I went to the LensCrafters at Northlake Mall for an eye exam so I could get a new set of glasses. I get a new pair every 5 years or so, and I've only lived in Charlotte for a few years. I originally was going to try to go to a private practice eye doctor but LensCrafters has appointments on the weekend. I chose them out of convenience and I now regret that.
The eye doctor that I saw was Dr. Do. I have almost nothing positive to say about my experience here. I have a very hard time keeping my eye open for the eye pressure test. The technician couldn't get a reading on one of my eyes so Dr. Do had to help. It was very clear by her body language that she was annoyed with me.
During the rest of my appointment, she did not make eye contact when she talked to me. She wasn't friendly at all. The whole thing was just uncomfortable and I couldn't wait for my appointment to be over. I really hope she was just having a bad day because all I could think was that someone with her demeanor/personality should not be any sort of medical care provider.
Here is the part of my exam that bothered me the most. I asked her for my pupillary distance and she seemed bothered by this. She gave me a number but immediately told me that her equipment was not accurate and that I would need to find out the accurate number when I ordered my glasses next door at the LensCrafters store. I was bothered by this because I wanted my PD so I could try order a pair of glasses online. I guess they don't like people doing this. However, I paid the full price for an eye exam out of my own pocket... it is well within my right as a patient to get an accurate reading during my exam and purchase glasses wherever I choose.
Something laughable about the whole thing is that they automatically made an appointment for next year for me. Um no, I will definitely never be coming back here.
As for the LensCrafters store... I did go there and found a pair of glasses that I really liked. Their customer service was great. However, even with their "50% off" sale, the frames + lenses were over $300. I don't have vision insurance and this was too much for me. I ended up getting a pair of name brand glasses from Costco for $120. They also gave me my PD, and I ordered 2 more pair of glasses online for $40 each.
If you don't mind the cost then the LensCrafter store seems like a great place to buy glasses. But I definitely would NOT recommend getting an eye exam there.