Meredith W Morgan University Eye Center

These guys are great. Very knowledgable, very friendly. The whole visit went very fast.

This is an excellent facility if your optical needs are outside the norm and have not been met by regular opticians and optometrists

This is the ONLY place I will ever go for eyecare. When I lost my vision in one eye they were able to diagnose it immediately and sent me to the hospital for treatment.
On other occasions they have provided me with expert eye examinations.
You cannot beat the selection of eyeglass frames.
Open 7 days a week and free parking is available.
This facility is open to the Public.

They gave me the wrong appointment time, and had me wait for 45 minutes before they told me according to the system, I was supposed to be there at 10:30 instead of 11. They were unapologetic about the whole thing, and had a matter-​of-​fact tone as if I was the one who messed up even though I wrote down the exact time and date when making the appointment. I waited 2 weeks to get this appointment and now I have to schedule and appointment for another 2 weeks later.

Okay I decided to give the Meredith W. Morgan University Eye Center at Minor Hall a try. I stopped by a few times to get a feel for the place in terms of atmosphere and environment. A year ago, I went to the Tang Center to have my eyes examined there. I came away a tad bit insulted by the supervising doctor with regards to my eyes’ condition. I enjoyed my experience here much better.
For starters, I could park in front of the entrance. Whoohoo! I picked up a permit at the front desk upon checking in. It is good for the duration of my eye examination. And best of all, I was able to have my eye exam on a Saturday afternoon.
I had to wait a bit before I could be seen by a ophtalmologist candidate. I wish I remembered her name. It was the usual spiel and routine of being examined with all them gismos and stuff. I do remember she is a UCLA alumna and the supervising doctor is a UCLA alum. The alumna was checking with her peers and her supervising doctor a lot regarding my eyes. I will say this Bear was quite comfortable having her eyes being examined by Bruins.
The supervising doctor was very professional and gave me some tips to keep my eyes healthy. (Best of all, no backhanded compliments.) Eat lots of dark green vegetables. Check. And my personal favourite tip: wear sunglasses when I am out and about. I will be sporting sunglasses as part of my usual accessories. Check. So I will be hiding behind my sunglasses more often now – especially in terms of personal space invasion issues.
A film professor acquaintance of mine recently told me I looked like a bad ass with my headphones and sunglasses. I definitely took that compliment on the chin. I will be hiding behind my headphones and sunglasses more in the upcoming semester to keep people at a distance and from my personal space being invaded.
I had a much better experience having my eyes checked here at Meredith W. Morgan University Eye Center than at the Tang Center. I will definitely be back for another eye exam here. And I will come on Saturdays for appointments knowing we can park nearby within walking distance. Fiat Lux. And Go Bears!

Nice clinic and excellent staff and doctors.
Be careful for the above-​ground wooden barrier outside of the kid’s sliders in the court yard. My son got hurt when he was playing there.

I brought my daughter here on the recommendation of a UCSF doc. Unfortunately I agree with a previous reviewer that if your case involves thinking outside the box, this place will not help. After having a state of the art field of vision test done at UC which showed my child’s impairment, this doctor just waved her finger around in a circle and asked my daughter if she could see it. Really, that’s their idea of examination? Since my daughter’s symptoms don’t fit a common pattern, we were told there’s nothing REALLY wrong with her.
Two stars because the doctor gave us this caveman worthy exam for free. I recommend finding a doctor elsewhere who cares enough to think about your problem!

We just brought our kids here for their very first eye exam and it was a wonderful experience! The booking process was easy, checking in was fast and the visit was with a wonderful doctor and student who explained everthing she was doing.
We are going back here for our own eye exam and will definitely return next year!

Great service all around. They’re thorough, friendly, and patient. They’re open 7 days a week!

Top notch eye care. This is hands down the best facility for the best price in northern CA. I’ve been a patient here for 20 years, and now I bring my children. The pediatric eye care is hugely impressive. They’re thorough and careful about diagnoses, and recognized my child’s issue for what it was (it wasn’t what it seemed to be!). And they’re really kind to the kids.
I enjoy being a patient of the interns, who are invariably polite, careful, and thorough. (It’s a running theme here.) And the doctors who sign off on the exams are excellent.
I’ve never had an issue parking here; we come out from the deep East Bay. We always get a weekend appointment, which is essential. And the cost of coming here is way, way less than any other place I’ve looked at.
We’ll be patients for life here!

This place rocks. I have more than one eye problem and after years of Kaiser failing to fix the problems, I went to UC Berkeley and they have helped a great deal. I have to pay for it myself but it’s worth it. It’s also cool that these folks are open Saturday and Sunday and will work you in if you have an urgent problem. One thing I do think people should understand is that when you go in, you will first be seen by one or more interns, and then the experienced brilliant established doctor («attending physician») comes in. For years the parking sucked but now there’s a big parking structure, thank goodness.

I started going to this eye center since my undergraduate years. Since I was a student, I had coverage and so it was the best financial option at the time.
Since graduating, I still come here.
I had an appointment this past Sunday in the afternoon 2:30pm. Wait time was short and I was seen rather promptly. There was one student shadowing the other student who was performing the exam on me. Both were friendly and polite. The doctor who was over seeing the students today was also quite friendly, upbeat and polite. Even though my diagnosis about my eyes wasn’t a happy one, the doctor still behaved positive and gave me directions on what to tell my PCP on how to follow up and look into my condition some more.
Since they were observing abnormalities about my optic nerves, Dr. Ngo asked politely if it would be ok if his other students to observe my eyes. This means each person would be shining that bright light into my dialated eyes. Since it is for learning, I said it was fine. Each student taking a look was very polite and expressed gratitude. It didn’t bother me. I think about 3 students took a look.
Overall, the staff who perform the exams (Dr. and student) have always been a pleasure.
I cannot say the same for the staff who work behind the front desk and make the appointments. This is why my review is a 3 star.
I called to make an appointment for an eye exam in order to get prescription lenses for frames I own. I also asked how much would I be expecting to pay for my exam, considering my insurance coverage if any. She said it would be 0 dollars. Then she gave me a notice that if I choose this type of exam, it will not give me a prescription for contact lenses. She said I could opt for an exam for contact lenses because then I can use the prescription for both glasses and contacts. She said the expected cost is 0 dollars. Even though now it would mean I have to get my eyes dialated, I said it «Sure, ok.» In the case maybe some time down the line I may want contacts.
After my exam and about to move into the eyewear center, the person at the front desk I was wrapping up with told me that actually I owe 22 dollars because I opted for the contact lens portion of the exam and my insurance didn’t cover that part. Seriously? I wasn’t happy about it, but said «Oh, ok.» I figured there was no choice, but to pay it anyways, but it really did bother me I hadn’t been told about this before. I told her I’d pay that fee and cost for my prescription glasses lenses all at once, so we held off while I went to the eyewear center.
When it turned out that I would not get coverage from my insurance for lenses for my frames, I decided to hold off and give it a second thought. The student helping me in the eyewear center told me I’m ready and set to go, so I left. It was about 4:15pm when I left.
When I got home, I saw on my phone I had a missed call at 4:26pm. I just remembered that I didn’t pay that 22 dollars! I got a voice mail and it was from the student at the eyewear center who had been helping me previously. I quickly called back and a man at the front desk picked up. I told him that I had just received a call from their facility because I forgot to pay something.
He asked me «Is it an emergency?»
I said «No, but I am returning a call because I forgot to pay a fee.»
He said «Well we’ve been closed since 3pm.»
I replied «But I only left about 30 minutes ago???»
He repeated himself again «We’re closed now, unless it is an emergency, call back during our regular hours.»
I figured I might as well stop here so I said «OK, I will then.»
He said «Fantastic. Good bye.» Or something along those lines, but I know the word «Fantastic» was there. It was really condescending.
So while the exam from the staff looking at my eyes was great, the other staff did not accurately inform me what my financial responsibilities are beforehand and happened to be impolite. This is why I give a 3 star review.

Pros:
+ big selection of frames
+ good prices (both medical care and glasses)
+ open on weekends
Cons:
— terrible customer service
— long wait times
— insurance billing issues
— extremely limited parking
The Cal Eye Center is basically the DMV for eye care: government-​run inefficiency at its worst. While they may be big, have many facilities and a large glasses/​frames selection, and they offer most services at reasonable prices, the downsides outweigh the benefits for me. Their equipment for eye care is old and obsolete (private eye doctors will use high-​tech digital equipment by comparison), the students taking care of you are slow and require frequent «check-​ins» with their supervisors. And the glasses department is an inefficient mess like the DMV.
The biggest problem with them is horrible customer service. When I had problems with some glasses i bought from them, it was a huge ordeal to try to get anything resolved. There a long hold times on the phone, the phone agents don’t care about you and are in a rush to get rid of you, and despite leaving numerous messages for the correct department, NOT ONCE (!!!) has any person ever called me back to answer my question. Since they are located on the busy Berkeley campus, parking is a nightmare, so I didn’t want to drive all the way there, just to be shrugged off by some student apprentice who doesn’t know how to fix any real problems.
As long as you fit their «cookie-​cutter» ideal of the textbook patient that students practice on, you’ll be alright. But god forbid you actually have a situation where «thinking /​intelligence» is required, and you’ll realize you’re dealing with the same abysmal inefficiency and incompetence that government-​run places like the DMV are known for.

They seem to have lost it when it comes to customer service. I would say they never call you back, except that they do call to let you know your glasses are ready, but at 7 AM on a Saturday morning after you’ve already picked up your glasses. If you need them to call you back about an order or scheduling, well, that seems to fall through the cracks.
I tried to get Rx sunglasses but was told by the student that I couldn’t get the style I wanted in my Rx. I came back later and another student said sure, no problem and I ordered them. We’ll see who’s right…
Things just seem to take longer and are more difficult than the really need to be, I guess partly because your initial encounter is with a student and they’re learning. Fortunately, the professionals behind them straighten things out.
They really need to work on customer service though.
On the plus side, they do seem to have a large selection to choose from and the professional staff seems competent.

That time of year came to renew my prescription, but I was also way overdue for a check-​up because my eyes weren’t looking too good. I’m writing this review as a follow-​up to my previous one, but also to pay homage to the home slices Brittany and Dr. John Corzine (but I call him Bill Nye) for their incredible work!
Unlike last year, I absolutely loved the doctor I had. Dr. Corzine was a fun guy that made the excruciating experience less tormenting. It was a near perfect visit, but the person I spoke with over the phone beforehand ruined it. When it comes to billing, I always make sure I get the facts down before I go ahead with anything because the last thing anybody would want is to be slapped with a «hidden» fee the day of.
I called ahead of time and inquired about the fees for a contacts prescription renewal, which she told me was $ 32. It sounded too good to be true, but I wasn’t going to argue with that and went ahead to make an appointment. When I check in, the receptionist tells me that a note was left on my account that said something along the lines of, «Make sure patient is aware of $ 32 contacts fee plus $ 110 comprehensive fee» and I’m like WHAT?!? You couldn’t tell me that over the phone?! The fees would’ve been fine, but nobody likes to be hit with other fees they weren’t made aware of when inquiring. It was extremely poor communication on their end and if you’re broke as hell like me, you’d be very upset.
But thank goodness for Brittany and Dr. Corzine, the game-​changing dynamic duo that can have any angry patient leave happy as can be. They were super fun, knowledgeable, and easy to talk to. I came with a whole lot of questions and concerns that they addressed with the utmost finesse. I also picked up some new exotic optometry lingo from their talk, like «Mittendorf dot» (ouuu, chilllls). Lessons learned, don’t wear your contacts for longer than 10 hours a day and God forbid re-​using them or you’ll get papillary conjunctivitis. It’s hella gross, so don’t Google it and don’t get it.
While it can be time-​consuming to have the clinician’s findings verified by an attending doctor, the clinicians are fun people, at least from my experiences. Clinic E is where it’s at, so get your eye work done here. Just make sure there aren’t any misunderstandings with billing! Brittany, I’ll see you on Unilocal,and Dr. Corzine, I’ll see you on Bill Nye!!!

People at the front desk were efficient and friendly. The optometry intern who saw to me was great — he explained everything thoroughly, as it was my first time getting contacts. He was very patient with me while I was putting on and taking off contacts for the first time.
I have no doubt that the quality of care from other optometry interns or optometrists is just as good. I’m a Cal student and wanted to support the school of optometry. I’m glad I started going to the University Eye Center and will definitely keep going here in the future.

They all are nice and help a lot. I like all students has to discuss with their teachers while they are helping :) Frame center needs more modern frames.

I have a long, LONG list of Unilocal reviews to leave, but I didn’t want to wait for this one, I’m so happy with the service.
I have always heard there is a service triangle, of sorts, where there are 3 things — and to get two, you will always have to sacrifice the third. These things are affordability, time, and quality. I tend to prefer going to student-​run places (teaching salons, teaching schools, etc) because the cost is low, the quality is great, but you always just have to make sure you have more time. This place is no exception.
Sure, the facilities for the general eye exams seem a little outdated. There was some old school wood paneling and off-​white paint, and they don’t have the newest computers. The wait also can be Long sometimes — but what doctors office isn’t nowadays? However, I felt that my examiner (who I can’t remember her name — sorry!) was EXTREMELY thorough in her walk through.
Fast forward me updating my prescription and shelling out several hundred dollars for brand new glasses (I picked expensive frames. A girl’s gotta be fashionable). Less than a week later, I left my expensive new prescription eyewear at perfect chomping level for a young, mouthy pit bull while I went to work. OOPS. I came home and was greeted by a smiling dog with my glasses happily crunched in her mouth.
I scheduled an appointment with berkeley distraught and ready to fork out more money for glasses — it obviously was my fault, and I wasn’t going to try and argue that it was their problem. I showed up, and they double-​checked the tooth marks in my glasses, and told me they would send them to their lab to be evaluated and see if we could get a do-​over pair, gratis. I was shocked that was even an option. If that didn’t work, they said they would still discount my lenses since they were so new. I immediately felt like I was being respected and treated as a (rather-​irritated-​at-​her-​dog) human rather than an entity that was there to throw my money at them. I was ready to pay with a checkbook in hand, and they were more than willing to work with me to see what they could do, and said they would discount the frames if I ended up having to pay.
Turns out, whatever they did worked their magic. I got an email a week later that my new glasses were ready for me. I am still amazed that they took care of me as well as this given that I was 1. An idiot and 2. Willing to pay for a replacement. I can’t help but feel if I was at a 100% for-​profit retail place, that they would have tried to up sell me as much as possible. I don’t know if that’s truly the case, but berkeley did a great job making me feel like a special patient. I’ll definitely keep coming back!

First off, I’m not one of those constantly disgruntled people who hates on everything. If you look at my Unilocal profile I barely give 1 star reviews which goes to say that the customer service really was horrible and I feel like I was completely cheated out of my money.
I went in for my first ever eye appointment to make sure my eyes were healthy. My first appointment was at 9am. They said the appt would last 30−45mins. I am an employee of UC Berkeley and am enrolled in the UC vision plan so my copay was $ 10 (this is relevant later). My appointment started off well, until I started to get tired because they wanted to keep doing tests… by this time I had been there for 2 AND A HALF HOURS! I actually had to cut the appointment short because I had to be somewhere at noon and had never expected it to last that long. The doctor told me to make a follow up appointment so they can finish the tests.
At my second appointment, I checked in and then the assistant took me back to the same exam room and started to do tests on me. After doing one test she tells me that she forgot to tell me that they would charge me for doing that test. How much? I asked. Not much, just $ 20. Ok, I thought that was fine.
Anyway, after my appointment, I go to the front office to pay for my appointment thinking that it would be $ 30 — $ 10 for the copay and then $ 20 for the eye pressure test. NOPE, it was $ 120 for my eye exam! THEY FAILED TO TELL ME THAT MY SECOND APPOINTMENT WOULDN’T BE COVERED BY INSURANCE. Sorry for the caps. I’m just so angry, that nobody said ANYTHING to me until AFTER they did all the tests and I had to pay for my appointment! I guess the $ 10 copay only pertains to the first exam and then it is out of pocket after that. I REALLY wish that they had said this to me when I was scheduling my second appointment. And if I had known this, I would have just bailed on the plans I had and finished the tests during my first appointment and saved $ 120.

I have been taking my son here to get him fitted for corrective contact lenses. The Sunday appointment times are so convenient, staff and doctors have all been great and very supportive. Parking is easy and free (you drive up and the attendant gives you a parking pass). We’ve never had an issue with waiting too long but that may be because the appointments have always been early in the morning.
Too bad it isn’t covered by our insurance! But fixing my little guy’s eyes is so worth it. Very thankful that this facility exists with this treatment option.