🚀 go-pugleaf

a week or so ago i posted an article asking for recomendations for
an optometrist.  here is the replys i've recieved and included in
that is a list someone else collected.  i tried to remove names
from the people who mailed recomendation to me directly; however,
i left the list sent to me intact with references to the person
makeing the recomendation.

thanx to all who responded. i've narrowed the list down to a couple 
and will be trying to contact them sometime this week.

						later,
						francis


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, an ophthalmologist charges a lot, but...

I use Dr. George Nakano.  I don't have his address and phone number on
me right now, but if you're interested I'll get it for you.  He's
right by campus, and if you're a Stanford student, he gives you a 10%
discount.

He's the only one who found my astigmatism.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ken Schwaderer in Mtn. View.  Best contact-lens O. D. I've met.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can vouch for the Family Eyecare Center down the street from
Fry's/Campbell;  My couisin Dr. Larry Wan is one of the partners there 
and has faithfully kept all us relatives from walking into walls ;)

Seriously though, the office is quite well equip'd with the latest 
diagnostic gadgets, and they have a mind-boggling selection of 
frames/lenses to choose from.  There are 3 optomitrists there, plus an 
intern from UCB so there's plenty of experience walking around there.

Phone's 408/866-2020.   

Avoid the shopping mall/1 hour places.  If there's one thing I learned, 
it's that well-ground lenses with no visable defects take more than 1 
hour to make.

If you had any questions, you can surprise Dr. Wan by sending him e-mail
to:
        wanski@aol.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------

	lisa berkowitz (in town and country, next to for eyes only) is 
very friendly and pretty good.  her rate, for the basic exam and contact
lens fitting, is reasonable.  i think she rips you off when it comes to 
disposable contact fitting... she charges you an extra $25 for follow up care, 
this i think is ludicrous 'coz i never have to go back for a check up.  
	the guy at a site for sore eyes is also friendly and thorough.  he 
answers all your questions and gives you some pretty honest answers.   he
was cheaper than berkowitz and i, being a lowly paid student, went to him
for my last check up.
	mario carcamo is a jerk.
	none of the above will give you a definitive answer w/ regards to 
computer work and whether glasses are preferable over contacts or vice versa.
	for eyes only has some really good prices and a vast selection when
it comes to buying frames etc.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

phone call recomended Ron Seger (sp?) of Mountain View.  

------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hope this gets to you, have been having trouble with news...


	I suggest asking the optometrist how long their exam is
	good for, for both glasses and contacts.  It seems that 
	some of the prescriptions are only good for a year because
	they want you to come back and spend more money on another
	exam.  If you can't find a doctor who will issue the 
	prescription for longer than maybe you could just buy a
	couple of pairs of glasses or contacts on a two-for-one
	deal.
	What a racket......

------------------------------------------------------------------------

/*  ************************************************************** */
/*   i got the following from someone and the rest of this file    */
/*   is list of responses he collected  ---- francis		   */ 
/*  ************************************************************** */

Attached is a list of optometrist recommendations that I gleaned from
various sources a couple of years of ago.  The recommendations are
grouped by optical provider, but they are in no particular order.
If you want to add any new recommendations you get to this list and
send it back to me, that would be helpful.  My own choice was Dr. Cindy
Matteson (on University Ave), and I have found her to be thorough,
competent and quite pleasant.  I have been very pleased with her services.


Dr. GENE LEE
------------

    From Richard Beigel <RJB@SU-AI.ARPA> : Dr. Gene Lee in San Francisco gave
    me very good service.  He was patient and truly seemed to care about me.
    I bought a pair of 30-day contacts for $99 plus $35 for the exam.

Dr. MARK OSORIO
---------------

    From Lia Adams (lia@cascade): I was attracted by the $19/lens prices for
    B&L Extended Wear Lenses that Osorio advertised in the Stanford Daily, but
    when I went in with my prescription, I found out that the low prices
    didn't apply to some prescriptions and some types of the B&L lenses they
    advertised (including the 70% water lenses).  So, I have no idea whether
    their low prices for eyeglasses and vision exams are just as limited.
    Osorio claims to be part of a larger corporation that places the ads and
    sets the prices, and so he couldn't lower the price to match the ad.  My
    conclusion is to go to a private optician who can set his/her prices to
    match his/her ads!

>>>>OPTOMETRIST --- 500 + Ramona Street, near Benson's above. Is this
Mark Osorio?  

This was a little strange. Unlike other places, the prices were not
marked on the frames. I was told that I need to take the prescription
and my choice of frame to the optician at the end of the line before
he'd quote a price. "We sell a package, you see." I did not bother to
find out more.


Dr. SCHWADERER
--------------

Date: Tue 9 Sep 86 11:17:27-PDT
From: Kennita L. Watson <WATSON@Sushi.Stanford.EDU>

Judging from the number of satisfied customers (including me) from this place,
the best place to go around here for eye exams, glasses, high-tech contact
lenses, or whatever seems to be Mountain View Optometry at Castro and Mercy.
The number is 967-6649.

My own doctor is Dr. Schwaderer, and I like him, but Drs. Sagan and Rheam have
also gotten good recommendations from BBoard readers.  For the benefit of 
supporters, Dr. Rheam is a woman.  Their equipment is modern, their exams are
thorough, and the wait for appointments is generally pretty short (1-2 weeks
depending on how picky you are).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    From "Mike Dixon" <MDIXON@SU-SCORE.ARPA> : I got my (extended-wear)
    lenses from Dr. Schwaderer at the Mtn. View optometry clinic on Castro in
    Mtn. View.  Very professional & competent (lots of great high-tech
    equipment), but not especially inexpensive.


Dr. Edward STEIN
----------------

14-Aug-87  1224	D.DRAGONOFDARKNESS@macbeth.stanford.edu 	Recommendation for contact lenses 
From: Dwayne Virnau... <D.DragonOfDarkness@macbeth.stanford.edu>

In the spirit of recommending people who have given outstanding service,
I highly recommend Dr. Stein in Redwood City (his add appears in the
Stanford Daily).  

I first went to Dr. Stein some years ago because he advertises the lowest
prices anywhere near here.  Good enough, right?  But it turns out he is a
very competent optometrist and a nice guy.  And his office is open late 
into the evening, so I have time to drive over there after work.

An example, in March I had some problems with my contacts so he replaced
them, free.  He also suggested that I might be better off with different
kind of lens (non-water based, I don't remember the brand).  Well, my
prescription is due for renewal in October so I said I'd consider it. 
Well, it is now months later and I am about to go on a trip.  So I go by
his office to buy a second pair of lenses, in case something happens 
while I am away.  He remembered about the other lenses, gave me the spare
pair still sealed in the box, and told me if I didn't open them before I
came back in October he would give me full credit for them on the purchase
of new lenses.

Dr. Stein has done things like that for the four years I have been going
to him, I highly recommend him.  And check out the add in the Daily, he
is indeed one of the cheaper places (in price only) around.

Dwayne...
-------

    From D.DRAGONOFDARKNESS@LOTS-C : I can recommend Dr. Edward Stein, in the
    Penninsula Boardwalk in Redwood City.  I do not have his phone number.  He
    has always given me excellent service, and his prices are competitive.

    From Allan A. Miller <AAM@SU-AI.ARPA> : I got my contacts at Dr. Stein
    (Edward G. Stein) in Redwood City.  He has an office in the Boardwalk
    Plaza (or whatever it's called) on Veteran's Blvd., so he is a
    shopping-center optometrist, but he's real friendly and seems to know his
    stuff.  His associate (who is there about half the time, I think) is also
    pretty together -- my roommate got his glasses from her, and hasn't had
    any complaints.  Another advantage, by the way, is that Dr. Stein has a
    lot of common soft contact sizes "in stock", so he may be able to fit you
    while you wait.

    From Lia Adams (lia@cascade): I was very pleased with my experience
    getting fitted for lenses by Dr. Stein.  His package price is reasonably
    low and includes everything except the cleaning kit.  He is NOT the
    cheapest place to buy such paraphernalia as lens solutions and spare
    lenses.  I went to a lot of early follow-up visits because my eyes were
    going from hard lenses to soft ones and so were changing a bit, and he was
    very informative.  If you call him to find out about lenses, he will
    discuss the options with you and answer your questions, whereas I found
    that some clinics I called would only let me talk to the receptionist, who
    didn't tend to know too much about lenses.

23-Jan-89  1318	@score.stanford.edu:vjohnson@sumex-aim.stanford.edu 	re: contact lens 
From: Vaughan Johnson <vjohnson@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
Subject: re: contact lens 

I've been wanting to bring up something about Dr. Stein the
optometrist in RC for quite a while, and since Dredge mentioned him,
I'll do it now:

I went to Dr. Stein on the advice posted in SAIL's SERVICE listings,
and found him thorough, but somewhat irritating & hard-sell.  The
clencher came, though, when I wanted to get some new glasses according
to a prescription made by Dr. Stein a couple of months earlier.  Dr.
Stein didn't have any frames I liked, so I got the prescription
written out and took it somewhere else (Sight for Sore Eyes, I think).
They made up the glasses overnight, and when I went to try them on,
one lens was very wrong.  They checked it against the prescription and
it matched, so I took the prescription back to Stein, and he admitted
it was wrong, his mistake, and made out a new one.  I took it back to
Sight for Sore Eyes & they made a new lens.  Stein, however, refused
to pay for the extra lens charge.  He said SfSE should cover the cost
as a "professional courtesy," which didn't make sense to me.  If every
optician kept screwing up as he did, SfSE could go under fast.  That's
the way SfSE saw it, too, so guess who ended up having to pay for
Stein's mistake?  Yours, truly.  It wasn't just the money, either.  I
was having the glasses made up fast because I was going out of town,
and I had to go back to his office to get the corrected prescription,
and make extra trips to SfSE, when I really didn't have the time to
spare.  Stein knew that, too.

I called Stein & told him  SfSE had charged me for the extra lens, but
he still refused to cover the cost of the mistake he made.  That's how
he lost me as a customer.

My advice:  STAY AWAY FROM STEIN THE OPTOMETRIST IN REDWOOD CITY!  He
wouldn't know "professional courtesy" if it bit him.

V


WILBY Optical  
-------------

    From Bill Lynch <LYNCH@SU-SIERRA.ARPA> : My only recommendation is based 
    on price.  B & L Soflens are $35 each at Wilby Optical in Town and 
    Country Village.

    From Lia Adams (lia@cascade): Wilby Optical has the lowest price I 
    found for B&L extended wear 70 lenses, and they have a lot in stock 
    and so can often provide the lens within the week, if not that day.

DR. SAM PESNER
--------------

09-Jan-87  1503	RJB  	contact lens recommendation  
To:   su-market@SAIL.STANFORD.EDU
CC:   RJB@SAIL.STANFORD.EDU 
In case you are ever thinking of buying contact lenses
I highly recommend Dr. Sam Pesner of Los Altos.  I tried
two other optometrists before going to him, including one
who told me that I just wouldn't be able to
wear contacts.  Dr. Pesner was very thorough in instructing
me to care for my lenses, and he kept prescribing new
lenses until we found ones that were comfortable
(7 lenses total).

This was an uns9olicited recommendation.

-- Richard

09-Jan-87  1804	LES  	re: contact lens recommendation   
To:   RJB@SAIL.STANFORD.EDU
CC:   su-market@SAIL.STANFORD.EDU 
[In reply to message rcvd 09-Jan-87 15:03-PT.]

I agree on Dr. Pesner.  Not only does he know his stuff but his lens
prices are the lowest of the four optometrists in this area that I
have consulted.

MATTESON AND MOST
-----------------


Date: Sun, 17 Jan 93 12:02:08 PST
From: morikawa@psych.Stanford.EDU (Kazunori Morikawa)

By the way, you can include the following observation of mine:

I don't recommend Dr.Ratinoff on Univ. Ave, Palo Alto.  I told him
I wanted gas permeable (hard) contacts.  He said they might not
fit me and recommended more expensive special soft lenses.  He seems
greedy.  He does a good eye exam, though.  Anyways, after that, I
switched to Dr. Cindy Matteson.  She gave me gas permeable lenses
and I have been quite satisfied with them since.


******************

Date: Sat, 16 Jan 93 04:04:58 PST
From: morikawa@psych.Stanford.EDU (Kazunori Morikawa)

I like Dr. Cindy Matteson at 540 Univ. Ave.  The eye glasses and hard
contacts she fitted to me are very comfortable.  Her place is not
particularly cheap, but she has been conscientious.  (I don't recommend
her husband Dr. Most, though.  Make an appointment with her, not him.
Use the coupon in the Stanford Directory.)

-Kaz

*************************
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 08:39:05 PDT
From: ric@updike.sri.com (Richard Steinberger)

I go to Drs. Most and Matteson on University Ave.  They are close, not
too expensive, friendly, seem to have the latest technology and you
don't have to wait long to get an appointment.

ric steinberger



After suffering tremendously with Bay Area Vision (NOT recommended),
I finally found a wonderful small office in PA that is open
on Saturdays, too:

Dr Cindy Matteson & Dr Joseph Most, 540 University Av PA, 321-2015
----
Date: Tue 9 Sep 86 10:16:20-PDT
From: Harinder Singh <SINGH@Sierra.Stanford.EDU>

I tried a couple of different optometrists recently and really liked
one place - their name is `Matteson and Most', a husband and wife team
with offices on Univ Ave near Cowper and Tasso. I think their number
is 321-2015 (it's in the phone book).

Their rates for eye exam/new prescription are quite typical of the
area, neither high nor low. About 40-45 bucks.

Steer clear of opthamologists if there is nothing wrong with your
eyes. They are much more expensive. An optometrist can do a perfectly
fine job of checking your eyes thoroughly for glaucoma or other such
concerns. Also, I'd be concerned about the quality of the el cheapo
outfits unless you get a dependable recommendation from someone.

If they give you an appointment with their associate Dr. Cynthia
Ruggeiro, that's OK -- she is great and has a fabulous, dry sense of
humor. I've had time with all three of the doctors there and been
pleased both with their competence and also with their follow-up -
they were fitting me out with contacts for one of my rougher
activities but have chosen to give me a substantial refund 'cause my
eyes didn't take well to contacts. They have not charged me anything
extra for the additional office visits that became necessary.

---------------------------------------------------------------
BERKELEY
--------

20-Jul-87  1945	PRASAD@CSLI.Stanford.EDU 	Re: optometrist rec needed   
Received: from CSLI.STANFORD.EDU by SAIL.STANFORD.EDU with TCP; 20 Jul 87  19:45:14 PDT
Date: Mon 20 Jul 87 19:43:37-PDT
From: Prasad Akella <PRASAD@CSLI.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Re: optometrist rec needed
To: P.CHENG@GSB-WHY.Stanford.EDU
cc: prasad@CSLI.Stanford.EDU, su-market@CSLI.Stanford.EDU
In-Reply-To: <12319969789.77.P.CHENG@GSB-WHY.Stanford.EDU>
via-netmail: (home machine) prasad%cdrsun@sushi.stanford.edu
via-mabell:  (o) 415-723-7911	(h) 415-856-7489   
Message-ID: <12320011353.11.PRASAD@CSLI.Stanford.EDU>

 I too use hard contacts and needed a presc. a while ago. I chose to
wait the ~ 1 month it takes to get an appt. at the UC Berkeley School
of optometry.  They charge $31 for a thorough Eye exam (the "doc" who
was going to graduate in 1 month, spent somethiing like 2.5 hours with me!
He had some doubts{it being tricky to figure out the power of folks who wear 
hard contacts} and called in his prof who then examined me for ~10 minutes).
All in all, i was quite happy. They even mailed me (on request) a xerox
of their full report so i could send it back to my contact lens doc in 
India. The guy was patient and answered all the the questions i had while he
tested me.

The only catch is that you will have to schedule another appointment for
contact lens and will have to get contact lenses from them (i believe--check
this out). However, they can advise you about the "state" of your eyes and
contact lenses in the same examination.

I also have a copy of the ser.doc file about optometrists on sail. Let me know
if you want it.

-prasad
-------

21-Apr-83  1022	jjf@Diablo 	Re: optometrist recommendations wanted
UC Berkeley has a School of Optometry where last year students see
people under supervision of a professor of optometry. I have been
twice. It costs about $20 for a long (about 1 hour) examination. There
equipment seems to be fancy state of the art stuff, and in general, it
seems like a good way to do things. Besides, it gives one an excuse to
ride the Gutenburg up to Berkeley and back.

08-Oct-82  1127	mann@Diablo (SuNet)  	Dentists and eye doctors--summary
Date: Friday,  8 Oct 1982 11:27-PDT
To: su-bboards at Diablo
Subject: Dentists and eye doctors--summary
From: Tim Mann <mann at Diablo>


Several days ago I asked for recommendations of dentists and
ophthalmologists or optometrists in the area.  Since several people
have asked to see the results, I am posting them here.  I received a
total of 11 recommendations for dentists, all different, and one for
the UC Berkeley school of optometry.  I think this indicates that
people go to the dentist more often than to the eye doctor.

 From David E. Smith:
Try the UC Berkeley school of optometry.  A thorough 1 to 2 hour exam
(everything from mapping your retina, to glaucoma tests) is only $17.
The students and instructors are generally quite friendly, competent, and
presume that you are intelligent.  Contact lens care is also quite good.
....

>From Amy Lansky
  I second Carolyn Tajnai's recommendation for Theodore Abe DDS. He's really
great and honest. It's down off of Grant Road though, so perhaps a bit out
of the way. My opthamologist is Dr. Kabak on Welch Road. I've gone twice
and like him.

- - - - -

Thanks to everyone who responded.
	--Tim

From: Ashok Subramanian
Date: September 18, 1986.

I went to the School of Optometry, Berkeley, and it was wonderful. I
really liked the experience. They were perfectly competent, and seemed
to do all the exams one would ever want. Took all of two hours. I'd
recommend it anyday. Plus, they're inexpensive, at $28.

They're located at 200 Minor Hall.  Call 642-5761 for appointments.

They have a parking arrangement.  Enter the campus through the Cowell
gate on the east side of campus, and tell the person at the gate that
you have an appointment. They give you a two-hour numbered spot near
the Clinic.

Upon request, they gave me a copy of my report. Usually, they just
give you the prescription.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 10 Sep 86  1017 PDT
From: Dave Fuchs <DRF@SAIL.STANFORD.EDU>

Hmmm, I once suggested the Berkeley School of Optometry, part of UC Berkeley.
They do cheep but good exams and glasses.  It's a pain to get up there,
though.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue 9 Sep 86 10:33:41-PDT
From: Michael Wolf <WOLF@Sushi.Stanford.EDU>

If you do not mind a few trips to UC Berkeley, I recommend their
optometry school.  Reasonably priced, and they spend a few hours
checking you for every eye disease in the book.

My problem is that I need new gas-perm contacts (and a new
prescription).  I would head right up to Berserkeley, but with
contacts one needs follow-up visits and such, and it could end up
being a lot of visits up north.  Besides, they already checked me out
(a few years ago) and told me which eye diseases I don't have.  But
they are cheap (~$175 for the works, incl.  lenses).  Anyone know of
any resonably priced gas-perm types in the area?  Otherwise, I guess
it's to Berkeley I go.  (It's almost worth the trip just for a slice
of Blonde's and an attempted chat with the Polka-dot man.  Almost.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

MOUNTAIN VIEW OPTICAL - Dr. RHEAM
---------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 86 09:04:59 PDT
From: Bradley Clymer <brad@isl.stanford.edu>

I recently bought new glasses myself... I went to the Mountain View Optical
Clinic.  They are located in downtown MV on Castro St. (at Mercy I think).

There are three optometrists there.  I visited Dr. Rheam, who I was quite
impressed with.  She even gave me a discount because I am a Stanford 
student.  A few months ago there was a similar request for info on 
optometrists on the bboard, and this clinic seemed to get rave reviews...

The prices were reasonable for private practicing optometrists.  If you
want bargain prices for new glasses, you might try one of the chain stores
in shopping centers like 20/20 Vision, etc.  I would be suspect of the
quality of the exam though.  Go there if you already know the prescription
that you need for your lenses.

By the way, since I already wear contact lenses (although I did not get
them from MV Optical), they gave me a considerable discount on the cost
of my new glasses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RATTINOFF
---------


Date: Sun, 17 Jan 93 12:02:08 PST
From: morikawa@psych.Stanford.EDU (Kazunori Morikawa)

By the way, you can include the following observation of mine:

I don't recommend Dr.Ratinoff on Univ. Ave, Palo Alto.  I told him
I wanted gas permeable (hard) contacts.  He said they might not
fit me and recommended more expensive special soft lenses.  He seems
greedy.  He does a good eye exam, though.  Anyways, after that, I
switched to Dr. Cindy Matteson.  She gave me gas permeable lenses
and I have been quite satisfied with them since.


Date: Fri, 12 Sep 86 14:39:35 PDT
From: Robert Allen <robert@sri-spam.arpa>

Subject: Re: Recommendations for OPTICIANS
Under "Expensive-but-worth-it" I have the following suggestion;

Dr. Dennis E. Rattinoff (last name may have 1 't' or 1 'f'),
in Palo Alto on University.

He is actually an optometrist, but makes good glasses.  My
prescription (which is complex) cost about 122.00 for the lenses.
That included plastic lenses with UV reductive and scratch-proof
coatings.

Dr. Rattinoff says he personally checks all prescriptions which
come in for correctness.  I've had presicriptions made before for
the same frames I have now and they were not correct, but I didn't
know it until later.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

COWELL
------
>From Ashok Subramanian :

1. The Cowell Student Health Center puts out a sheet titled "REFERRALS
FOR EYE EXAMS," which they say is a PARTIAL list of local
opthalmologists, optometrists and opticians. (Emphasis theirs, not
mine.) They also say "No specific recommendation is being made." (What
does *that* mean, I wonder ?)

I took a walking tour of Palo Alto, and looked in on some of the
opticians in town. Here're some of my subjective impressions ---

[NOTE : When I quote prices, assume that I'm talking about a
straightforward prescription, single-vision, with a power of about 3
dioptres, say. The order in which I list opticians is the order in
which I happened to see them.]


WALDRON - PALO ALTO MEDICAL
--------------------------

TOB - I have found Dr. Waldron at Palo Alto Medical Clinic to be very
competent.
  
arg - Below are the replies I received a few months ago.


RICHARD DAVID -PALO ALTO MEDICAL
--------------------------------
31-Mar-87  1622	@Sushi.Stanford.EDU:E.ENTROPY@OTHELLO.STANFORD.EDU 	People to see for contacts  
Received: from SUSHI.STANFORD.EDU by SAIL.STANFORD.EDU with TCP; 31 Mar 87  16:22:44 PST
Received: from OTHELLO.STANFORD.EDU by Sushi.Stanford.EDU with TCP; Tue 31 Mar 87 16:13:35-PST
Date: Tue 31 Mar 87 16:15:09-PST
From: David Finkelstein <E.ENTROPY@OTHELLO.STANFORD.EDU>
Subject: People to see for contacts
To: su-market@OTHELLO.STANFORD.EDU
Message-ID: <12290886343.21.E.ENTROPY@OTHELLO.STANFORD.EDU>


Dr. Richard David at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic/Foundation is an
optometrist who specializes in contact lenses.  My sister has used him
for many years and is quite pleased.

-------

Dr. OWYANG
----------

******************

From: hufnagel@leland.Stanford.EDU
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 93 12:46:21 PST

Hi,

Saw your posting about opticians.  I can highly recommend an optometrist,
Dr. Owang (spelling may be off) in downtown Palo Alto.  Professional,
friendly, courteous, competent... what more can I say?  He'll take
all the time you need to answer your questions.

Todd Hufnagel

22-Jul-87  2034	@score.stanford.edu:B.BEV@HAMLET.STANFORD.EDU 	Optometrist recommendation  
Date: Wed 22 Jul 87 20:33:43-PDT
From: B.BEV@hamlet.stanford.edu
Subject: Optometrist recommendation

I recommend Dr. Kenneth Owyang.  He's outstanding at follow-up care--his
initial prices aren't the lowest, but he'll work with you until things are
right.  Cheerfully.

Disclaimer--I have no connection with Dr. Owyang other than as a satisfied
customer.
-------

Dr. TERESEA LUI
---------------

07-Nov-89  1638	art@playfair.stanford.edu 	Eye care
From: Art Owen <art@playfair.stanford.edu>

I recommend Teresa Lui in Palo Alto (near City Hall) as an optometrist.

DR. TEARSE
----------
08-Nov-89  1526	N.NESSIE@Macbeth.Stanford.EDU 	Eye-doc recommendation  
From: Amy Frost <N.NESSIE@Macbeth.Stanford.EDU>

I have been really pleased with Dr. Tearse in Palo Alto.
He is expensive ($90 for the exam, if i recall correctly) but
very careful and thorough.  He may be an ophthalmologist as
well as an optometrist, but I'm not sure.  He was recommended to
me by a registered optician, which just means that their standards
are particularly high.

CARCAMO
-------

Date: Mon, 18 Jan 93 10:54:17 -0800
From: dawn@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Dawn Burgess)

I have been to Dr. Carcamo on Ramona street (a block or two off University)
for an eye exam and contact lenses, and to Peninsula Optical for 
a pair of glasses (no exam).  Both were fine.  Dr. Carcamo seemed to
really know his stuff, and was friendly.  The people at 
Peninsula Optical were friendly and helpful.

I haven't tried any others in the area, so I can't compare.

Dawn

>From GA.MXA@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU Thu Feb  7 14:01:55 1991
Return-Path: <GA.MXA@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Date:      Thu, 31 Jan 91 14:27:30 PST
To: prasad@BIMINI.STANFORD.EDU
>From: "Mariyamni Awang" <GA.MXA@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Re: Dr Berkowitz (sp?) in the Palo Alto Town and Country village?

I went to Dr.Berkowitz when she first took over from Chin.
She seemed nice and competent. She's probably 'established'
now so who knows.
I go to Site for Sore eyes, but I think their prices are
not as good as For eyes, from the ads. but they have their
own optometrist if you want to use that service.
DON'T go to those package deals type like Carcamo on Ramona
or Klein in RC.

==============================================================================

NAKANO
------

I have gone to Dr. George Nakano several times.  Actually, he's an
opthomologist, not an optometrist.  I've been happy with his service.  
He's located on Welch Road, near the Med Ctr.

He is (or at least, was) on the Cowell "discount" list.  I think he gives a
15% discount to Stanford students.

Opthomologists do everything optometrists do, and more.  They're
M.D.'s, as well as eye specialists, and I prefer to pay a bit extra
for the higher level of training.

I had a basic eye exam, along with getting a new perscription for glasses and
contact lenses.  I think it cost around $80 with the Stanford discount.  I
haven't shopped around, so I couldn't say how that price compares.

					- Phil

CHIN
----
******************
From:  Raymond Flournoy (flournoy@cs.stanford.edu)
Date:  November 6, 1992

  After hearing the strong recommendation of shedevil@leland, I
decided to try Dr. Lawrence Chin on Ramona St.  I called around to a
few places, and in terms of eye-exam price along, he seemed to be near
the high end of prices.  He was not highest, however, and after a
string of a few bad optometrists in recent years, I decided that
paying for quality might not be such a bad idea.

  I was very happy with both Dr. Chin and his support staff.  The
doctor himself was very kind and patient, and happily answered all my
questions.  If he were maybe another 15-20 years older, you could
maybe describe him as grandfatherly--meticulous and kind.

  His support staff were very friendly and helpful, and actually had
some good advice on choosing frames.  The choice of frames was pretty
large, and though the prices are certainly higher than the
"about-an-hour" places, I was happy to pay for what I felt was very
good service.  I have had these 3 pairs of glasses (regular, reading,
and sunglasses) for about 6-7 months now, and have been very happy
with all three.

  The one warning I might give is that a number of doctors work out of
this same office, and I cannot vouch for the other doctors.  Also, I
went in once on the weekend to pick up some glasses, and a completely
different support staff was there.  They were considerably less
friendly.  So if you go, ask for Dr. Chin, and go during the week.

--Ray Flournoy
  flournoy@cs


I am *completely* satisfied, and happy, with Dr. Lawrence Chin.

Dr. Chin's info is:

	Dr. Lawrence Chin
	616 Ramona St.
	Palo Alto, CA  94301
	(415) 322-6656


The ortho lenses are gas permeable contacts.  They are basically the same
as normal gas perms, only the curvature is different.  The way they work
is that they are flatter than the curvature of your eye, which if you
are nearsighted has taken on an oval shape, with the long thin end of the
oval being the front of your eye.  The lens forces the eye to reshape itself
against the lens, causing the oval to become more round again, which is
the normal shape for an eye with good vision.

I think of it as braces for your eyes. :-)

The one thing that everyone will tell you, as they told me, about gas
permeable lenses is that they *do* take some getting used to if you have
never worn hard lenses.  For the first week or so it feels like you have
something in your eye all the time (you do!).  But they are WELL worth it!

The first day that I wore them for a full day I got home, took them out,
and went to put my glasses on and I couldn't wear my glasses because they
were *too strong*!

Also, the gas perms are incredibly easy to care for...you just clean them,
and rinse them under *tap water* (!!) and then store them for the night!

Hope this helps!

Annie

CONTOS
------

*************************
From: hiroaki@cs.stanford.edu (Hiroaki Takamatsu)
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 19:44:07 PDT

Last November I had my eyes examined and my glasses made at George
Contos O.D.  and Sear's Optical in the San Antonio Shopping Center in
Mountain View.  I paid $268 in total ($49 for eye exam, rest for
glasses).  I don't know whether it is expensive or not because they
are the only optometrist and optical shop I have ever been, but the
exam was very thorough (I have never had my eyes examined so
thoroughly just to buy glasses), and I can see quite well with the new
glasses.

  Hiroaki Takamatsu

WAN
---

From: bbs.ruscal@gilligan.tsoft.net (Russel Mar)
Date: 	Sun, 17 Jan 1993 02:00:36 -0800

Speaking as a guy who got glasses after 30+ years of "not needing them", 
I can recomnmend my cousin Dr. Larry Wan, O.D. in Campbell 408/866-2020.
He (and his partners) have always tried out the latest diagnostic 
equipment, and it was that equipment that finally tagged my older sister, 
shortly followed by myself.  His staff seem to pay close attention the 
the quality of the lens materail and workmanship, which he told me can 
vary by quite a bit.  The biggest headache is forcing a higher standard 
out of the labs.

If you feel uncomfortable around doctors, you can break the ice with him 
by asking him how much he knows about his office Xenix system (minimal) 
and Microsoft Windows.  (I still haven't gotten the concept of 
sub-directories straight with him...:)

Russel Mar (bbs.ruscal@skipper.tsoft.net)

****************

BREW
----

	Well, I ended up going to eyexam200 four times for exams
and four times to pick up the new prescription.  Three times the
prescription was off enough that it bothered my vision and caused
discomfort.  Whether this is due to the ineptitude of the doctor
(Dr. Brew) or because of the fact that she wanted me to try a new
type of contacts, I don't really know.  I know that the contacts
she wanted me to wear were very uncomfortable and in the end I
asked for the kind I had been wearing before and it seemed to 
alleviate the problem.  So, I would not recommend the facility
for it's medical prowess.  Although, there was no problem with
getting new prescriptions.  She was quite willing to order new
prescriptions for me, of course, no extra charge.  Also, you're
not really guaranteed of seeing the same doctor.  On my last
visit I saw a different optometrist.  Also, the staff wasn't nearly
as courteous as the doctor.  After wearing my first prescription
over the Thanksgiving holiday and calling about two weeks after
receiving them I called to get them checked out.  The response
by one of the male staff was "Well, you should have called _one_
week after you got them."  I don't recall his name, but he was
not a pleasant person to deal with.  One of those sassy type of
I know better than you person.
	In conclusion I would not recommend eyexam2000 just
because of all the hassle I had to go through to get my prescription
right.  Other times I've never had to go in more than twice.  Also,
because of the staff there.  Of course, this only applies to the 
eyexam2000 on El Camino in Menlo Park.
	Pricing was not the best.  I had actually gotten a quote
>From them over the phone, about $150 for checkup and CIBA contacts
(the kind I wanted in the first place).  I ended up getting a different
type and it ended up costing about $170.  Back in Southern California
I've been able to get them for $100-$120.  So, pricing isn't the
best.