NewView Eye Center

Avoid this place at all costs.
I had Lasik done by Dr. Jacqueline Griffiths 4 years ago. While the office staff and technicians were great, my overall experience there was horrible. Despite going in for multiple preop appointments, I only met the actual dr that was performing the surgery for about 5 minutes the appt before the procedure. It was a very brisk meeting – handshake, some pleasantries, then she was gone. It felt very impersonal. That should have been my first red flag, but I chalked it up to it being a busy practice.
After the procedure, I noted at my postoperative appointments that my vision was improved but certainly not what I was expecting. I was told to liberally use eye drops and give it time.
Flash forward to now. I have used eyedrops religiously since the lasik, expecting a gradual improvement, but nope. I recently had an eye exam elsewhere, and imagine my surprise when they informed me that my vision was ²⁰⁄₇₀ (!!!) in my right eye, and only slightly better in my left. Yes, I have been driving illegally this whole time.
I reached out to the office and was very rudely informed that I had to pay several thousand dollars for them to fix their mistake. Umm, didn’t I already pay you all that much once? They then suggested that I return for a «discounted» eye exam that was more expensive than the quote they give to new customers.
This practice shows a complete indifference to customer service and an inability to stand by their work. Go at your own risk!

I had LASIK with Dr. Griffiths more than 10 years ago and the results were amazing. I had a short healing time and no complications. She is very professional, does a very thorough eye examination, and explains in detail what tests are being done and the purpose for each one. My vision is important so I don’t mind a longer appointment to make sure my eyes are in great shape. Dr. Griffiths is one of the best.

Well… here I was thinking that I needed to get coke bottle glasses until Dr. Griffiths informed me I had cataracts. When I shared this information with one of my friends, she asked me how I’ve been driving. I replied… Very, very slowly…
Just finished with my 2^nd cataract surgery and I have ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision. Amazing! I haven’t had that in over 50 years. Dr. Griffiths and her staff were wonderful at all steps of the process.
Jan A.

I finally got over my fear and got LASIK. I’ve been susceptible to infections in my left eye for the past 25 years, once resulting in scared cornea. During my most recent battle, the Ophthalmologist at GW paraded the residents through to see an actual cornea ulcer. Evidently its rare. Needless to say, I’ve always really wanted LASIK, but was justifiably nervous.
Without fail, my left eye had complications after the procedure. But Dr. Griffith and her staff were super responsive and attentive to my case and I recovered nicely. No more glasses or contacts. So glad I choose NewView because they cared for me and my problematic left eye expertly and with compassion.
Thank you for my NewView.

I just logged in to write a long over due review, unprompted, since my husband had Lasik done ten years ago. Dr. Griffiths performed the surgery, and my husband, all these years later, could not be more pleased. He had previously worn glasses most of his life.
I was extremely surprised to see negative reviews, as our experience was so positive with Dr. Griffiths.
I do not know anyone who works at this business or anyone that has ownership of any kind in this business.

Spare yourself the time and headache and do NOT visit the NewView Eye Center or Dr. Griffiths.
I needed a new contact and glasses prescription, plus wanted to get a medical eye exam. They made the appointment and didn’t tell me until I was checking out that they are only able to bill one provider – so they’d have to bill it to my health insurance instead of my vision insurance. This created a paperwork nightmare as my health insurance declined some of the glasses-​related charges. When I inquired about this at the front desk, they said «Yes, this always happens when you book the appointments together.» I then asked them why they didn’t just recommend I book it as two separate appointments if they always have this billing problem and knew I was coming in for two different services, to which they said, «Oh». Helpful.
Also, I waited for over 55 minutes in the little room for the doctor to show up, only after waiting another 20 minutes in the waiting room past my appointment time (which was expected). The only reason the doctor even came in was because (with eyes dilated), I wandered into the hallway and asked if anyone was actually going to come into the room, otherwise I was leaving. The doctor then appeared for about 5 minutes, and quickly left.
The receptionists are totally clueless, and I heard others in the waiting room saying they had a similar experience and would not be back.
It was an all-​around waste of time and a huge inconvenience. Worst yet, no one even seemed to care that all of the customers were irritated and having a bad experience.

Not happy with this business. Went for an eye exam and since they coded it wrong, had to pay. No customer service, no flexibility, no empathy, no interest in a patient. Just the money. Got threatened to send my case to collection agency.

I had the lasik procedure done 5 years ago and have been going back to Dr. Griffiths and her staff since then. I am very pleased with the doctors, the service, and my procedure! My vision is still excellent… some blurriness but only when my eyes are tired and I still have some sensitivity to light… but other than that I am a happy shopper!
I see Dr. G a lot around Reston and she always says hello. It is nice to know your doctor remembers you and appreciates your business.
When I had my procedure and for several years after that I would get a gift at every visit. I thought that was great customer service, and marketing as well!
I highly recommend this practice and Dr. G.

I’ve been going to NewView for the past couple of years to get my vision checked and get some Botox done. I’ve had problems with their customer service three times already and today was the last time I will go to NewView Eye Center for my annual check up.
Dr. Giffiths and her staff are SO slow in service. I had a 9am appointment this morning to get Botox and my annual vision check up. I figured, since it was a morning apppointment and there was no one waiting in the room, that I would be out of there in a reasonable amount of time. No one got to me until 10am!!! That was ONLY after I got angry enough to make them actually do their job! I could tell by the receptionist’s face and Dr. Giffiths face that they completely forgot about me (they had placed me in the back of the room where the fish tank is located).
This has happened to me twice now and I’ve had enough. I don’t care of Dr. Giffith has all these awards in the DC area. Her service stinks and her staff are horrible. I will NEVER go back there again. They’ve lost my business. Also, I have great vision insurance yet they still «sneak in» costs, such as a «contacts fitting» that insurance does not cover. Dr. Simms NEVER fitted me for contacts. So I had to pay $ 60 even though I have vision insurance.
Beware of NewView Eye Center! They overcharge you for services that never occured and they give the poorest customer service out there.

I had epilase surgery here (a sort of hybrid procedure between Lasik and PRK, with a longer healing process than Lasik) and my vision is absolutely perfect, no complaints. It did take a while to get there, but that is to be expected as the healing is longer than Lasik.
The main reason I wanted to write a review for NewView, however, is Dr. Simms. She might be the sweetest, most patient and kind health care professional I have ever encountered. When my vision was not coming along as quickly as I hoped post-​operation, she was reassuring and listened to my worries. She also called to check on me between scheduled post-​op visits to make sure I was doing well.
If you enjoy being treated nicely, see Dr. Simms.
The one criticism I have about this place is that the last three times I’ve visited, I’ve had to wait a very long time, and since I borrowed a Zipcar to go out there, time was a concern. The last time I waited one hour and ten minutes to see the doctor for seven minutes… just a little frustrating. However, the most important thing is surely the medical outcome, and that has been really fabulous.

Not enjoyable experience at all. The receptionist was very rude. I even sent them an email explaining my experience and they blamed me. Saying I tried to commit fraud when I just brought an old insurance card. I called the insurance company and let them tell the front desk that I had insurance because they wouldn’t call. Then they said they would have to schedule me for another day (after I already took 2 hours off of work to go there).
I’m sure the doctor is great but the staff you have to deal with before hand is very rude.

Eyesight was poor for weeks after surgery but with aftercare it has been improving. Things are still blurrry within certain ranges but not as bad as before. I initially rated them poorly but have upgraded my rating. Still if your eyesight is marginal, stick with glasses or contacts.

I totally recommend Dr. Simms or Dr. Griffith for your eye issues.
I normally go to Dr. Simms. She’s really sweet and incredibly patient. Listens to your problems and really helps. I know I can be a frustrating patient for eye doctors– I have trouble letting anyone touch my eyes for any reason and I had trouble touching my own eyes. They’re so incredibly patient and flexible, I know they could help anyone!
Here’s another plus– in the waiting room they have free mints. Not like a single mint… a box of mints!
Whenever I have an appointment there, I know there’s nothing I need to be afraid of.