Lasik on island? Insight on Costco vision center?

[punaticbychoice]

kalakoa @ 09:18:42
LOL. Good one.

[TomK]

Can't help with LASIK recommendations, but do recommend Hawaii Vision Specialists (link given earlier) for professional eye care. I had cataract surgery last year performed by Dr Driscoll and was also cared for by Dr Souza and they were both excellent. I also use them now for general eye exams.

I've seen Camblor mentioned. He was my first eye doctor here and was very nice, but I cannot recommend him. He missed a serious eye condition I had many years ago (detached retina) and I ended up in the hospital and then visiting an eye surgeon in Kona just to get the right diagnosis, so have never gone back there since.

As for the super-secret military lasers I have access to, I'm afraid they are designed to destroy satellites and invading space aliens as well as spying on Iran and can't be re-calibrated for delicate eye surgery, although I'm sure a few of us would just love to try and experiment a little bit! We can do it for free if you want, but no guaranty of success.

[terracore]

Costco Vision Center:

To be clear, the vision center is two parts. The independent doctor, who has nothing to do with Costco other than renting space there, and the vision center, where Costco sells the contacts and eyeglasses. You can use either one, or both of the services, its up to you.

The actual doctor part of it was good. They were organized, had more modern equipment than I had seen before, and being 100% independent from Costco, they take M/C so you can get Hawaiian Airline Miles for purchase. The $200 exam fee included a lot of extra tests and they set me up with a more accurate prescription than I've had in as long as I can remember. They have a machine that can look at the back of your eye and the optic nerve so you get as thorough an exam as a pupil dilation, but none of that barbaric pupil dilation. Although the process was very fast, it was not rushed at all and the doctor wanted to make sure everything was perfect and all my questions were answered before letting me go. I asked about Lasik and she assured me the clinic in Hilo DOES do it in Hilo and was at a loss why I was told it was on Oahu. She said she would have them contact me. It's possible Google gave me a wrong number and the info I got was incorrect. I'll find out soon. Update: No LASIK on BI.

The Costco side of it is a sh!t show. It was hectic and unorganized. You "take a number" like you're at a mainland DMV and wait until one of the distracted employees can help you. The frames are all reasonably priced, most are $60 with very few either more or less expensive. The frame selection is not impressive, and there were so many customers standing around waiting to be helped it was frustrating to view them all. The optics seemed average in price (you can do better online, or worse locally). The contact lens prices were as cheap, or cheaper than what I could get online, and a fraction of what you would pay anywhere locally. I think part of the problem was I was there during lunch hour and they were understaffed, but I would go back there for the doctor experience and the cheap contact lenses. Though, I don't have new glasses or contact lenses yet (about 2 weeks) so there are still opportunities for disappointment.

[terracore]

With my Rx from the costco eye doctor I bought glasses from 39dollarglasses.com using a $10 off promo code I found online (WEL10) and got a great pair of glasses in only 4 days delivered. Total after shipping cost was only $31, and it included a case, cleaning wipe thing, and a repair kit.

I also ordered glasses from Costco after my exam, well over $100 and with a frame I like a lot less, and it will be at least a week longer until I get them (they quote 12 business days). I now regret the Costco glasses purchase, from here on out I know where I'm getting my glasses. Cheap in price but not in quality. I did search online for contact lenses and the price at Costco is a clear winner. A few places online advertised cheaper prices but there was sticker shock at the checkout with "processing" or shipping fees that made it cheaper to get from Costco. (May not be the case if you are spending gas money to get to Costco and back only for the lenses, but if you have other business in Kona like I do, then Costco is clearly cheaper).

So in summary: Costco for the eye exam, Costco for the contact lenses, but glasses from 39dollarglasses.com

ETA: forgot to mention, the $31 delivered included the frames, optics, anti-scratch and UV coatings, and shipping

[Wailua Boy]

I had the procedure done on 21st birthday was living on Kauai at time but flew to Oahu and used Dr. Crane. It was real quick and easy and virtually painless.

[terracore]

Do you recall how much it cost?

[Wailua Boy]

Im actually turning 40 this year and still no reading glasses, my doctor can believe it.

[terracore]

I didn't need reading glasses until about 48 but I am nearsighted, seeing up close was never an issue. But that's not why I'm posting. If you don't have $31 for a pair of glasses I actually found a place that sells them for $6.95: http://www.zennioptical.com/u6.95-glasses

I couldn't afford the bifocals anywhere else so I gave zenni optical a try. $26.51 for frames, optics, anti-scratch coatings, bifocals, cleaning rag, shipping, etc etc. The bi-focal part added $17 to the price.

ETA: shipping, bifocal stuff

[leilanidude]

I have used zennioptical for years to buy 2nd and 3rd pairs of glasses to have as spares for the kids and myself. No issues.

[Wailua Boy]

quote:

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Originally posted by terracore

Do you recall how much it cost?

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It actually ended up being cheap. The doctor is a family friend and only charged me cost of room. At the time he would fly from Kauai and use facilities on Oahu.