Midtown Eyecare

I really wanted to like this place, especially after getting to know Dr. Barnes. I think he’s a great eye doctor, gave good advice, and I left as he listened to what I was telling him. But my issue with the place doesn’t have anything to do with Dr. Barnes. Rather, it's with his staff, specifically an employee named Shawna. Here is what happened. After the doctor’s appointment, I completed the checkout with Shawna, and she gave me a sheet with a great breakdown of what my insurance would cover for contact lenses. I said great! I would call them to make an official order after I tried out the lenses they prescribed. After I left the office, I got a voicemail from Shawna stating that my allowance doesn’t renew until September, so my plan wouldn't cover the lenses. I was still in the parking lot, so I decided to go back to clarify that I have two vision insurance plans. One through my spouse (Aetna) and the other through my employer (BCBS). I explained that, and they asked to see my card, which I provided. Then she said, “No, that’s not enough, we’ll need something else.” I’ve never heard of any doctor's office, whether it be medical, dental, or vision, say that an insurance card isn’t enough. And she keeps saying Blue Cross Blue Shield is a “medical” only insurance. I tried to explain that it's “Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Vision Plan,” but she took a nasty attitude toward it. She asked me to log in to my portal, which I did, and showed her how I have active coverage, my allowance amount is listed, and that it says, “Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Vision”. And she proceeds to tell me, “Well then, I guess that doesn’t cover hardware”. I found it very hard to believe, considering I’ve used this insurance plan at Vision Works, America’s best, and LensCraft. Everything Shawna kept saying didn't make sense, and she kept saying, "Well, their system is down, so they can’t check?" I wonder how they got my allowance amount for my BCBS plan if the Aetna plan has a higher allowance amount, so someone at some point knew what my coverage stated. Also, on the appointment form, it specifically asks for my insurance coverage, which I provided, and no one told me it would be a problem. After I told her I was going somewhere else, she stood up from the chair and asked the woman behind her to speak to me, and quote ” Can you talk to her?” as if I didn’t exist. Totally not necessary and honestly a very smug and rude thing to do. I told her I didn’t need to speak to anyone else, and I would get contact lenses elsewhere, and walked out. The problem with the whole situation is how it was addressed and communicated. She could’ve paused, let me know they would investigate it today to figure it out, and give me a call back. And if there was a problem with my insurance, like they didn’t accept my coverage, that’s all they had to say, and I would’ve gone somewhere else. But the fact that just about everyone who works in the office was hanging out in front, watching Shawna and me converse, and Shawna delivering such a horrible attitude, does not sit well with me. She even tried to tell me, “Well, I’m not telling you we can’t get you contact lenses”. Well, that’s exactly what she was saying the whole time, and following up with my insurance coverage basically doesn’t exist, just isn’t cool. I’m not sure why they ask for insurance information prior to the visit. Getting up from her chair and becoming argumentative is unnecessary. I’m sure I'll receive a response from the office, since they seem to respond to very negative reviews. But for the person reading this, Dr. Barnes is not the problem, and most of the staff were very nice and would’ve loved to keep coming back. But it all comes down to how your associate, Shawna, delivered the message. Thanks.

I had a really great experience at Midtown Eye Care. I’ll be honest — I was definitely embarrassed trying to learn how to put in my contacts and felt kind of dumb taking so long 😅 but the staff could not have been more patient and accommodating through the whole process. They never rushed me, stayed kind and encouraging, and really made an effort to help me get the hang of it. And honestly, once I got home, calmed down, and had a little encouragement from my husband, I got it on the first try — which just shows how supportive they were in helping me build the confidence to do it! From start to finish, everything was smooth and welcoming, and you can tell they genuinely care about their patients. I’m really glad I went here and would absolutely recommend them!

I have been going to Midtown Eye Care for about 15 years or more.The staff is excellent, very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They have lots of special frames. They can even customize some lenses on frameless glasses. If you like the frames but not the color, they will see if they come in the color you want. They have done it for me. They will also replace lenses with your new prescription if you want to keep the same frames. I have replaced some of my lenses 2 and 3 times.

Friendly enough doctor who seems to know what he’s doing, but it’s just so ridiculous to me when eye doctors refuse to measure your PD unless you’re buying a $1000 pair of glasses directly from them. (Especially when I had just bought $700 in contacts from him and paid the exam cost ten seconds before I asked for my PD). There are a million reasons someone may not want to buy frames and lenses from you - you don’t have to take it personally. For me, I require a 150 arm length, so if you can’t easily tell me which frames you have in that size (or if you don’t carry very many options that do) then it’s easier for me to filter for that on a website where they will have 1000 options in that size vs your 10. Is it really so difficult for you to help out a paying customer with a five second measurement? He said “the optical people can do it for a fee” … was the $800+ I already spent not enough?! Will be finding a new eye dr moving forward because that just really rubbed me the wrong way.

At Midtown Eye Care, clients are treated like real people, not merely chart numbers or sales' percentages. From the first phone call I made to schedule my appointment to when I picked up my new glasses, I was treated courteously and respectfully, which is such a rarity in today's big-box-business world. My appointment with Dr. Barnes was great--he was very thorough and patient and answered all of my questions. I didn't feel rushed or uncomfortable at all; he is not only an extremely knowledgeable physician, but also a really congenial guy! But, as anyone who has ever worked in a medical office knows, the quality of the practice manager can make or break the place and, on that account, I can't say enough about the amazing woman that is Kay--she is smart, classy, and genuinely kind. With her help, I was able to purchase the coolest, most amazing-looking, highest quality glasses I've ever owned. When I picked up my new, awesome glasses, Amanda took her time with me, even while gracefully multitasking end-of-day concerns and last minute customers. Because of the wonderful employees and exemplary personal service, Midtown Eye Care has a great vibe (there is even sweet, chubby canine mascot). If the place were any more comfortable, customers might never leave; but, everyone knows that the most important part of the visit is finding the best eye wear for one's budget and they certainly won't kick you out until you find the perfect pair of glasses to fit your face and personal flair, as well as your budget! Before my wonderful experience here, it had been six years since I last updated my prescription, so this has also been a bit emotional for me--to put on new glasses and realize how poor my sight had been. I'm literally seeing things in a new light, and it's all thanks to Kay, Dr. Barnes, and their awesome team at Midtown Eye Care.