Metropolitan Optical
1919 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC

Dr. Ayalew is an exceptional eye doctor who goes above and beyond for her patients. I recently had an eye emergency on a Sunday night and emailed her, she replied st 5 am instructing me to come in first thing in the morning. I know she squeezed me in because I was unable to schedule the appointment online. Upon arriving I was literally greeted at the door and taken straight to the exam room. (I’m sure this isn’t always the case so I don’t want to build any unrealistic expectations, same goes for emailing on a Sunday night, but this was my experience today so I’m just sharing factual events) Dr. Ayalew thoroughly examined my eyes, patiently explaining the condition and answering all my questions. Her expertise and genuine concern for my well-being are always evident at my appointments. My insurance switched a few years ago and metropolitan optical doesn’t take my new insurance but Dr Ayalew is so good I go to her anyway and pay out of pocket, money speaks louder than words — this is greatest endorsement I could give any doctor. Over the past 25 years living in DC, I've consulted with several optometrists. Without a doubt, Dr. Ayalew stands out as the best in my opinion. Her combination of expertise, compassion, and patient-centric approach is unmatched. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking exceptional eye care

Dr. Ayalew has been great but the customer service to receive my contacts has been the worst I have ever experienced in 2 decades of wearing contacts. The office team are nice people but every time I go, there is some issue/confusion about ordering my prescription and scheduling a follow up. It took over 1 month for my contacts to arrive when I was given a one-week timeline. Every time I called the office about the status, I received a different response — “it’s being shipped to our office…oops I mean it’s shipped to you”, “It arrived already… wait no it actually won’t be delivered until Friday.” They asked me to come into the office to pick them up, only to find they had mailed them to my house when I arrived. They scheduled me for a contact follow up when it was supposed to be a glasses follow up. It’s ridiculous, frustrating, and stressful. I really hope the service improves because I like Dr. Ayalew but this has been such a strain on my time and really disappointing.

Dr. Ayalew and her entire staff are fantastic. I switched to her practice a few years ago when my previous doctor retired and have been incredibly happy ever since. She is thorough, thoughtful and very knowledgeable. I have an eye condition that requires regular monitoring and correction and she has helped me understand the challenges, solutions and what to expect as I age. Everyone in the office is knowledgeable, helpful and thorough too. In fact, I raved about how great my first experience was so much that my wife started going to her too. Now she won't go anywhere else either. Top notch!