Jane Hafen – In Vision Optometry

Have been seeing Jane for several years and have gotten excellent care from Jane and her staff has always been very helpful and pleasant to work with!

Really bummed out at being sent to collections for a missed appointment that I didn’t even know I had. I was a patient at this office for a very long time. My job moved from Oakland to San Francisco and it was no longer convenient that was the only reason I left. In fact, I found someone here in the City and after the visit considered going back to Dr. Hafen. Not now. Apparently I had filled out a post card requesting an appointment for one year after the last time I visited this office. Unfortunately I do not remember doing this and multiple statements went to my old address. Somehow the collections notice was sent to my correct address. I paid the $ 62.50 because I do not want a negative mark on m credit but I think this is incredibly shady. I miss seeing Kim’s smiling face and Barbara was always very helpful to me as well. It’s a shame that a long time customer would be sent to collections over something like this.

Best optometrist’s office I’ve been to in the Bay Area, hands down! Her support staff were amazing from the first moment I walked in. They helped me make the most of my insurance and even saved me money. Most importantly, I felt comfortable and respected.
As for Jane Hafen– wow, what a woman. She is efficient, direct, straight forward but patient. She listens and makes sure that she gets your prescription just right.
I am thrilled I finally found a home for my eye care needs in the Bay. I had a horrific experience at one place in San Francisco– the support staff were rude and the doctor even got my prescription wrong due to a rushed eye exam. The other person I saw in SF was a good doctor but she was not a good listener and her support staff were abysmal. I am so grateful customer service and excellence come first at Jane Hafen’s office!
I would recommend completing the new patient information forms before arriving, showing up 15 minutes early, and making sure to bring all your glasses, contact case boxes, contact case, etc just so that it runs smoothly. I had my records from my previous eye doctor faxed to them before my visit.
Highly recommended! They were, after all, recommended by my co-​worker and my boss. I will continue the chain of recommendation!

I have to support the complaints about the office policies. While I think Dr. Hafen is quite talented at conducting exams and prescribing, her policies are extremely rigid and make for an unpleasant customer experience. Over the years my family used her office, we were repeatedly badgered to come in early to fill out insurance forms (we don’t have insurance, so why?) and when we’ve needed flexibility for things like a copy of a lost prescription for a kid away at school who also lost her glasses, they’ve been unhelpful. But I think the condescending and unhelpful complaints are related to Dr. Hafen — not just one or two bad apples at the front desk. Dr. Hafen seems to be focused more on her needs than those of the customers. This is also supported by my having to sit through numerous exams that took way longer than they needed to while Dr. Hafen shared details on her son’s problems when I would really have preferred to just get my eyes checked and get back to my life.
Bottom line — very good prescriptions and super healthy eyes. Plus a great selection of cute glasses. But unless you have a lot of patience and a high tolerance for one-​sided bureaucracy, it might not be worth it.

I used In Vision Optometry for several years and was quite pleased. I noticed however that the personnel supporting Dr. Hafen changed. Gone was a pleasant welcome. Recently I called and was told rather caustically, that the person didn’t have time for me. Point blank, she was condescending, and rude. I only hope that this review reaches Dr Hafen as I believe she needs to know how her staff treats potential patients. I won’t go back.

Very nice office and the employees were really nice and welcoming. I got good vibes when I walked in. It was nice to have first time visitors from online. Not only did it save me time but it made the checking in process faster. Dr. Jane was very thorough in her explanation of her diagnosis and if it was something that I didn’t understand she explained it in a way that I would. Office is nice and clean. I would def recommend Dr Jane.

I’m sure Dr. Hafen is great and I was recommended by a friend.
However, her support staff (especially Barbara) is simply condescending and unhelpful.
Upon checking in at the front desk and in the exam I am quizzed multiple times why I did not follow instructions either on the website or in email. Well… I didn’t use the website — I booked through your support staff — who was less than informative. I should have known better on the initial call in making the appointment when Barbara was less than pleasant and actually very officious and condescending in the first conversation.
Yes, I did not read or follow the instructions in the email and apologize for that. However, I did not need to be reprimanded and told numerous times by the staff and the doctor as to what a poor and inept patient I am. I did not come to get an eye exam and made to feel small and bullied by this office.
If Dr. Hafen is such a wonderful doctor — then she needs to be a wonderful manager and figure out how to work and train her resources. Once that is done, I am sure this will be a wonderful place for eye exams. However, if you can’t manage your staff then the bottom line experience for the patient is short of adequate.

Dr. Hafen has been good to me. She has always been very calming and «gentle» with me. But at the same time honest and no-​nonsense. I really appreciate her — she feels like a friend. Oft times we talk for a while before she even checks my eyes.
I went a long while without wearing glasses and she gave me some very simple and plain options on how I could ease myself back into the vision game. So far, so good. I have an appointment coming up soon — so please look forward to an update.

Loved this place! Friendly front desk staff, Dr. Hafen was great, and the prices were reasonable. I could see someone not being impressed by the selection of frames but I’m not that picky.

Terrific service. Good deal through Unilocal and the doctor is a dream. Office staff remembered my name after a year.

My husband, our son and I have been going to Dr. Hagen for many years now, and we just LOVE the service and the people there. Everyone is cheerful, professional, friendly and just super. They take fantastic care of our optometry needs, they are conveniently located in downtown Oakland, and there is free parking next door. Dr. Hafen does a very thorough exam, and they all do their best to make your experience a positive one. Five starts for In Vision Optometry!

Dr. Hafen has a wonderful manner about her and she was able to put me completely at ease about my eyes.
I love my eyes. All two of them. I had a rough time after I moved away from my childhood eye doc and had all sorts of student eye-​docs-​in-​training rush in to have a look at my eyes each time I went in for a simple check-​up or fitting for glasses.
Dr. Hafen was a wonderful transition from all that nonsense. She talked me out of taking drastic measures and was very comforting in explaining what was really going on with my eyes. I might not have the most fittest set of peepers but I’m glad that they’re being looked after by such a wonderful and honest person.
My contact and glasses fittings go swimmingly and I’m glad that her office has thus far been able to take my ever-​changing vision plans.

I have seen Dr. Hafen for the past few years for eye exams and glasses and have been consistently impressed with her level of service. After seeing her, I will never go back to a «strip mall chain» again. My eyes are too important to skimp on, especially since having a thorough eye exam can detect other health problems that have nothing to do with your eyes.
The cheaper and faster chains cut lots of corners and tell their exam docs to simply not do a lot of what Dr. Hafen does. She is an expert and I feel completely at ease knowing that she has given me an excellent exam. If you want the best, you can’t do better than Dr. Hafen.

I have been a patient of Dr. Hafen for over 20 years. Obviously I am more than satisfied with her professionalism, her expertise and her thoroughness. I totally trust her. She has up to date diagnostic equipment and explains all the test results effectively. I highly recommend her services. I moved out of the area several years ago and still come up north for my annual eye exams.

Dr. Hafen is fantastic. I’ve worn glasses for 16 years and and she spends
a lot of time and tests your eyes in many different ways that other optometrists won’t. She schedules additional appointments in the contact fitting at no cost if there is any slight discomfort in the lenses because she really cares about getting things right. Why would you want anything less for your eyes?

I’ve been going to Dr. Hafen for several years and found her to be very thorough with eye examinations. She has the latest technology for your eye examinations and explains each test to you clearly. The office is clean and appealing. He techs have a great disposition and act professionally. As far a billing and insurance, I have never had any issues. I find the comment by Becky H. incorrect. She must not be telling the whole story behind this.
Jane has recently had an update of new frame companies as well.
Please give her a try!!!

Dr. Hafen is a very competent optometrist and a kind and nice person too.
Her only minus is that (most likely out of compassion) she choose the wrong supporting staff, a lethal blend of arrogance and incompetence. Their skills in customer care wound only benefit from an extended stay in some Marine Corps Basic Training Camp, notorious for their polite handling of the newcomers.
They treat you like a slave, you wait for hours after being forced to come when THEY want, as a routine they think that you owe them money, and/​or that your insurance won’t cover this or that. Sometimes Dr. Hafen has to step in herself to stop them, but she cannot be always present to prevent their mischiefs.
I would give 5 STARS to Dr. Hafen, minus 1 STAR because of the wrong choice of her staff.
I would give 0 STARS to her wolf pack.
Unfortunately, the average is 2 STARS (ready to increase as soon as I see new people there).
By the way, most of the time I saw them doing absolutely nothing…

I’ve been going here for a little two years. I paid well over $ 800 for a pair of glasses and contact lenses. I also paid about $ 475 for a year of vision care. Never mind that I had insurance; I had to pay nearly $ 500 out of pocket to keep seeing the doctor. I did, thinking I would get a higher level of service than I had received at Lens Crafters, Pearl, etc… but no. Over two years later and I still don’t know for what I paid $ 475. I went in for a check-​up recently and there was a mix-​up with my insurance so they wouldn’t even see me — I drove al the way to downtown Oakland, fought for parking six blocks away, all just to be turned away because of some stupid insurance issue. They were not only rude, but treated me like I was a jerk (I generally am not classified as such). Me thinks they could’ve just taken the visit out of my $ 475 goodwill payment.
Other con’s: if your appointment is at, let’s say 1pm, you won’t be called in for at least 45 minutes. Then it’s another 20 minutes or so in the small room before the doctor comes in. So, all in all, a check up appointment takes about 2 hours. I was there for about 3 hours when I got the exam and picked out my frames. Also, frames are way over-​priced for the same brands you could get at Walmart.
I recommend any strip mall chain optometry over this place. Hands down.

Dr Hafen is great. Very thorough and conscientious. I’ve been going for a number of years.
The only negative is the optician that sells the glasses. The selection isn’t great.