Visionworks Doctors of Optometry

Excellent! Dr. Parker was helpful and friendly, and the sales staff was particularly helpful and patient as well — highly recommended!

The screw broke on my husband’s glasses so we came here just to get a quick repair. His glasses originally came from another Visionworks store in the area. The salesperson insisted that they were beyond repair and we’d have to shell out for a new pair (which wouldn’t be covered by insurance because the glasses are only 4 months old). She said a piece of plastic had chipped where the screw connects, but it wasn’t true. We walked down to LensCrafters and they repaired it quickly and for free, even knowing that we hadn’t bought the glasses from them.

Love love love. I love the female optometrist here (sorry I don’t remember her name). She is a complete sweetheart. She was honest, knowledgeable, and fast. I came in to get an eye exam because new glasses were needed. The entire process took about 30 minutes. Too bad my vision health plan wasn’t accepted, Aetna. However, I have that good «guberment» job so I have great benefits. My United Healthcare was accepted. Anywho, I would revisit this office as the customer service is fast and friendly.

I’ve been going to this place for five years now, and they’ve never been anything but helpful and nice. Yes, you might have to wait a bit. Yes, glasses and contacts are expensive. (They are wherever you go. I’ve been wearing glasses for 22 years.) I think because this location is in a mall, people forget it’s a doctor’s office, and not a fast food restaurant!
Dr. Parker is great. He’s very nice and personable, but very experienced and competent. He had actually heard of the rare eye diseases in my family! He’s one of the few doctors I actually look forward to seeing. I do usually have to wait 15 – 20 minutes, but that’s about average for all my doctor appointments.
The support staff ranges from absent-​mindedly polite to super sweet. I only ever got one lady on the phone that seemed to be in a bad mood, but that was a couple of years ago. All the staff members seem to love helping pick out glasses. (That’s proably the most fun part of the job.)
I’ve never had anyone really try to upsell me on anything. They’ll offer once, I’ll say no, we move on.
My most recent visit included an appointment, the retina photograph thing ($ 25), a year’s worth of monthly contacts, and new lenses for both my eyeglass and sunglass frames. It came out to about $ 630 with my insurance.

Terrible experience. I tried going with my husband and they mixed up our files. The salesman were annoying as hell. Their prices are marked up 300%. And they ripped me off by charging me for a «contacts fitting» when my prescription or contacts hasn’t even changed! Will never go back to a «chain» eye doctor again.

I don’t think I’m coming back here again.

The staff themselves are nice people but having nice people only go so far when the rest of the experience is crap. The first appointment I had, I was there for over 2 hours, which I tolerated because they were nice and the place is close to home. I wasn’t too impressed with the optometrist. She kept cutting me off while I was replying to her questions. But I got the examinations that I needed and paid for the adjustments to my prescription sunglasses. A week later, I was back to pick up my sunglasses but they looked ridiculous. The lenses were triple the thickness and weren’t even cut evenly. My prescription barely changed so there was no reason for such a drastic change in thickness. The manager said she would send it back and get them thinned. So I go home empty handed with a $ 5 parking ticket. The next week, I go back with the expectation of picking up my sunglasses only they looked worse than before. Even the manager admitted it. The lenses were still disgustingly think and the frame was bent. It was like they didn’t cut them to fit the frame correctly and just squeezed them in anyways. The screws were sticking out at an angle. I paid good money for my frames and did not appreciate the condition in which they were returned to me. The manager said that my previous lens must have been cut with a high def something something so that must be why they were able to get them so thin. They don’t have the machine so they couldn’t trim the lens any more. Where was that info when I was there last week? Why tell me that they can when they can’t? Why not mention in the first place that hey, your sunglasses won’t look the same way. And I don’t really believe that everyone getting prescription sunglasses there comes out with ¼ inch thick lenses…
Needless to say, after 3 visits on the same appointment, time and money wasted, I have no plans to ever return. Luckily, they willingly gave me a refund. But fair warning, if you want good quality glasses/​sunglasses, don’t go to a place in a mall. I’ve learned my lesson.

On ²⁄₁₇ I had an appointment for an eye exam at the Vision Works location in the Pentagon City mall in Arlington, VA. After 20 minutes of waiting, I was called back for my eye exam. The doctor spent literally less than 5 minutes examining me and failed to explain anything — my changed vision, etc. I had mentioned contact lenses and he acted as if he didn’t even hear me and was clearly eager to get on to his next patient. While he was nice, he completely lacked in the ‘helpful doctor’ category.
But the real problem comes with the sales girl, Anjela, who was aggressively pushing glasses on me. Allow me to break it down… First she would not stop pushing the current buy one, get one promotion on. Having been a retail manager in college for a major corporate brand, I understand this is sometimes the name of the game. But she constantly repeated, «this is what we’re going to do» rather than ever bothering to ask me what *I* the customer wanted.
Then we sit down and processes everything without my insurance. She forgot I had it. How you can forget when I talked about my plan constantly I don’t know. Then she processes everything again with my old insurance. Apparently she forgot to call for approval for my new insurance… THEN she finally tells me my total. Sure enough she went out of her way to include a ‘buy one, get one’ offer even though she KNEW I decided against a second pair. My mom was there with me and witnessed the whole ordeal — it was quite unbelievable at some point.
But the final blow was that I had asked about getting new lenses with my updated prescription for my current Tory Burch, designer frames. Not quite a year old she kept telling me glasses aren’t mean to last that long. It was like buying a toaster from the dollar store versus getting a new one from (let’s just say Pottery Barn, because it was a similar sort of reference. I digress). I told her that my glasses were still in mint condition (as evidenced by me showing them to her) and that she was wrong. But no, she was hell-​bent on making a sale instead of listening to me. So she entertained the idea of re-​lensing them. But that wasn’t before she wanted to inspect them. Where for a solid 5minutes she bent them every which way possible. Only when I said something about her almost snapping them in half, did she say «oh, I guess that’s enough.» Seriously, go back and look at the camera footage of this, it’s absolutely UNREAL. Even now my frames are a bit warped from where she bent them.
I should have immediately insisted on speaking to a manager but I was in shock. I still needed the glasses I was ordering, and was too foolish not to put my foot down and go elsewhere.
This is was hands down the WORST retail/​doctor experience I’ve ever had. A sales associate who can’t listen to save her life and almost willing to break someone’s property just to make a sale…
To top things off, my glasses were supposed to be ready today, 2/​24, a week later. And apparently the order wasn’t put in on time and no one notified me so I now I’m still waiting on my glasses. The sort of incompetence and lack of good customer service in that store is staggering. Rest assured I’ll never go back.

I do not blame the staff as it seems they are under-​staffed and over-​worked. The doctor was nice but the wait was just insane and the testing was a bit short.
We walked in and were told that we had to wait a few minutes… ended up being a visit lasting a little more than 2 hours and we did not even buy glasses… we just got eye reviews and prescriptions.
We didn’t even catch them at a busy time which is why my wife and I got so frustrated at how long we waited.

(This rating distribution is interesting.) Since 2003, I had been getting my eye exams (and my glasses and contacts until my laser eye surgery in 2005) at this location of Hour Eyes. The doctors were nice and did a good job. The problems were with the staff outside. The staff does not get your name right, they do not remember why you are there for an appointment, they don’t orderly maintain folders/​computer information of long-​time customers, customers have long waits for their appointment to start and for their insurance to be processed, etc. The main reasons why I went to this location is because they accepted my vision insurance and were along the Blue line of the Metro.

Writing this review because I see some negative ones and I’m not so sure why.
Came in and wanted to do an eye exam, they said they accept walk ins but it was busy so they scheduled me for the next day. The exam was cheap but I opted to do some of the extras (which all seemed important). The woman was nice and didn’t charge me for one of the services. (Or maybe she just made a mistake, whatevs.)
Didn’t get glasses that day but came back way later. I was helped by an older lady, can’t remember her name but she was very nice and helped me pick out frames. The ones I chose were pricey and cost $ 240 by themselves but she worked out a deal for me to get lens and frames (normally around $ 350) for $ 270.
All in all I had a positive experience so I guess I got lucky but I would suggest not to do the extras for the exam. They didn’t do anything and the doctor didn’t even look to see if I added them so I had to verbally remind him twice.

Awful in so many ways. Let me count them.
(1) Confounding insurance and pricing system. You might go in thinking you know what to expect to pay, but be prepared for unpleasant surprises! They will all come after you’ve elected to use Hour Eyes and have already taken the eye exam, naturally.
(2) Having contacts mailed to you is apparently reserved for orders beyond a certain amount. Why? That makes no sense. Every other place I’ve been to will gladly ship them regardless of amount.
(3) Lousy customer service. First of all, they tell you they’ll call you when the lenses have been delivered (so you can bring in your frames and have them cut and inserted). They never called. I had to call Hour Eyes after a long period of time passed; turned out they had the lenses but never bothered to notify me as promised. On top of that, it turned out the first lenses had a scratch, so they had to reorder a new set. Again I waited for their call, which never came. Called them myself after waiting beyond the expected 10 days, and surprise! The lenses had just been sitting there.
(4) Crappy installation of lenses. The first set of lenses they installed (the ones with the scratch) were put in the frames in such a way that they click out of alignment somehow and make the frames crooked on my face again and again. I have had these frames for several years, with multiple lenses over time, and never once had this problem before. Also, the lenses stick out from the frames and do not look well-​fitted. I am hoping the second set (to replace the scratched ones) are installed better, but at this point I have little confidence in that.
All in all, the staff at this place are grossly incompetent. They apologize for their many mistakes but then continue to make them. Never going back.

I am updating my review now because the contacts I was issued have given me nothing but problems. But that is not why I am lowering the rating. I went in the other day because finally I have had enough of my contacts and wanted to see if I could get a prescription for another brand. When I asked they said when was my appt and it was in Dec. they proceeded to tell me that you only get a free check up within two months and that I would have to pay $ 115 for another evaluation. What!!! Why wasn’t I told this when I came in a week after I was issued my contacts complaining about them! This place is a scam and I will not go back. Piss poor customer service and lack of informing the patient. True score is a zero star which Unilocal needs to add to their evaluations because this is one of those places that’s needa a zero.

I switched to Hour Eyes from Lens Crafters to maximize insurance coverage. I have been very disappointed. From having to wait two weeks for glasses to not being able to replace a screw correctly, the service is not satisfactory compared to LC.

I don’t know what all the fuss is about this place. Maybe people just caught employees having a rough day (we all do), but I found this to be a relatively great experience. I made an appointment the day prior to get a new prescription for contacts, and showed up 30 minutes early. They checked for my insurance (my craptastic eye insurance provides no cards), and figure it out, all in the most polite way possible.
I then had my appointment with Dr. Parker, a young doctor who had great professionalism, and took the time to explain the intricacies for why my vision is the way it is. He also chatted with my about LASIK, and what my options were in the local area.
I was in and out of the office in under 45 minutes, which was great. Professional doctor, professional staff. Not a whole lot to complain about.

This is my first visit to this place and I am not sure what the hell people are complaining about. I think doctors know little more about anatomy of an eye. I had a good eye exam, the staff is friendly and take their time. You don’t feel like you’re being rushed around. I got contacts from here, however they didn’t feel right, so I came back the next week. I had a different doctor and the lady was super nice, understanding and wanted to help. We tried 3 different pairs of contacts and she gave me samples to take home and try them out. I then came back in another week and had the doctor I had the first time and he also was very helpful and wanted me to feel comfortable and not just up-​sell/​sell things I don’t need. It turns out my eyes are very picky and I decided to just get another pair of glasses. Overall was very great place, I will come back again.

This place is horrible, and I would give zero stars if I could.
I came here with a new prescription after going to the eye doc at lenscrafters in the mall. I already had frames I liked, and just needed the lenses replaced with my new prescription. It was chaotic in the store and they kept trying to upsell me better lenses or frames. When I stated I didn’t want to pay the huge amount they quoted for a simple pair of basic lenses, and stood up as if to leave, the salesman told me he could give me a steep discount.
I ended up getting the lenses for about $ 100 in the frames I already owned. I asked for an itemized bill to submit to my insurance company, and he handed me a yellow carbon copy reciept that was barely readable.
I noticed that the lenses were finely cracked and although you could not see it straight on, I noticed it constantly when I left the store and light was shining from all directions. As it was too late in the day for them to make a new pair before the store closed, I would have to come back another day. I had to drive out of town 6 hours away and back that weekend with these horrible cracked lenses. Another customer was military and was being deployed the next day, and his lenses had the fine cracks across them as well.
When I brought them back the next week, they made me new lenses at no charge, but it was still a huge hassle considering they don’t validate parking and I had to return to the mall and then wait until the new lenses were finished. I will never return here, and I recommend you don’t either.

I needed new glasses so, since I was at the pentagon city mall i figured I would try here…
They have the typical eyeglass place scam going. You know, by one get one free and the frames seem reasonably priced, so you end up saying sure, why not… But they always get you on the lenses. My eyes aren’t even that bad, but I ended up dropping over $ 500 for the 2 pairs… so much for a good deal.
But my disappoint with this place doesn’t come from just the price. I probably would have sucked it up if the transaction went smoothly. But I was heading out to Korea in 4 days and wanted the new glasses for the trip. They have to send out the lens order to their lab in Texas. I asked if they could rush it and they told me they would try — it took 6 weeks! One of the frames broke later…
The staff is overly subdued.
And of the managers (not the GM, she is nice) is rude.
Bad place. Don’t go.

Where do I even begin? Four trips alone to «fix» frames I picked up on Saturday — they kept getting lopsided and the staff there kept telling me they were even. I had to bring my mother (36-​year-​old pregnant me had to bring my freaking mother?!) to vouch for the crookedness. I finally made them exchange these new glasses for a replacement pair of which I have to wait two more weeks for.
And now my second pair (the ones I got with the buy one get one free promotion) has a lens popping out.
Complete hot mess. I will never go back after my fifth trip there to take these frames back and demand my money back.

OMG, is it willful incompetence?
I dared to order contacts from Vision Direct. online, after going to this Hour Eyes to get my eyes checked last Saturday. Twice in two hours, VD has sent through a request for verification of my prescription. Twice they’ve been told that it’s not current. I called an hour ago, and they’re still looking at the wrong person’s file… from 10 years ago.
This is not convenience.
SORT
IT
OUT

Again, I wish that Unilocal would let you break out your ratings as this was a truly schizophrenic experience. I called for an appointment in the morning and only had to wait 10 – 15 additional minutes after filling out the paperwork to see the optometrist. The doctor was really friendly, professional and thorough as well as quick, so I was in and out on his end pretty quickly. Looking for frames was a little more of a challenge. At first they just pointed out where everything was and left me alone, but as I struggled to find something I liked, they got more helpful after asking. The selection of frames in this tiny store are somewhat limited and they have all of the name brand frames in racks below waist level, so I literally had to get on my hands and knees to look for something that wasn’t generic. Eventually, I found something though, the sales person helped me decide between the two frames I had settled on, and they were offering a 50% off sale that was better than my insurance, so frames and lenses only cost me $ 140. Overall, the doctor would have gotten five stars and the sales person four.
Picking up the next day was a different story. When I came back, I didn’t recognize anyone from the day before and they didn’t seem in a rush to help me. Finally someone did, but was slow in finding my glasses and couldn’t get my monosyllabic last name right. When he gave me my glasses, he appeared to be cleaning them but somehow managed to still give them to me with fingerprints on the lenses and then put them in a cheap «Made in China» case and sent me on my way. I walked out, but as I thought about it, it didn’t seem right that I got a generic soft foam case when I bought name brand frames. Every other time I’ve bought frames, they were paired with a matching case from the manufacturer. So I went back and asked someone else what was up and she gave me a halfhearted apology and had someone else get the case that went with my frames. So if I hadn’t have asked, I would have had just gotten the cheap foam case with Velcro closure. If I was rating them on this experience, I’d probably give them two or maybe even one star, especially for almost cheating me out of a decent case.
All in all though, balancing the initial good experience and price with the subsequent bad experience with lazy staff, I’ll give this Jekyll and Hyde store three stars. The doctor on staff is good, the price was right, the selection small and the staff ranges from good to indifferent.

I had a pretty good experience. Although I called for an appointment, I had to wait 45 minutes after it, as a ‘walk-​in’ had just went in for his exam. I spent the time looking at glasses and the staff came up to me and asked if they could help. They picked out pairs they thought would work good on my face and helped to narrow it down.
The doctor was great. She could describe the slight imperfections I have with my eyes (and that I already knew about) without me mentioning it. I feel comfortable that she is knowledgeable and I would go back again.
I ended up with 3 pairs (!) — buy one get one free, and the third 50% off. Not bad. I also ordered a year’s supply of contacts 20% off.
They are understaffed at this location, and you won’t get your glasses within an hour (I got 2 the next day and the third a few days later) but they were very helpful.