Golden San Gabriel Optometric Vision Center
140 W Valley Blvd UNIT 115,
San Gabriel, CA

Golden Vision in San Gabriel offers eye exams through its optometrist and of course eye wear. The optometrist is friendly and competent. My issue would be the service from the staff in the front. A few of the staff have been pleasant, but the majority don't seem to care too much about what they do rather they go through the motions of selling eye wear. When we went in to pick up my wife's glasses nobody could be bothered to greet us and the lady that retrieved her order simply handed them to her and barely waited long enough for my wife to put them on before leaving.

tl;dr VSP is now out of network and they hope you won't notice I've been going to Golden Vision for the better part of 7-8 years and had no real problems since they are fairly quick and efficient with a great frames selection. Wait times can definitely build up but that was never really an issue for me, especially when everyone is trying to use their insurance by EOY. However what really disturbed me on my last visit was the lack of transparency when it came to my insurance. I went in for typical eye exam and noticed that it was maybe $10-20 higher than before but I thought it was no big deal, and I also wanted to get new frames. It was a different experience because the opticians seemed really frantic and unsure of this "new system" that they all kept mentioning that had just been implemented 2 days prior. Multiple times, they had to consult the lead optician around insurance coverage that looked completely different to me compared to prior visits. For context, I have VSP insurance which had always worked before. When they showed me the price breakdown, I noticed the wording "VSP Open Access" but I thought nothing of it. When I had eventually selected the frames and lens combination I wanted, the price was not mathing out appropriately according to past glasses I've purchased. So I texted an optometrist friend to ask what Open Access was and he straight up told me that I'm now out of network.... HUH? Not once was I told I was out of network but kept on getting excuses of "new system" at least 5-6 times. My friend told me that it's a shady practice that some optometry businesses do in order to keep you as a customer. They aren't completely forthcoming and hope you turn a blind eye and not do your due diligence to ensure your coverage is still intact. They want you to think that since you get a partial discount, that means your insurance is working and off you go not knowing any better. Well, needless to say I cancelled my glasses and will definitely be taking my business elsewhere. It was a good run, but I don't stand by scummy practices. edit: Looks like the Golden Vision in Irvine is the only one left that accepts VSP. Too far for me but hopefully this helps others.

I have been going to Golden San Gabriel Optometric Vision Center for my annual eye exam for several years, and I always had a good experience there. The staff are very nice and provide great service. But this year, I had an exceptional experience with Dr. Amy Phan, who performed my eye exam. She was very polite and knowledgeable, and she explained everything clearly and patiently. She was very thorough and gentle during the exam, and I felt very comfortable and relaxed. I highly recommend Dr. Amy Phan to anyone who needs an eye exam. She is the best!