Glasses and frames: Got a shop you love?

[Robin Garr]

I just went to the eye doc for a routine checkup and got a (slightly) new prescription, which opens the door to looking for cool new frames.

Before I routinely go back to my usual shop, not that I have any problems with them, I thought I'd ask here if any of you would care to recommend a glasses shop you really and truly love. Quality, service and good price would all be worthy criteria, and St. Matthews or Crescent Hill location would be nice, although not mandatory.

My last few sets have all been Flexon titanium, and I'm so satisfied that I'll probably prefer a shop that offers this, but again, tell me about the places you love.

I believe Barbara A. works for a place you might check out.

[Robin Garr]

I believe Barbara A. works for a place you might check out.

She does? No kidding? Hmmm ...

(Noticing a mail-order glasses ad popping up in Google context advertising at the right. It's amazin' ... )

Barbara worked for Dr. Bizer Vision World but she is no longer there. I really like Bruce Springer at Springer-Lee Optical. They have a place on Hwy 22 and one on Dutchmans Lane. Also, have used Krebs Optical in St Matthews and liked them. Remember, support the locals!

[Robin Garr]

Barbara worked for Dr. Bizer Vision World but she is no longer there. I really like Bruce Springer at Springer-Lee Optical. They have a place on Hwy 22 and one on Dutchmans Lane. Also, have used Krebs Optical in St Matthews and liked them. Remember, support the locals!

Thanks, Carol. I've actually used Krebs Optical in the past but dropped them after a minor incident that I didn't consider outstanding service. I've been going to Kentucky Eye Care in the Springs center on Dutchmans, and am not really dissatisfied, but sometimes they have long waits for service, said Mr. ADHD. I didn't realize Barbara had worked at Bizer. I don't think it would have made my first cut, although if Barbara were still there, I might have re-thought that.

Bruce at Springer-Lee? I'll add that to my look-into list. Thanks!

Sorry about your Krebs incident. I was getting ready to recommend them until I read your post. Been going there for about 15 years and have not had any bad experiences (except my current selection of some oh-so-trendy frames that were really quite crummy, but I was so enamored when I was buying them I didn't notice).

Well as a former eyewear specialist I can make a few recommendations. First, everyone has specials no exceptions. If you are not in a hurry for glasses then wait for a special to come up. Second Bizer's has some great people that work at the store on Dutchmans lane. I can recommend one without hesitation and that is Donna. She is awesome. She will take her time find you the best price and work like a fiend on your insurance. Finally whoever you choose to make your glasses let them take their time. Do not go if you are in a hurry. People in a hurry rush the fitting process which is the most important part of the glasses. If the lens is not in the correct spot you will not see well through the glasses...period.

Bizer's unfortunately is the only place I can speak about as Steve buys his glasses on line and my last set of cheaters came from Zennioptical.com. Flexon is a good frame. It will break at the bridge if it is over stressed. I have replaced more then a few in my short time at Bizer's. Good luck robin. Let me know if you have any questions about fitting frames.

[Robin Garr]

Sorry about your Krebs incident. I was getting ready to recommend them until I read your post. Been going there for about 15 years and have not had any bad experiences (except my current selection of some oh-so-trendy frames that were really quite crummy, but I was so enamored when I was buying them I didn't notice).

TP, I might give Krebs another chance. I had gone there for a while but was kind of disappointed after an incident in which they made glasses to my eye doc's specs, but when I picked them up and took the eye test, I couldn't read the bottom line. There was some back and forth over whether they (or their contractor) had screwed up the lens-making or if the doc had screwed up the prescription and who was going to have to do something to fix it. It got to the point where it wasn't far enough off to waste my time or emotional energy arguing, and I just took the glasses and used them for the next couple of years. But bottom line, I wasn't happy about it, and next time went somewhere else. Maybe it's been long enough that I can go back.

I'm also looking at a pair of Flexons that I really loved and had computer glasses set into, and thinking I might just recycle them with new lenses and put the computer lenses into some cheap frame. Dunno. No real rush here, it's not that much of a change.

[Robin Garr]

Barbara, probably I'm being very unfair, and knowing you worked there does change my attitude, but somehow I didn't have a good impression of Bizer. Maybe it's just that they advertise on TV? That's kind of a silly reason to take a company off my list, isn't it?

Thanks for your good advice, anyway. I'll try not to be so impatient wherever I go. My issue with Kentucky Eye Care wasn't with the tech taking a long time, it's that they're in a busy ophthalmology practice and have a lot of customers, so there's often a really long wait to get your turn.

Well as a former eyewear specialist I can make a few recommendations. First, everyone has specials no exceptions. If you are not in a hurry for glasses then wait for a special to come up. Second Bizer's has some great people that work at the store on Dutchmans lane. I can recommend one without hesitation and that is Donna. She is awesome. She will take her time find you the best price and work like a fiend on your insurance. Finally whoever you choose to make your glasses let them take their time. Do not go if you are in a hurry. People in a hurry rush the fitting process which is the most important part of the glasses. If the lens is not in the correct spot you will not see well through the glasses...period.

Bizer's unfortunately is the only place I can speak about as Steve buys his glasses on line and my last set of cheaters came from Zennioptical.com. Flexon is a good frame. It will break at the bridge if it is over stressed. I have replaced more then a few in my short time at Bizer's. Good luck robin. Let me know if you have any questions about fitting frames.

I believe Barbara A. works for a place you might check out.

She does? No kidding? Hmmm ...

(Noticing a mail-order glasses ad popping up in Google context advertising at the right. It's amazin' ... )

Hmmmmmm....wonder what would happen to the Google context ads if we had a thread titled: "Food Porn".

[Robin Garr]

Wait! I was wrong! Krebs is on St. Matthews Avenue? That's not the place where I had the problem. It was on Shelbyville Road a little farther out, either in the strip with Radio Shack or the one just west of it. St. Matthews Vision Center, maybe. I really didn't like the way they responded to a set of lenses that were just barely off. I haven't tried Krebs. Very handy, and Carol gives them a good rating. Hmmm ... I wonder if they have Flexon ...

Glad you cleared that up, Robin. Krebs is a good, local family business that's been operating a long time. Hope you'll give them a shot. I'm due for a spring upgrade and will no doubt be there soon.

I have the heaviest prescription of anyone I've ever met, save one person. My glasses have to be uv-coated, scratch-resistant-coated, no-line-triple-bifocaled, adjusted for astigmatism, bevel set in the center, edges rolled and polished, polycarbonate-only. They always run over $400 a pair, and I go to Bizer's on Dutchman's Lane every year. They have the biggest selection of designer frames, and I can't do cheap frames because I wear mine 20 hours a day, most of the time. Also, the opticians there are REAL eye doctors, and they have the latest technology (no eye-dialating for us, they have a cool computer camera they just added in the last couple of years that takes a photo of the back of your eye).

Yes, there have been years when something didn't come back exactly right but when pointed out to them they always took them back cheerfully and made it right in the end. In such a big operation, they can afford to. And I don't want nor expect specs as complicated as mine to be done the same day - typically it takes two weeks.

My problem in working for Bizer's were the hours. They were all over the board. I liked the work very much, but yes the truth is they do mass business and the store on Dutchman's is the biggest eye glass retailer in the country (you would not believe their numbers.) The down side is always a bit of a wait. On the up side they do have the Optomap to which Marcia refers and it is a wild thing to see the back 200 degrees f the inside of your eyeball, literally freckles and all.

If Carol likes Krebs all all for going local.

[Robin Garr]

If Carol likes Krebs all all for going local.

Thanks, all. I did go to Krebs today and was very happy. I do like supporting old, independent Louisville family firms if I can.

But I also appreciate the attitude adjustment about Bizer's, and feel bad about pre-judging them for the wrong reasons.