Studio Optics

The only place that had the specific frame and brand I was searching for. Service when I ordered and picked up was unfriendly as if I (the only person in the shop) were an imposition. Handed me my glasses with no offer for me to try on, be fitted or adjusted.

I went to see Dr. Chan four times over two years, and each time, during the eye exam, he did not spend more than five minutes with me. He had his interns do all the work. Instead of using a phoropter (that thing with the multiple lenses that the optometrist flips back and forth to test your vision), he had his interns open a wooden case and HOLD UP LENSES and ask me how well I saw! I asked the young intern why she didn’t use the more sophisticated equipment, and she said that Dr. Chan had told her the handheld method was «more accurate.» You can guess how easy it is to gauge your own vision with a shaking hand in front of your eye. After the exam, he would check the interns’ work and sign off on it.
After my contact lens fitting, I returned the next week to tell him that my vision was still blurry. He proceeded to emphasize that his exams had indicated a lower power and my request for stronger lenses was my responsibility only and because I WANTED them, not because he was wrong — as if I were not trustworthy enough to assess my own ability to see. And this is the guy who has his interns hold lenses in front of patients’ eyes!
Throughout the four visits, Dr. Chan did not make eye contact with me — EXCEPT when sternly admonishing me that my blurriness with his prescription was not his fault. I don’t care if he doesn’t chat about the weather or where I went on vacation — a healthcare professional should make eye contact with his or her patients and greet them when they arrive for appointments. I tried to get a copy of my prescription, and the intern told me that Dr. Chan doesn’t give out copies of prescriptions to patients. What?!? BY LAW he has to provide it, and I called the next day to tell the intern this, and she agreed to have a copy ready for me.
Stay on your toes! This isn’t just poor bedside manner — this is the mark of someone who couldn’t care less about doing his job and doesn’t want you purchasing products except through him. (Dr. Chan’s callousness was so memorable that I told all of my other optometrists about him — one of them paused, and nodded silently.)

A trip to Studio Optics will be worth your time. I’ve been wearing Warby’s and wanted an upgrade. Dr. Chen was referred to me by a friend. He’s got a great selection of quality eyewear. Breno, the optician, took hours with me trying on frames. He suggested a style I would have never chosen for myself. I couldn’t get used to the progressive lens from my prescription. I went back to get a single vision lens and was willing to pay for them and they just took care of me. Where do you get service like that these days. If you’re looking for new specs drop by and check them out.

Foreword: I understand why some people may be a bit put off by Dr. Wayne Chan. It’s really just his personality-​abrupt and sometimes with awkward silences. Personally, I care much more about how the doctor does his/​her job properly, and adheres to proper medical procedures — having a doctor who is personable is merely a plus (this is not to say that he is not personable — I think that Dr. Chan just likes to seperate his chit-​chat/​personal life away from his medical practice).
Out of all the eye doctors I’ve seen so far (Japan and the U.S.,) Dr. Chan is profoundly one of the best I’ve ever experienced. His examinations are most throrough, and if you ask him (any) question, he will give you a complete and full answer. I went there for contact lenses fitting — Dr. Chan and Breno (his assistant) were always on top of things, and would not hesitate to ensure that I had the best experience possible. Dr. Chan put me through a total of 4 different trial lenses — all just to make sure that I had the best one possible. Over the course of the fittings, I saw him for a total of 6 times — with no extra cost. This, folks, is what the epitome of a doctor should be; caring for the patient, not for the money.
It was also always very easy to schedule last-​minute appointments, and I’m sure that they gladly take walk-​ins as well. For my contact lenses needs (and for my future spectacles), I’m definately going back to Dr. Chan. Finally, their prices on contact lenses are similar to online retailers, and definately a lot faster (as they can order directly). Thanks, Dr. Chan, and Breno, for taking good care of me.

Had a great customer service experience here which already had me go back and spend $ 400.
I went to Dr Chan for an eye exam. When I was ready to pay and didn’t remember my eye insurance info, the desk clerk tried every single major insurance company until she found me and was able to charge them and only have me pay a $ 25 co-​pay. Very impressive.
Went back last week and bought a $ 400 paid of Oliver People’s eyeglasses.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Chan for almost 10 years, and yes he can be a bit brusque, but he’s really good at eye exams. He caught a condition I had originally diagnosed in Colorado and no other clinician has ever caught it.
I trust him so much he now sees the rest of my family and sorted out one of my daughters prescription issue. Fully recommend Studio Optics. And he price matches too

I was on vacation and had an eye issue and stopped by this office. I guess a warning sign should have been that his office was totally dead on a Saturday afternoon…
Maybe it’s because I’m from the south but Dr. Chen seemed to have zero interest in helping my eye situation. His first question was about my insurance. He was all business in examining me and it came across pretty rude. I won’t go back because I don’t live here but if I did I’d «OPT» (ha ha pun intended) for someone else.

I checked this place out because of the location to my office and I am in need of new prescription for my contacts ASAP (literally wearing my last pair of contacts on my eyes as we speak).
The staff was pleasant. Jonathon was really nice and helpful on the phone scheduling my appointment.
The place is located in Back Bay, Boston. It’s very similar to our office building– old and historic. They seem to have a great selection of glasses on the first floor, which is where you fill out paperwork.
On the second floor is the exam room. Before the eye exam, Dr. Chan asks if I had any concerns or had any questions. What I’ve learned with doctors is that the more honest you are, the more they will address your questions and concerns as much as they possibly can. I had a few and at the end of the exam, Dr. Chan addressed them and even explained the reasoning behind all the tests he made.
I’ve been going to Harvard Vanguard in Somerville for years. I think I might be switching. Dr. Chan did an excellent job.
Also, the office matches prices on contacts, so 1800contacts, beware! They had my contacts on-​site. It was so convenient.

I have Davis insurance and came to Studio Optics to purchase new glasses. The selection of Davis covered frames were great. I just showed up with no appointment and got helped right away. They also carry other brands like Bebe and Tommy Bahamas. After a week of ordering my glasses they arrived and I’m a happy customer. They never hasseled me or tried to sell me anything I didn’t want. Store is nice, simple, and clean. Although I didn’t see Dr. Chan, I hear he’s great and very thorough.

You could see me as one of 3 ways: last-​minute, spontaneous, or just plain awesome. In any case, I called one late Saturday morning with some generic questions regarding cost and insurance. It wasn’t his job, but Dr. Chan actually looked everything up for me and explained my policy. Then, I asked if I could walk-​in, and yatta yatta yatta, I was on my way there 15 minutes later.
30 minutes. In the door. New patient forms. Eye and contact lenses exam. Out the door. Boom.
Dr. Chan was thorough, yet efficient. He explained the different exams and what I should expect prior to shining different lights into my eyes and such. When it was all said and done, he summarized his findings.
Bonus points: he e-​mailed me a PDF of my prescription.
(^_​^) Professionalism
(^_​^) Knowledge
(^_​^) Rapport
(^_​^) Communication
(^_​^) Efficiency
Glad I came. Will be back in a year.

I like this place for two reasons. One, this is one of the few places in Boston that carry Swissflex, Ephorics, and 2.5 Italees. The collection is of high quality.
Two, they’re efficient and proficient at what they do. Case in point: My broken glasses were sent to Switzerland to be fixed and returned back to me within 4 days.

I’m surprised people are so quick to bash this poor fellow. I’ve been his patient for about 3 years, and through 3 pregnancies. When I go to an eye doctor, i’m not expecting high-​level social interactions or sophisticated conversation. I just want to get my glasses, contacts, lasik consult, etc or whatever and get back to work. I’ve never had an unethical purchasing experience, and love his young, opto-​school staff. They respond quickly via email for appointments and billing questions, and the office is super convenient to my office. Would I go out of my way to go there? Not really. But it’s well-​suited for my needs and honestly, every optometrist I’ve seen in my life has been a little nerdy and awkward. Like a pp said, Dr. Chan is basically a nice guy and in my experience, competent.

I’ve been going to Dr. Chan for a few years now; Once a year, of course. He and his team at Studio Optics are fantastic, friendly, pleasant and exactly what I look for in an «eye guy.» They always have my contacts onsite and I’ve never left without a years supply, same day. The reception area ladies are always pleasant and the selection of eye ware is lovely and of high quality. I recommend Dr. Chan to anyone he’s knowledgeable and very good at what he does.
Maybe it’s just me but I find the whole «hold this over your left eye and read the line you can see clearly» kind of fun :)

Avoid. Dr. Chan – and I’ve given him more than one chance – was brusque, unpleasant, and made mistakes. He pushed contact lenses on me with the greed twinkling in his eyes. His shop has an excellent selection of frames, and he’s good at helping you choose them. He should be an optician, not an optometrist. See someone else and have the Rx done right the first time. If you then want Dr. Chan to manufacture your glasses, once you have the Rx, okay.

He doesn’t tell you what he’s going to do before he does it. I felt like he didn’t care at all and i was just being shuffled along. The office is conveniently located, but you can find better service somewhere else. Definitely.

I’ve been going to Studio Optics for the past couple years. I enjoy the convenient location in the city and the closeness to shopping-​heaven Newbury Street.
The first two times that I went to Studio Optics, students were present during (or did part of) my eye exam. Of course, I had no idea when I was a new patient because I realized once the student was finished, Dr. Chan came in to do a similar exam. While I appreciate the fact that he was educating future optometrists, I wish however that I was informed first. No special reason, I just prefer knowing that I am in the care of professionals. However, I digress.
I had an eye appointment with Dr. Chan last week and I absolutely loved the following:
— No filling out redundant patient info sheets
— All my insurance info is ready to go
— Dr. Chan told me what he was doing for each part of the exam and why
— Thorough summary of my eye exam
— Price match and an additional 15% discount for my contact lenses order
— All of this, and I’m in and out of Studio Optics in about 20 – 25 min.
There isn’t too much not to like!

Yikes. I got my eyes examined there last year because it was close to my office and on my insurance plan. Never again. After two attempts, my prescription still didn’t feel right, my contact still didn’t sit properly on my left eye and they made my eyes dry out every 3 minutes.
I found a new eye doctor and will never see the one at Studio Optics again, but, as much as it killed me to throw them my business, they had one of the only pairs of frames I found that looked good on my face. I went to 5 different opticians and these were the only ones I liked that I could afford.

So Eric began going to this Studio Optics based on the fact that they have another office in Framingham and it was pretty easy to transfer my file from there when he moved into the city… not to mention the place was less than a block from his work on Commonwealth Ave.
The location is amazing, it’s the only reasonably priced eye care solution besides your run-​of-​the mill Lenscrafters. It truly is a «studio» in all senses of the word, the showroom is small… about 15×15 tops, but the employees that work it are friendly and always happy to help out. Dr. Chen is very knowledgeable, and I think one of the better parts of my experience there was actually experiencing him teaching a graduate student as he went through my appointment. The fact that he takes the time to hire the future doctors of our generation who need practical experience really says something about him as a person.
Now for the actual experience. I’ve never had the doctor run late for an appointment, nor have I had any trouble getting an appointment when need be, quite rare in my other experience at eye doctors. Dr. Chen was kind enough to go through everything with me each time, answering all the questions I’ve had, and even going so far as to match a lower price I had gotten from an online contact retailor, something I haven’t ever experienced before! They also have a great turnaround time, often taking only a few days to get contacts or glasses in, and often having sample pairs available on site in a pinch.
In short: They fit a whole lot of quality into a tiny space.

I would not go back to Dr. Chan for 2 main reasons:
1. He has no bed side manner. I felt he was more serious and rigid than he needed to be, not comforting at all. And…
2. Maybe it was just bad luck and poor timing, but I received the worst after service and poor follow up ever. I ordered contact lens and they told me it would arrive in 1 week and that they would call me. 1 week rolls around and nothing. I give them the benefit of the doubt and wait 2 weeks before I call them. When I call the office, Dr. Chan has been on vacation all week and the people answering the phone know nothing about my contacts lens and tell me to call next week when he’s back from vacation. BLAH! Most people that go on vacation try to get as much work done before they go.
The location is good, but I’ve had way better service else where. And I’m no medical expert, but I didn’t feel good about the things he was telling me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s down to the text book. But I think that’s what I didn’t like. Just too rigid for me.

Getting glasses reminds me of when I growing up reading Hulk comics as a child in the early ‘90s. During this time the Hulk has this big identity crisis where he confront various aspects of his ego to resolve past issues and emerges as new Hulk– he has the size, strength and green skin tone of crazy Hulk but the mind of Bruce Banner.
With Bruce Banner’s mind he also acquires his eyes (and haircut), which have been blown out from all the books he’s read. Therefore, he wears a pair of glasses– lightweight, practical, no frills glasses. The kind of glasses you’d honestly wear if you just needed them for your worker drone tech job so you can read the screen from across a cubical.
Unlike the Hulk my identity crisis sputtered out in late teenage years, but every time I get my eyes checked I feel enraged when some girl with a fake tan tries to up sell me on a pair of 325 dollar rimless designer glasses with proliferated sheet metal sides and then has the gual to play on my insecurities and tell me I look awesome in them when the whole time I just want a pair of simple Hulk glasses.
I dont want to look like an Italian tourist on holiday who just walked out of Saks. I spend my vacations visiting friends who have girlfriends who reluctantly accept me, smoking on their couch while they’re at work and wearing their nice clothes for a change of pace.
I want a pair of glasses that cost me next to nothing when that vision plan clears. If it wasnt for insurance I’d just resign to living on the edge and literately never knowing what’s on horizon for the rest of my life.
And that’s why I end up here for glasses. They have a wide variety of humble frames, with a price range from dirt cheap to quite pricey. They have the more trendy stuff if you really want it, but not nearly as in full force as somewhere like Eyes Over Copley.
I only get glasses once a year, and I’ve only wore glasses for 2 years but the couple times I’ve been here I havnt felt any undo pressure or patronization from the staff which is a big plus. I havnt had my eyes examined here so I cant attest to the man’s proficiency but he has helped me pick out glasses and demonstrated the patience required of a eye doctor.
The only trick to the place is that they have a small button on the outside entrance that you have to press for them to buzz you in since its in the ground level of a residential building.
They also have mirrors on the ceiling (a little strange) yet I never felt like they were trying to fuck me.