of his glasses (his fault, not the glasses; he likes to take his glasses on and off and is a bit klutzy) and they are always so quick to help get us a new part or fix them, or even just adjust them when we pop on by. I'm super grateful to the entire team for their excellent service. It's a bit of a drive for us, but we wouldn't go anywhere else. The selection is perfect and the service is wonderful! read more

Dr. Lew is so funny and nice. She walked me through every step my initial exam and took extra time and care to make sure I knew what was happening how my eyes looked. Honestly, she turned a dull chore into a pretty enjoyable experience! There was a mix up with my contacts and they were delivered to the wrong address. The associates at Winking Bee were very apologetic and made sure to send them to me very quickly. read more

Dr. MinJung Lew is the best! Also they have state of the art equipment compared to Borel Eye Doctors where she used to work.

Absolutely love their frame collection. I stumbled upon this optometry while on a lunch break and I'm so happy that I did. It's very pricey but they take insurance, so that always helps! read more

Just had my annual eye exam with Dr. Liao at her new office. They've got brand new state-of-the-art equipment, and a great selection of frames. She gave me forms so I could get a rebate for my year supply of contacts; explained my insurance coverage so I could get the most bang out of my buck. Highly recommend Dr. Liao and Winking Bee! read more

Just called them, just about the chirpiest most friendly and want to take care of ya attitude one could hope for! So happy with them.

They're charming, stylish, friendly and generous. The first time I came in, I needed lenses transfered to new frames and they did it for free, right on the spot and wouldn't take any money. A great location and truly good people. Can't recommend highly enough. read more

Great selection of glasses. They will also order your glasses in for $20 (which will be put towards the glasses if you like them). Madison was extremely friendly. They also had Lego kids glasses here (in case you are looking for them). Busy complex, so park downstairs. Great customer service! read more

Thank you, Winking Bee. I actually have never considered Winking Bee, as i go to Lens Crafters or an eye specialist in downtown San Mateo, but it is local, professional, with all the qualities of the other optical services,or settings. I was in need of a sport strap, with five minutes to spare and they were a great help. A pretty office, nice staff, quick and I think, a very good location to be. Thank you. read more

Dr Lew is great and all the staff is really helpful. They remember who you are and you feel like you are a patient rather than a number.

I love this place....the doctor's and staff are fantastic! Great selection of unique glasses.

My family had been going to Dr. Lew for a couple years now, back when she was at Borel. We were happy with our annual checkups, and were glad to move with her when she opened her own shop. They have a very nice office, and the staff seems to be very friendly and helpful. My sister went to optometry school with Dr. Lew and we originally became Dr. Lew's patient on her recommendation. We thought that she was someone we could trust. To cut to the chase, based on our more recent experience with her over the past 1-2 years, if I were to give her the benefit of the doubt, I would call her incompetent. My real feeling, however, is that she tries to push more expensive products onto her customers, even at the expense of being reckless with the optical health of my young daughter. First she recommends CRT night lenses for my then-10 year old daughter. OK, fine. Some professionals don't approve of that for young patients, but we believed her that it would be OK and this would help prevent her vision from getting any worse. A very expensive option, both at the outset and with each follow up visit. After complaining about redness on a couple occassions and questioning whether the lenses caused it, Dr. Lew said the lenses were fine, and my daughter had "sun damage" to her eyes. Again, my daughter had severe redness in her eye, and this time, Dr. Lew noted that she had an abnormal occurrence of white blood cells in her eye, but again, it wasn't the lenses. When we told her that we were going to stop the CRT lenses, she then recommended that we switch to multi-focal contact lenses instead of dailies (again, a very expensive option, which we later were told by a couple optometrists and an opthalmologist, were not appropriate or necessary for young patients). After stopping the CRT lenses, my daughter went back to eyeglasses, and Dr. Lew assured us that her prescription had not changed, despite us commenting that my daughter could not see clearly with her glasses. We ended up going to an opthalmologist (who saw us right away based on concern over what was going on) and she pulled in a corneal specialist to look at my daughter. In short, my daughter won't be wearing contacts for the near future (despite Dr. Lew's attempt to put her back in multi-focal lenses right away). She doesn't have "sun damage", and likely the WBC issue was caused by the CRT lenses. Needless to say, we have pulled our records from Winking Bee and will not be going back. To summarize: If it was up to Dr. Lew, my daughter would still be in CRT lenses, despite the repeated complaints about irritation and the diagnosis of having an abnormal growth of WBC in her cornea. To this day, I believe she would still try to convince us that there was nothing wrong with these lenses for my daughter, so we would still be paying the high annual and "fitting" changes. After determining that there was some issue with my daughter's eyes, instead of taking her out of contacts altogether, Dr. Lew wanted us to consider putting her into multifocal lenses, which other doctors do not recommend for young patients, but of course, they happen to be another very expensive option. Finally, despite wasting time and money with Dr. Lew and these CRT lenses, in addition to having some sort of corneal infection, my daughter's vision had changed significantly, another fact that Dr. Lew can't or won't admit. Either she doesn't know how to measure eyesight, or she flat out lied to us about my daughter's vision not changing. The opthalmologist and corneal specialist we saw were appalled at the recommendations and course of action she was taking with our daughter. As I said earlier, either she is not competent or she is not suited for more complex optical issues, or she cares more about selling the more expensive products vs actually looking at what is working for or is good for the patient. Maybe if all you need are basic glasses or contacts, she could be fine choice as an eye doctor. Maybe your main concern is going into a nice, clean, friendly office, which they do have. But if you need more sophisticated advice, I would highly suggest that you a lot of research and receive second opinions, before following her counsel. Of course that is just based on my experience. read more

When the owners of a business reach out to you based on your review here and sincerely apologize for the way their staff treated you and want to make it right, then I feel compelled to update my earlier review based on the new service received. Dr. Liao and office manager Angie of Winking Bee both reached out to me to try to turn around my negative experience and, although It took us a long time to connect, I felt that the desire to make me a satisfied customer was truly sincere. They told me they have used my experience as a "teaching moment" for their staff and asked what they could do to make it up to me. I asked if they would cover updating my existing sunglass frames with a new lenses and that is what they did. I was treated with great care by Angie and had a completely different experience. All in all, this is an example for other business owners on how to turn around a dissatisfied customer. Great job, Winking Bee Optometry! read more

I have been coming see to Dr. Liao for years now, so this review is long overdue! I will follow her and her practice where ever she is. She has always been accommodating for me with the line of business I am in, very affordable and always very personable. She really takes the time to listen and that is hard to find with Dr.'s in general these days. She also has an amazing office assistant Madison who is so personable and fun to chat with while waiting for the Dr. Madison's warm smile and professionalism make the office very bright and inviting while browsing for frames. Dr. Liao has a nice clean, neat and organized location and with great restaurants nearby also so stopping by around lunch time is always a plus. When you find the right eye doctor you will know and Dr. Liao and her practice is def. worth your time, going to the eye doctor is fun and with Dr. Liao you will always be rest assured your eyes are in good hands! read more

The best there is for contact lenses and mine are as complex as they get. Boston XO2 with a multifocal component.

Dr. Lew fitted my teen daughter with contact lenses. This is her first time getting contacts. After a thorough exam, she explained to us how the vision is declining and best way to prevent it from getting worse. We had so many questions to ask between frame vs. contacts, pros and cons of each. And if contacts, there are so many types..hard, soft, disposable, daily...weekly...She was so patient and answered all the questions without rushing us ...even if I believe they are repeat questions at the 2nd visit... She is just so knowledgeable and makes you feel very comfortable with the decisions. She not only takes into account the technical aspects when comparing various lenses, but also help you evaluate financially, which is better option. She was accommodating to our schedule. Her staffs are friendly and did a great job showing my daughter how to put on and remove the contacts. 5stars experience! thanks Winking Bee. read more

My kids and I had an great first visit experience here! The entire process was smooth and very pleasant: from making the appointment to the exam. Upon entering, we were greeted and given forms to complete (being our first time). Then we were soon ushered in for some tests before the actual exam. We were impressed with the up-to-date tech equipment. Dr. Liao and the entire staff was very professional and friendly. read more

Dr Lew is the best. Always goes the extra mile for her patients. My wife and I also trust her with our daughters. I would not trust my family eyes with anybody else. read more

Winking Bee carries a good selection of glasses such as TC Charton. When I had trouble adjusting to the HD lenses, Madison and Dr. Lew were so helpful at remaking them with different types of lenses twice until they fit right. They are also very helpful at explaining my VSP benefits. Overall, this is an excellent optometry with new high-tech equipment, good eyewear selection, and great service level. read more

I've never felt compelled to write a review after a dr's appointment, but I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Winking Bee. Dr. Minjun Lew was wonderful, she was efficient and yet took her time explaining everything she was doing. She immediately put me at ease and made me feel super comfortable. And everyone in the office was super helpful, from reception to the person who helped me pick out glasses and talked me through my insurance. It was just such a great experience, I would recommend them without hesitation. read more

Highly recommend! I had a great experience with Dr. Liao and the selection, office and staff are second to none.

I have gone to Dr Lew since before Winking Bee. She is bright, a joy to deal with, and through a lot of effort on her part, (that every other optical professional I have dealt with came up short), found bifocal contacts that I can work on the computer... and golf with. If you've been down this road, you know how exceptional that is! Too bad I can only give 5 stars! read more