I drove 40 minutes to this Pearle Vision and 40 minutes back because it had the highest rating near me. This is a franchise location, so any work done here doesn’t transfer to other Pearle Vision stores unless they’re owned by the same person. The closer location had lower reviews, and the other owned by this franchisee was even farther. If all locations used the same lab, it might have made a difference — but they don’t.
I ended up making 7 round trips (over 11 hours of driving) trying to get one pair of glasses right.
Breakdown of visits:
1. Trip 1 (80 mins): Eye exam, trial contacts, selected frames and lenses.
2. Trip 2 (80 mins): Picked up glasses — right lens was loose and shifted when cleaned.
3. Trip 3 (80 mins): Returned for repair — a lens liner was added.
4. Trip 4 (80 mins): Same issue — glasses sent back to lab. Reported headaches, dry eyes, and constant smudging.
5. Trip 5 (80 mins): Picked up glasses again.
6. Trip 6 (80 mins): Lens still loose — returned for another liner.
7. Trip 7 (80 mins): Returned for professional cleaning — nothing worked at home.
Even after all that, I still had issues. The lenses constantly looked foggy or dirty, no matter what I used:
• Lens wipes and sprays (multiple brands)
• Kimberly-Clark Tech Wipes + Leader spray (used in-store)
• Washed microfiber cloths
• Gentle soap, as recommended on Pearle Vision’s website
Glass lenses are usually easy to clean — these felt like plastic and never looked clear. I’m 29 and have worn glasses for 21 years. I’ve never had this much trouble. I even had the blue light coating removed to reduce headaches — no change. My trial contacts caused no issues, so it’s not the prescription. The lenses and coatings were the problem.
A staff member at another Pearle Vision (not this franchise) told me the coatings, filters, or even the lenses themselves might be to blame. She said lower-quality or hybrid lenses are often difficult to clean and can cause discomfort. That felt validating — I’ve always had premium lenses, and these didn’t feel the same. There always seemed to be a film or residue that never went away.
The lab this store used did the sloppiest work I’ve ever seen. It’s unacceptable to have to return multiple times for loose lenses. They should switch labs or retrain whoever worked on my glasses. Even after all the corrections, I had to come back to get them cleaned — and the store’s own products couldn’t fix the issue.
That said, the customer service here was excellent and deserves 5 stars.
• Dr. Nguyen (optometrist) was warm, thorough, and gave great advice.
• Jessica (manager) was patient, fair, and waived fees I didn’t expect — she really tried to help.
• The pregnant team member was so sweet when I brought my sister in.
• Reception was courteous, helped with scheduling, and explained everything clearly.
• Frida made me laugh during frame selection, though she occasionally seemed overwhelmed when I gave context — that happened more than once.
I was happy to return to Pearle after four years. I wanted to love this location. The team clearly cared, and I appreciated that. But the quality of the lab work, lens materials, and coatings brought the entire experience down. I lost time, spent extra money trying to maintain glasses I couldn’t use, and still walked away with lenses that gave me headaches and were nearly impossible to clean.
It’s deeply ironic that an optical store sold me glasses that made my eyes feel worse. They gave me headaches, dried out my eyes, and made them feel strained and sore. But when I took the glasses off, wore my contacts, or even wore my older pair from last year — I had zero issues. That older pair (from America’s Best) was well-made and never caused these problems.
I sincerely hope this franchise invests in a better lab or holds its current one to higher standards. No one should have to make seven trips to get one pair of glasses fixed — no matter how kind the staff is.
