Sears Optical

Sorry to hear that Sears sold their building in downtown Oakland and the store is now closed. My optometrist was located upstairs on the second floor and he was very nice and offered a great prices for an eye exam. I was told that he moved to the the Sears in San Rafael, so I guess I’m going to have to make a trip over there now.

Dr. Montalvo has THE BEST chairside manner of any doctor I’ve ever had. Not only was he down-​to-​earth, but he anticipated when things needed explaining and did so in a very accessible way.
Typically I get anxious when I have difficulty choosing which lens gives sharper vision, but the entire time he would let me know if a choice was critical or not and why, or which portion of which letter to focus on so I could make a better decision. That was a first and it was extremely helpful! Because of him, I will be a better patient from now on and be able to give the feedback needed for a more precise prescription.
Update: Despite the downtown Oakland Sears closing this month, Dr. Montalvo will continue to work for Sears, but at another branch.

Goodbye Lenscrafters, Hello SEARS Optical. From the professionalism of both Dr. Montalvo & Marva my experience for the first time coming here was fantastic. Was seen very quickly by the Dr. Montalvo given an eye exam & had my eyes dilated. While wating for that part to be fully done, was assisted by Marva choosing and discussing my likes in eyeware & what was available. I have a very good eye plan thru work, so my cost was minimal. For getting 2 pair of Ray Ban prescription glasses, 1 regular pair & the other pair sunglasses. My out of pocket cost was abit over $ 250. This same thing at Lencrafters would have cost me a minimum of $ 600. So if u want friendly service, with great customer care & low prices go to Sears Optical on Broadway St-​Downtown Oakland.

Upstairs in the Sears Building is the best eye doctor you’ll ever have. I’ve seen him since 2010, and come all the way from the Outer Sunset in San Francisco to do so.
Eye exams are only $ 55, or $ 89 if you have soft contacts like me. He’ll match Cost Co pricing on a year’s worth of lenses — which is way better than 1800-​Contacts — at a mere $ 205.
He’s always friendly — to any patient who walks in and everyone who works in the office. Just today he made me feel so much better about having a super intense prescription. He had me hold a stick with pin holes over one eye to demonstrate how I could see even without any lenses, thus assuaging my #1 fear of being stranded on a desert island. Me + sharp stick + leaf = sight. Yay!
Kind, quirky, knowledgeable, down-​to-​earth, and highly recommended!

BEST. PLACE. EVER. if you’re in need of an eye exam and glasses/​contacts. I have never, and I mean, NEVER had such a great time picking out a pair of glasses. I don’t think I’ve ever had better customer service either! Why? Because not only are Dean and Michelle two wonderful people to interact with, they were so helpful and really care about the patients being happy with what they’re picking out. Michelle and Dean both went out of their way to help me find a pair of glasses that I loved and Dean, Dean is the man! He made sure that I got the most out of my insurance coverage, which I truly appreciate, and I was even able to get a second pair at fantastic rate! Dean was also honest about what styles looked good on me, what glasses were better quality, etc. After leaving Sears Optical, I actually felt more energized than when I went in and it’s because I had the greatest time with Michelle and Dean. They have set the bar and I’m spoiled now!
The doctor is also the best optometrist that I’ve seen. Not only is he so pleasant and kind, he does a thorough exam and gave detailed explanations about what was going on with me in a way that I completely understood.
Take home message: I haven’t come across an optometrist or opticians better than the ones at Sears Optical. They care so much about their patients and are so knowledgeable. I was pleasantly surprised and if you go there, you’ll love it too. :)

Well I have Been There recently and I really had a great Time If you and have the time a must see right next uptown which two new block’s in west Oakland a must see of the area if you can folk’s .amazing. etc.etc.beautiful.

I had the best time getting glasses at Sears with Michelle and Dean! They knew just what they had in stock and gave sound advice on how the glasses might help fix my face. The doctor on staff was very approachable and explained the process clearly.
I caught a 50% sale, too, so I left happy as a clam for about $ 150 and can’t wait to pick up my new RayBan glasses from Sears.

This is the one part of the Sears store that you really need to go to. Took in son with his prescription for glasses and the customer service really was very thorough. Why I never knew about this place, I don’t know, as I do come here often since it’s near my kids’ school. What I’ve learned about Sears: go for the basics. Khakis, button down shirts, and now optometry. Also — passed a watch repair counter on the way into the optometrist that I think I’ll try also.
Definitely go here — the selection isn’t huge, and you Veo Optics and other high-​end snobbity optic shoppers likely won’t enjoy the offerings, but for the regular folk, it rocks!

I went to the optometrist here and he is mad good. It was $ 55 for an eyeglass exam, $ 89 for contacts, pretty much the cheapest in the bay. He took his time talked to me and checked everything and even spent an extra 10 minutes just figuring out what strength glasses would work for me, since I was new to glasses. Frankly it was the best eye exam I have ever had and the cheapest. Pretty sweet. Go here for great service and a cheap price.

Customer service at this place rocks! Ask for «Dean» — he’s the neatest guy who knows his stuff and is fast on the mark.
Lost my VSP as a result of job layoffs, so without insurance, glasses can be costly.
At Sears Optical, I obtained quality eye exam, two sets of glasses (w/​the great 60% discount) at around $ 250, and have received free repair service (box fell off shelf and hit glasses, knocking off one of the the nose guards).
Dean replaced both with a better poly pad, and tightened to ensure they don’t pop off again.
Thanks, Sears Optical! What a great blessing — whether you have insurance or not, the place can «hook-​a-​citizen-​up»!

I just want to join the others in posting warm and positive things about Sears Optical. The doctor is very personable, and he has the very best kind of manner a doctor can have — he explained everything very well and gave me all the information I needed, without my having to ask.
He is also very thorough and careful and is clearly an expert at what he does — an impression I’m afraid I don’t usually get from stripmall-​type optics places. Yet at the same time he is quite efficient, I was in and out of there in about half an hour.
All of that, coupled with a really affordable price, means that I am happy to recommend them to anyone.

This is not a review of the doctor (s) at Sears but a review of their pricing for replacement lenses. I went in to Sears looking for replacement single vision lenses for two pair of frames which I already have. Plastic lenses (not polycarbonate), no coatings, no special anything. These are for standard plastic frames — nothing special here. Their price for the two sets of replacement lenses was $ 380. They wanted to charge me $ 100 each for overnight shipping back east and making a pattern. That’s on top of the $ 90 each for the lenses. I called a local place and they said un-​coated polycarbonate replacement lenses are $ 55. Plastic are $ 45. This is really too bad because I planning on making an appointment with their doctor who has received good reviews, but not now. Good luck with that pricing Sears. Although I’m sure they ripping off a lot of unsuspecting folks.

I came here for an appointmemt for contacts. I was very satisfy and happy with the service i got here. Dr. Andy (forgot his last name) is very nice and friendly. He takes really good care of his patients and answer all questions without getting irritated or annoyed. Will definitely recommend friends and family here.
Also, the price is very afforable. Price range for contacts plus an eye exam range from $ 89 to $ 109-​really, that’s the cheapest in town!

I went to a mega expensive optometrist in the area and had a very bad experience. I ended up making an appointment here, came in and got my contacts fitted and my vision was the best ever in 10 years. Then my husband went and had an even better experience — he was a rigid gas permeable lens user and got refitted perfectly. Dr. Montalvo has no agenda other than giving the best optometry experience available. Definitely recommended.

It’s a bit of an experience finding your way to this office. First of all, I didn’t know this Sears was still open. The building interior is stuck in the 1950’s, and finding the escalator upstairs is tricky. Then tucked in the left back corner, past the big screen tvs and the formal wear section which is now filled with boxes is the optical department. That said, the staff really did their best to get me the best deal on some cute specs, and they were very friendly and helpful overall.