Pillen Optical

I was not referred to Pillen Optical by anyone. I needed to get my son into the eye doctor and have a very limited schedule. The primary reason is because they allow walk in appointments!! I love that for my schedule specifically. Usually the sooner you get there the less of a wait. However, it’s not usually that long of a wait— which I also love! Mostly, I love the staff, they have worked with me a couple of times when needing to pick up my glasses. They’ve stayed past 5pm because of my job and travel time from spearfish to rapid city. They’ve been accommodating to both me and my kids and the doctors are friendly and quick. They’re very quick to get you through your exam but do not make you feel rushed. They also listen when you tell them something. Highly recommend!!!

I was asked to get up from my exam to go out front and pay before my exam, which has never happened before and it was embarrassing. The new eye doctor was cold, dismissive and rarely looked at me during our conversation. He did find the right contacts for me so I appreciate that. The atmosphere used to be very friendly and inviting, but that no longer seems to be the case. The front desk workers were very kind though. Not sure if it was just an off day, or if this is the new operation.

This is my first experience with Pillen Optical and for sure my last. For starters their selection is subpar at best. There is no waiting area and staff seems clueless and spacey at best. Had an appointment for eye exam at 3:45 showed early, did paperwork and waited for almost an hour before called back. This is where I really regretted making my appointment here. Dr. Jonathan Nebelsick is very quick with his exam. Not giving me enough time to make selections between numbers. He seemed very rushed and like he had something better or more important to do. Which I thought was very rude and not doctor like at all. And my wife agrees as her appointment was rushed. I was prescribed progressive lenses. I just received my glasses from GlassesUSA, as I refused to go back to Pillen for picking out glasses. Needless to say this "new" prescription is no better then my single lense prescription from last year. They claim to be the cheapest in town. Which I'm sure they are. But I recommend taking your business elsewhere.

The experience was good. However, for asian people, do not choose full-frame glasses. The glasses tend to fall from my nose. Also, when I am wearing it, the glasses are too close to my eyes, making it less clear. But the contact lenses recommended are good. They are a little bit more comfortable and softer compared to my previous ones.

Had an eye exam on 6/1/26 as it had been six years since my last new glasses. My experience six years ago was so awesome that I decided to go back to Pillen this time too. During the visit six years ago, all the staff was very helpful, and the doctor I had took all the time needed in the exam to make sure I got the best prescription, and even took time to verify the prescription by using the trial lenses just to make absolutely sure my new glasses would be as close to perfect as possible. Unfortunately he is no longer with Pillen. He definitely earned five stars! Those glasses were the absolute clearest vision I have ever had with any pair of glasses before! Now to the recent visit on 6/1, the staff was again quite helpful, but the eye doctor, Dr. Nebelsick was not a very personable person, and flat refused to use the trial lenses for final adjustments (exactly what they are used for) even though I requested them twice during the exam. He gets two stars. Maybe even one star. Do yourself a favor and ask for a different doctor! After a couple weeks having the new glasses, and letting my eyes adjust to them, I found the right lens to be a bit off causing some blurriness. (Dr. should have used the trial lenses to verify!) I called in and spoke with Natalie about having the right lens remade. She stated that I would have to go back to Dr. Nebelsick for a new exam. I expressed my discontent with him during the first exam, and asked if they could just remake the right lens to my older prescription as it is still valid for clear vision. She spoke with the owner and they agreed to a one time remake to the prior specs. Thus the owner, and Natalie both get a resounding five stars for their helpfulness, and agreeing to remake the lens to the old specs!! Overall, I still give Pillen Optical a five star rating, even though I had a less than stellar experience with Dr. Nebelsick.