Valley Eye Clinic and Optical PA
,
Maplewood, MN

Great place. The staff is wonderful.

I haven’t been this pleased with my eye care provider in nearly 20 years. Even though my first exam was “virtual,” for which I was a bit skeptical and apprehensive, I had an in person follow up and was put more at ease that the correction I was prescribed is the best strength for my current needs. “If you still aren’t feeling comfortable with your current prescription, come back and we can change things a bit.” Their turn around time on my glasses was crazy fast! Like. 3 days! Impressive. And the cheapest lenses for my glasses that I’ve ever paid! Thanks Dr Hess and Valley Eye Clinic and Costco Optical. Although you are not affiliated, you clearly work well together.

Telemedicine is perfectly fine when the process is explained, preferably not only by a promotional video that loops on replay. (It doesn't help when an on-site worker has robotic communications skills.) The service I experienced was clunky, not customer-friendly and slow. There were three considerable, unexplained waits for the distant services (which involve two different practitioners, beamed in from the Philadephia area). All in all, this was one of the most unpleasant health care experiences ever. When I wrote to complain about the specific issues, none was addressed. Go somewhere else for an eye exam. This place's co-location at Costco adds no real benefit.