Awesome experience. Dr Hellstern was amazing, explained everything as she went thru things with me. I switched due to my old optician seemed to be more interested in selling me glasses than actually caring about me. Nothing like that at Focus Family Eye Care. They asked me once if i wanted to look at glasses, i declined, and they offered to print out my prescription so i could shop elsewhere. I have already scheduled my yearly eye exam for next year, very happy to have found such great people who care for their customers.
About
Focus Family Eye Care serves patients in Altoona and the surrounding part of Iowa from its office at 550 36th Ave SW Ste K1. Both exams and glasses are handled here — exam rooms and an optical shop share the same address. Listed services include comprehensive eye exam, glasses & frames, contact lenses and contact lens fitting. Insurance accepted includes VSP, EyeMed, Davis Vision and Superior Vision (13 plans in total). Care is provided by Kari Hellstern, OD. The optical carries 36 frame brands. It is open 5 days a week, with evening hours on weekdays. You can walk in without an appointment. Call (515) 518-8283 to confirm hours and coverage before you visit.
- Listing type
- Optical · Optometrist
- Address
-
550 36th Ave SW Ste K1
Ste K1
Altoona, IA 50009-2626
Get Directions - Phone
- (515) 518-8283
- Languages spoken
- English
- Walk-ins
- Accepted
Insurance accepted
Services offered
Services not listed are not offered at this location.
Frame brands carried
Brands on the floor as of the practice's last update. Stock varies — call for a specific model.
On the map
Hours
| Monday | 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM |
| Friday | 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM |
Currently open — closes at 5:30 PM. Times shown in America/Chicago. Holiday hours may differ.
Doctors at this practice
Reviews on Google 30
I went in because I was having issues with my eyes like not being able to focus on things and pain. They said it was a dry eye issue and I got prescribed eye drops for a week. After then I kept feeling the same way, and called back for another appointment. They ended up saying it was now a prescription issue and it was too strong, they said they hadn’t checked the prescription because they wouldn’t be able to tell with the dry eye. Previously though I had gotten eyeglasses as well as sunglasses with them about 1 month ago before I had started having issues with my eyes. So now that they said the eyeglass prescription was too strong I had to get new lenses. They gave me the new eye glasses and told me to try those and see how I felt with those if not come back. I still hadn’t received the sunglasses until after almost 3 weeks. But I ended up still feeling the same, it had now been a month with eye issues and no resolution. So I decided to try a completely different eye doctor and they did the whole eye exam process and it went great, they said the prescription they had given me was still too strong for me, so the wrong one. And they had tried twice and still wrong prescription. And the material they used for the eyeglass was not right for my eyes. So after almost over a month of issues with my eyes and coming back to get them checked they could not get the right prescription or issue with my eyes. I even purchased glasses from them and they did not work because that was not the right prescription for me. I had a terrible time and experience and do not recommend.
I have been wearing corrective lenses for over 40 years and I've never had an optometrist spend so much time with me to get my lenses exactly right! Dr. Hellstern is extremely professional and dedicated and her staff is great as well. Thanks team!
Just had my first visit at Focus Family Eye Care and was so impressed with the Eye Doctor and her assistant! The Doctor took time to speak to me, ask questions, and listen to me. Highly recommending!
I felt very well taken care of from the moment I walked in for my appointment from both the receptionist and doctor. The doctor was very pleasant, took her time, and explained things very clearly. Finding glasses that worked for me was super easy and I felt like they came in super fast! Getting them adjusted was also super easy and were very understanding when my 2 yr old had to tag along and were very sweet to him! I will definitely be recommending them in the future!
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