Moderne Eye Optometry

I’ve been seeing Dr. Rivera your many years. Extremely generous in his time and attention and knowledge. Always makes me feel very comfortable and informed on what is going on with my eyes. I do not go here for frames and lenses, I go to another business that offers a larger selection of low cost frames, since style is not that important to me.

I’ve actually been coming here for glasses for quite a few years with satisfaction, but I’m also not a usually a big price comparison person. I know I will usually pay more in this neighborhood and I’ve been satisfied with exams and service of the team here, even when they mixed my file up with my husbands ex-​wife whom shares the same last name (another story) and called me by her name. However recently I decided to transition to contacts and had a «eye opening», pun intended.
In the exam she explained the price structure of getting contacts for the first time. I paid for an exam $ 225 (even after I had an eye exam a couple of months back) and we ordered trials to meet my prescription (first timer, multi-​focals). I was then surprised there was an additional $ 75 fee for «training», which was basically someone showing me how to put in and take out the contacts, 10 min MAX. It was explained that the REQUIRED follow up visit would either cost $ 85 if that first pair worked PERFECTLY (remember first time, multi-​focals, what are the chances?). If I need any changes, it would be another $ 225, seriously. The only other option would be to pay $ 500+ and I would get as many adjustments as needed.
OK. I left, and then called three other offices also in the area to compare pricing. They practically laughed. None of the other three charged that high for initial exam, two had no charge for the «training» (the one that did, charged $ 35) and none of them charged for follow ups, it was deemed «part of the service». One had restrictions to changes within 90 days, which is reasonable. I called to speak to the doctor, and left a message with the office staff, she said she would relay my message. I had been going there for years, I wanted to give them a chance. Over a week later, she calls me back to say the doctor said she told me all the fees (she couldn’t call me herself). Yeah, no one was arguing that point. My point is that the price structure is a rip off. I never went back to do the follow up, I took my business to another practice. I even paid again for an exam so I could start clean, and because they wouldn’t give me the prescription since I had not paid for my «follow up». Ridiculous.

Really not impressed with this place at all. I thought the doctor (the actual optometrist) was really nice but didn’t feel confident in her from the start and wound up with glasses that don’t work for me at all. I should have tried harder to get them replaced and make things right but the optician here was so unfriendly and unhelpful that I simply didn’t want to go back. Huge waste of time and money. I’m sure there are lots of great optometrists in this area — this is not one of them.

Short summary of my experience there in chronological order:
1) Not greeted by any staff as I’m browsing. Still bought eyeglasses. Paid in full. Was told it’d take 10 business days.
2) Karen calls 1 day later to say she miscalculated the balance, and I owe $ 50 more. OK to handle when I pick up.
3) No call after 10 business days. I call, and Karen says it’ll take another week and would let me know when they’re ready.
4) No call after 7 days. I call back, and Karen says it should be shipped by the next day.
5) No call after 1 day. I follow up, and they were finally there. Left my credit card on the desk for Karen to charge the balance while another staff member is adjusting my eyeglasses. Once that was done, I asked if I was all set, and they confirmed yes.
6) Got a call from Karen ten minutes later that she forgot to charge the balance; therefore, I have to come back to their office.
So, I return and pay my dues. I think it’s also worth mentioning that the person that adjusted my eyeglasses left the legs uneven, so I had to get that taken care of again. No hello or goodbye from the staff either. If you don’t want this kind of customer service (i.e. basic/​simple greetings, actual follow up, etc.), just go to C2020 across the street. Their staff is awesome.

CAVEAT EMPTOR. $ 500.00 to get a prescription to re-​order contact lenses. dr fast-​talker jane stonich explains thus: $ 250 to determine what kind of glasses i needed. WHAT??? well, the receptionist did take my glasses for a minute or so and then returned them. a $ 250 job? i doubt it. besides, i didn’t want glasses; i wanted to refill my lens prescription. the other $ 250 charge was for a contact lens fit. WHAT??? i’ve been wearing contact lenses continuously since 1972 or so. charging for unnecessary tests? white collar crime? enough to sway you in avoiding moderne optometry? let me continue. there should have been no doubt what i wanted. when i made the appt i showed them my old lens boxes with the specifications and said i wanted to order more lenses. need an appt. then on the day of my appt with stonich i produced the boxes again with the same pronouncement, and she said since my last exam was more than a year old i needed a new exam. after the exam stonich told me to try some new brand and return in a week. on my return when i questioned the $ 500 charge, she went to talk to the receptionist and came back saying that maybe they had charged me $ 75 more than they should have, but they couldn’t refund me the money (a lie) but they’d give me a credit against any lenses i’d buy from them. now i’d paid $ 167 for my previous four boxes; this time i went online and bought them for $ 161.46. moderne optometry’s price — $ 77/​box x 4 = $ 308. the greed, the greed. the final irony: my contact lens prescription per their exam is EXACTLY the same as my old one.

I came in to get my frames adjusted. The lady totally botched it and bent my frames asymmetrically and terribly. I had to go elsewhere to get them fixed. She ended up charging more than she initially quoted. And lastly I found her overall demeanor to be pretty abrasive and unfriendly.

Dr. Rivera is the kindest, informative and helpful eye doctor I’ve ever been to. The rest of the staff is also very helpful. Their prices are higher than some. They carry very nice frames tho. I find the selection a bit limited.

At first I was afraid, I was petrified… to have four eyes.
I’d always prided myself on my peepers, but over the years my distance vision has been getting blurrier and more Monet-​esque. Aside from having to sit close to a film screen if it had subtitles, not being able to read chalk board menus, and ongoing implorations from my boyfriend to get glasses, my nearsightedness didn’t affect me much. When I needed to start driving all of a sudden, due to a new job and move, and I knew that the DMV would disapprove of my current visionary capacity, I decided to remedy this problem.
Moderne Eye had always caught my blurry eye as I’d lived in the neighborhood for a long time. I popped in and inquired about availability, and was told that there was a few week wait. When I explained my situation the office manager fit me in within two days; I was quite relieved and happy with their flexibility. Dr. Lin, the optometrist, was a delight to talk to, and Jennifer, the optician, was helpful in deciding which of the two Oliver Peoples frames I was debating between. The doctor did a great job with the lens prescription; trudging through all of those questions in the exam is for a reason! All of a sudden I could see signs across the street, birds in the sky, and a whole world of text and images that were foreign to my ²⁰⁄₆₀ vision. Just like the DMV wants.
An eye for an eye may leave the world blind, but an eye for an improved eye, leaves me happy and clear-​sighted.

Love, love, love. I have been going for years. My eyes are very complicated (kerataconus, dry eyes, glaucoma suspect). Dr. Sue Lin gives INCREDIBLE service, better than my opthamologist.
My husband was on a contact lens study with her business partner and husband, Dr. Reuben Rivera, at UC Berkeley. He gives Dr. Rivera a glowing review.
Both are trained by UC Berkeley School of Optometry and I think Dr. Lin did a residency at the UC Davis Eye Institute.
Over the years, I have gotten contact lenses, sunglasses, reading glasses and distance glasses here.
The opticians are also very good… friendly, helpful and quick. I could not recommend them more!

They had more diversity of shapes and loads of cat eye frames. Color wise they mostly had dark frames unfortunately. I really liked the hands off approach to reception. She simply unlocked the cabinets and said have at it! I found numerous shapes that were perfect, but they were all black or dark brown. In general I would say their frames were more sophisticated and mature than other shops on the street. They were not boring shapes though. You will get noticed in their frames.
Sadly I wanted a frame color they didn’t have in stock. They looked up the designer’s web page but the photos were bad, so the receptionist took my name and frame model. She said that she would talk to the rep and call me, if they got something in color. No calls yet — but I really liked the effort expressed. Other shops truly didn’t go this distance.
I also like that they have docs on site!

I’ve been here on and off. First several years ago (2003 – 2006) and more recently in 2012. The only reason I left was that I had moved out of the area. For awhile.
I’ve been pleased with each of my visits here. The receptionist is friendly and the doctors are great. The understand what is covered by my insurance and help me figure out the best way to use those dollars. Yes they charge the annoying «contact lense inspection» fee — but so has every on eof hte other 4 or 5 optometrists I’ve seen over the years. VSP just doesn’t cover contact lense inspection or fitting.
Most recently I saw Dr. Lin. I noticed that the perscription she wrote down didn’t match my current perscription, and she explained why. She also decided to dialate my eyes to check my perscription again because I am far sighted and you can only get a truly accurate [erscription with far sightedness if you dialate the eyes. When the perscription didn’t match, she gave me both perscriptions and recommended that I try the new one in an old pair of glasses before I spent nay significant money so that I cold decide which one I preferred. I was skeptical, but I tried the new prescription and it’s much better! I’m very glad I was able to wait to spend money on contacts until I knew which I preferred.
My only complaint is that their glasses are expensive, just like every other full service optometrist I’ve ever been to. However, they are fine with giving me my perscription and then I can go grab extra pairs online.

I came here about a year and a half ago because it had been a year since my last vision exam, and I needed to update my prescription. They were the nearest place that accepted my insurance, so I went ahead and made an appointment.
After a standard vision exam (I told them I didn’t need to be dilated or any of that extra stuff; I just needed to update my prescription), I went to the front counter to pay.
To my shock and horror, in addition to my $ 15 copay, I was charged an extra $ 75 for a «contact lens exam». WTF. The exam I had was the exact same vision test given for people who only wear glasses, yet for some reason, according to them, the fact that they were writing out a prescription for contacts instead of glasses warranted an extra seventy-​five dollars? That’s ridiculous, appalling, and illogical. I could understand (maybe) if I had never worn contacts before and needed to be fitted and taught how to put them in, but I’ve been wearing contacts for over 10 years, and they didn’t perform any extra services that they wouldn’t have done if it was just for glasses. I should have refused to pay it, but I was so stunned and upset that I just paid and walked out in shock.
Later, I discovered that the contacts she prescribed weren’t even right; they were way too strong and gave me headaches. It had been a month or two by the time I discovered this (I was still using up the rest of my old contacts before getting new ones) and when I called to complain about the incorrect prescription, the receptionist said that it had been «so long» that my vision probably changed again since my appointment. Okay? I understand that it could have got worse in that time, but it most certainly wouldn’t have magically got better. She said I could come in for another appointment but I would have to pay for the whole thing again; she had a really bad attitude and actually yelled at me when I tried to protest.
I ended up having to make another appointment elsewhere to get the correct prescription. My experience with Modern Eye Optometry was thoroughly terrible, and I will absolutely never be back.

I really liked everyone at the Moderne Eye. I saw Dr. Ho, who was very helpful and comunicative as she conducted her exam. She was careful and thorough, and explained everything she was doing.
Jennifer helped me look for frames. Even though I didn’t find frames that I liked, she was very helpful and patient in helping me look through their collection.
I didn’t give 5 stars, because I wish there was more of a selection and some cheaper prices. I realize that’s how they make money. To that end, the store is laid out very nicely, and the frames they have are all very good quality.
Did I mention they were super nice? I’ll be back! Thanks guys!

Super friendly, very efficient (but not rushed) staff, and a wide variety of choices!
I love this place.
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars? The eye-​glasses frames tend to run on the pricier side :(

I’m surprised by the mixed reviews. I’ve been seeing Dr. Lin since at least 2003 and I have consistently been impressed by her warmth and professionalism. The exam equipment is very current and Dr. Lin stays on top of the latest research in her field. She takes the time to thoroughly explain everything she does, answers my (many) questions and even points out features of my optic nerve in the digital images she takes using a machine I couldn’t even begin to guess the name of.
I never feel rushed when I’m there. In fact, we chat a lot on a personal level during my exam which feels nice. I like that every year we pick up our conversation from where we left off the year before.
Jennifer at the front desk is wonderful. I depend on her fashionable and critical eye when picking out frames. True, the selection is more limited than other places and the prices overall are a bit higher, but I prefer to buy high quality frames every two+ years instead of cheap frames every year. Also, I like that the selection is small. I get overwhelmed easily. For me, the best frames seem to «pop» when there are fewer choices.
One time I left my glasses in a hot car and the lenses cracked (oops). Jennifer got replacement lenses covered under the warranty at no charge but cautioned me that future replacements would not be possible. She had a polite, friendly way of speaking which I really appreciated since after all it was my mistake.
I also appreciate that they clean up and refit my glasses when I stop in. They once found me a spare case after I lost mine. And they are endlessly patient with me when I ask them to break down ALL the costs so I can figure out the best deal or how to budget for expenses and save on shipping costs for contacts. Back when I had VSP I didn’t fuss with the expenses so much. Now I use my FSA debit card and need to be more careful.
I’ve never considered having anyone else take care of my eyes. I totally trust Dr. Lin. As far as frames and contacts go, I’ve only bought one pair of sunglasses elsewhere. They’re fine. But I like the personal attention I get at Moderne Eye so I tend to stick with them whenever it’s time for new eyewear.

What a great Business!!!
I took my son there and the Dr. Ho was great!

I have a lot of sympathy for being a lone service-​person with several customers waiting, but when I went to drop off my prescription and frames, the receptionist handled the situation terribly. Then she aggressively tried to sell me more expensive lenses, even after I repeatedly said I wanted the cheapest, and insulted me when I refused. And I thought: strike one, but OK, fine, salespeople have to make a living.
A day or two later, I got a call: they’ve lost my prescription. What? I had to go back in to drop it off again. And I thought: strike two, but OK, fine, everyone makes mistakes.
Finally the glasses were ready, yippee! But when I went to pick them up, the receptionist was engaged in a personal conversation with someone who was not a customer. I had to wait while they caught up on kids, mutual acquaintances, etc. Strike three. There’s no excuse for that.
My glasses were fine, but I will take my business elsewhere and tell my friends and family to do the same.

Moderne Eye is awesome, that’s really all there is to say.
I’m a geek that’s been wearing the same style of wire-​frame glasses for the past 5 years. I figured I needed something new, and the receptionist at Moderne Eye helped me pick out a cool pair of green frames that look amazing. She was polite and professional, and put up wonderfully with my indecisiveness.
To update my prescription, Dr. Lin put me through every optometry device available to mankind. We then talked for about 20 minutes about the kinds of work I do and how I can protect my eyes. She even game me links to research articles online about eye health when working with computers. Thanks Dr. Lin, you certainly know how to appeal to a geek’s heart!
A month after I got my glasses, I noticed the paint on my frames had chipped. I took it back and the receptionist got me a new pair, free of charge. No hassle, no fuss.

Scenerio:
Ripped contact at work and needed a replacement.
Went here to get a replacement thinking they would help. I knew exactly what I needed but I had to jump through hurdles. I knew my prescription however, she still had to have my perscription faxed here anyway.
Oh yeah, i finally got my 1 Accuvue Oasis for…10 BUCKS?
I will not be going back.

Moderne Eye Optometry is really, really good — especially Dr. Reuben Rivera, who has unbelievable diagnostic skills as well as people skills.
Kudos also to their receptionist, who helps you figure out what frames go with your face. She even figures out the insurance breaks for you and lets you know how expensive they are.
I have a particular dry eye problem, and Dr. Rivera helped me figure out what medications work best (and what their side effects are). AND he has the most modern equipment, which I really appreciate.
I’d give them five stars except that their frames are so bloody expensive. Get the prescription from Moderne Eye, and then get it filled somewhere else. Like Costco.