Piedmont Eyecare Associates, OD

Scheduling was easy and I was able to get right in. The front desk team went above and beyond and really made a connection. Dr. Fix, and Dr. Beachkofsky were both helpful in determining what I needed. Julian, helped ensure that my glasses were right and made sure I got the answers I needed to re-check my prescription. Small adjustments seemed to make all of the difference. I am very impressed by how well everyone works together. Great experience!

I like the new layout of the Blakeney location. Someone is there to greet you as soon as you walk in the door and all the ladies look so wonderful in their professional attire! Super polite and pleasant as you begin your appointment. Today I saw a different doctor and my my my what a difference! Dr. Kalene Fix is exceptionally a great Optometrist. I can say this was the best eye appointment I've had ever. I appreciate most, her way of handling her patients and how she explains everything she's doing. She paired me with Maria in helping me find the right pair of lenses. Maria didn't get in my way, she pointed out the lenses that would fit my face best and ultimately helped me find a pair that were not only most affordable but super cute! The conversation was like we've known each other prior to my appointment. I'd ask for Maria and Dr. Fix for my next appointment because I left feeling a noticeable positive difference in the entire experience!

My experience at Piedmont Eye Care has always been positive. I appreciate the efficiency and pleasant nature of the staff at the front desk. I was particularly impressed by Heather who did the initial series of tests. She demonstrates the perfect blend of professionalism and a kind, thoughtful nature. As always, Dr. Major did a great job of examining my eyes, offering information, and answering my questions.

Will not be returning. I’ve been wearing contact lenses for over 20 years and I’ve never had so many issues with a simple yearly eye exam before. They used a machine to electronically determine my contact lense prescription which, spoiler, was not surprisingly incorrect. After waiting over 2 weeks (I have astigmatism in both eyes so this is a normal wait period for me) for the trials to arrive, I suspected to be seen for a fitting to ensure they fit, as has always been the case at every other optometrist I have seen. Nope. They just hand you the boxes of lenses and say to go home and try them out and let them know in a week or two if they fit. I stood there shocked because I left work early expecting a proper fitting like always. As suspected, the lenses didn’t fit at all so I had to request to have an actual contact fitting to get the appropriate prescription. Even the person on the phone who would be doing the second fitting said she was so surprised as to why I was even given the prescription I had because she can tell they clearly wouldn’t fit just by looking at the numbers compared to what I previously had. She adjusted my prescription over the phone (which she could do because the numbers that were incorrect were literally my eyeball shape that should not have been changed to begin with) and told me they should arrive in a couple weeks and when they do, I can come into the office to have them looked at. Mind you, at this point I am now on my last set of contacts and beginning to panic…if these don’t fit I’m screwed (this wouldn’t have been an issue because my initial appt was scheduled when I still had two full months of lenses left). Thankfully they did this time after the in-office fitting and exam! I was told the new prescription would be immediately uploaded to the patient portal for me. Of course, this didn’t happen, I had to reach out after the holiday weekend and remind them to upload the new one again. Which by the way is also a nightmare. You are forced to text the office and wait for a reply as opposed to simply calling and talking to someone on the phone and having a solution immediately- had to text back and forth for 3 days one time just trying to get an appointment set up for the fitting. There’s like 4 people behind the receptionist desk at any given time but they have no one answering the phones. I once called twice an hour for an entire work day trying to get through with absolutely no answer or call back, even after leaving a message….I had to text them as a last resort. The new prescription was uploaded but now I see that the expiration date still shows my initial exam date, more than two months prior to when I finally got the CORRECT prescription. I texted back letting them know it needed to be updated to reflect the full year that the prescription would be good for and they informed me that it’s because insurance policies require the initial exam date to be used as the expiration date. While I understand this, I’m extremely annoyed because now I will be missing out on more then two full months of being able to use this prescription due to their negligence and inability to accurately determine the prescription correctly the first time. I need to also order new glasses with a prescription I was given by them and I’m honestly terrified to even go down that avenue next…. There’s sooo many eye Drs in this area, I highly suggest going elsewhere. Dilworth Eye Associates is absolutely amazing and I will just be going back to him. I only went here because they were closer to my home. It seems as though the patient volume may be too much for them to handle. But that’s just me giving them the benefit of the doubt because in over 20 years not once has my prescription been incorrect when a human determined it rather than a machine. But everyone was really nice! So no complaints there I guess.

NOTE: This review has to do with issues related to communications from this optometrist office and the professional acumen of the support staff. You don't have to read the rant below. Here's the issues: 1) Off-putting and excessive security for an optometrist office, 2) Electronic Health Records system questionnaire that doesn't value the patient's time, 3) Incompetent office staff (scheduling appointments within insurance parameters). There are other optometrist offices that provide better customer service. For more specifics: To start, greeting clients with a locked door. I know that it is the 21st century. Certain neighborhoods can be rough. Is Blakeney or Weddington a high crime area? I don't think so. So, why is it necessary to have everything but a retinal scan to get into the office space? So you had someone come in and grab some frames - once (Oakley frames cost about $15/pair to manufacture, you may pay $100/pair). Stop treating the vast majority of people as if they are going to repeatedly violate the security of your business. Between your profit margins and your insurance, you can handle the shrink. Next, let's address the Electronic Health Records system (EHR) that is designed to consume mass quantities of patient time asking questions that are sometimes patently ridiculous. Men cannot get pregnant, this is basic biology. In a digitally active online form in the 21st century, why after acknowledging that I am a man would a form ask me if I'm pregnant (this is a "sex" question, not a "gender" debate)? No reason other than wasting time/energy. Why would such a system not retain information from prior visits and simply ask for changes and updates to previously reported information? Its not a HIPAA thing. Is it because you don't value the client's time? So, you really are going to ask me to fill out this complete multi-page form again for another appointment next week - really!? Finally, lets talk about the importance of scheduling appointments that acknowledges the world of health insurance that we live in and that funds the very existence of the modern optometrist office. When a client completes an appointment and the optometrist tells the person at the front desk to set them up for their annual appointment, it is not a stretch to think that part of the scheduling algorithm would be to include insurance requirements for the ANNUAL check-up. So, imagine my disappointment, when I show up after completing the forms, working my way through security, and the front desk staff asks, "So, you're going to be paying for this visit out of your pocket?" No, I pay a monthly premium so I don't have to. Now, to make it worse, I have addressed these same issues - in writing - to the company at least 2 years ago. They haven't done anything to change them. This optometry office needs significant improvement.