Family Eyecare Center - Total Vision

My whole family has been going to this eye center for few years now and have seen most of the doctors. All the doctors are very knowledgeable and nice and answers your concerns in a logical way.

The front desk is also very helpful and I especially love their wide selection of brand glasses! While they are a tad expensive from other places, with insurance I don't mind using their facility just because of their large selection.

The facility is huge so it's never too crowded and they did followed all covid protocol during the pandemic as well!

The founding doctors have retired, the practice was sold and changed names. The experience when I last went was less than awesome and I have stopped going there. Prices are high, delivery of glasses was slow, and they seemed to be quite intent on upselling every customer.

Some of the reception desk staff were brusque and humorless (not all). And as I already noted, the founding excellent optometrists have retired or moved away. In short, the excellent optical care I was receiving was no longer present, which left the bad taste of them not accepting VSP plans for quite a while, and expensive, slow delivery.

I've found a better run, friendly INEXPENSIVE place to get great care and glasses in Los Gatos. Indeed, I got two pair of prescription glasses and an eye exam for less than it cost me to get a single pair of glasses... and that is WITHOUT charging my VSP!

Part one - me
Dr. Lum is incredible, he is as blind as I am, hahaha, so he understands the unique challenges with my eyesight.
Our eye tech Chris was exceptional, taking the time to explain things to us.
Now for the hard part...
If you're VSP, and you're not needing medically necessary, please go somewhere else. VSP kicked them out of network, so they no longer can give you your full benefits. They've been very gracious during this time (they're in a lawsuit with VSP), so in the meantime they discount just about everything so that you still get your benefits. Except for medically necessary, they can only give you the out-of-benefit $250 towards your glasses/contacts. When you're a -12 contacts or -15 glasses, you're already spending a good $1500 for glasses so every bit of the medically necessary benefits are needed. So they can't honor the full benefit and if I claim the eye exam then I have to claim the contacts/glasses benefit at the same time. So, I had to pay full price for the exam and walk out with nothing, and have to find a new eye doctor within plan.
My issue is that this was NOT disclosed until it was time to order the contacts.
Part two - my son
Know how usually a doctor's office lets you know when it's time to schedule an appointment? Not so here. So when I called to make him an appointment, we realized he hadn't seen anyone since 2022. Made him an appointment to get his eyes examined. He hadn't changed much and decided to get the same glasses he already had, and Chris was exceptional helping him with it. He explained with the VSP they would match the benefits with discounts so his glasses ended up under $500.
Now for the hard part...
Apparently there are two kinds of exams, one is for glasses, and one is for contacts. If you make an appointment for contacts, it includes the exam for glasses. So even though he was considering switching to contacts, we couldn't because he only had the glasses exam.
Dr. Lum built Family Eyecare Center, it was his baby and it makes me sad to see how it's devolved now that it's part of Total Vision. He is the kindest man on the planet, and he knows his stuff, but right now, I'm not sure it's enough to continue using them especially since I can't get full benefits. If it wasn't for him, this would be a one star review. Chris was great but the issue is systemic. My two cents.

The service was horrible...I did eye exam in September and they told me they will place order for my contact lenses. Until now in December, never received, I called them and found out they never placed the order.. no apology at all. And couldn't solve my issues, give me tons of excuses like need this approval and will call me back blah blah, but never did. I followed 4 times, no one gave me the consistent answers. Sigh...

I am surprised how highly rated this place is on Yelp.

First the good:
Dr. Lum was so personable and an excellent communicator. The eye tech was efficient as well.

Now for the opportunities:
I found this place to be a bit disorganized. I booked an appointment online and even had a follow-up call for insurance info but when I arrived, it was as if I was starting the whole process all over again.

The bigger thing to me is that the establishment is quite dated--dingy carpet, dirty walls, and just worn out and tired overall. Furthermore, the building is not particularly friendly toward seniors and those with disabilities. The parking structure is under the building but has no elevator. Instead you need to take a ramp on the side of the building and wind around to the back and then to the front again. Overall the place really could use a modernization or facelift. And I'm surprised that they still use paper records.

I recently went to the Family Eyecare Center for an eye examination and new glasses. I was extremely disappointed, and will not go back. I found Dr.Lum to be hurried in the exam and rude in demeanor. There was no eye dilation, no test for glaucoma, and the test for my near vision consisted of Dr. Lum handing me a nearby brochure and asking me to read it.
I was appalled!! I will definitely trust my vision to a more reputable company.

Doctors are good enough BUT ordering contacts and follow up customer service (takes MONTHS to get contacts, they don't follow up or return calls) is horrible enough that our family has given up on this place.

I had my eyes checked for a contact prescription last week and have been trying to order contacts since then. When I call they always say the contact department is busy and will call back and they never do. It's ridiculous that I can't place an order. I went in for that purpose. Doctor was nice but what's the point if I can't get the contacts I need! I'm almost out of my other ones! I was just there last year and it turns out the doc only gave me an RX for glasses and not contacts when I mainly wear contacts.. They do that so you come back and spend money.

I had such a great experience here Ximena at the front desk was so helpful and had such great attitude definitely coming back.

It's all about the $ here. They used to be great but they were sold three years ago and it's all about the $$ now. They're coding things as premium when they're not (and then insurance won't pay). What's worse they've lost records. They're claiming that they don't have any records prior to three years. Hard to imagine that when they bought the practice that the records didn't go with as the patients certainly did. Their back office has always been a disaster and it's just gotten worse. Avoid.