Eye Clinic of Austin

My first appointment was actually pretty good. Great customer service, short wait time, and a great experience at the frame shop.
Then, a little over a year later, my frames broke (in a way that couldn’t be fixed). I called and asked if I could get my prescription refilled with new frames and was told that wouldn’t be possible, as my last exam was 14 months ago, and I would need another exam. OK fine. I’ll come in for an appointment then. Nope — The person on the other end of the phone told me no appointments were available in the next MONTH. I could be added to the wait list in case there was a last-​minute cancellation, but I don’t have the kind of job that I can leave with zero notice.
I bought new frames (same brand) online at a discount, received them two days later, got an appointment at Lenscrafters for the day after, and got my new glasses a couple hours after that.
I know this is a small practice, and I really liked the attention I received at my first appointment. I’d definitely recommend this place if you are scheduling an eye exam well in advance, but not if you’re having an I-​need-​new-​glasses-​ASAP emergency.

I went on the the website to set up an appointment for my husband. Jessica, the worst receptionist ever I might add emailed me back stating that there were no appointments available for the time I was looking for. That is fine however I emailed her back trying to get an appointment pretty quickly and with no response for a day or two emailed her again asking what times were available, this was on a Friday around 1pm. Her only response call the office. It took me 5 minutes to make an appointment somewhere else, thanks to Jessica and the lack of customer service I will gladly be going somewhere else.

Dr Henderson is absolutely wonderful! Staff are great as well! Very caring, and takes the time to answer any and all questions.
This is a correction to an earlier review I posted in error regarding a different physician. No relation to Dr Henderson or his wonderful staff!

The doctor was nice, knowledgeable, and answered all my questions. But the billing is sketchy: as part of the *medical* appointment they ran a test which ended up being billed as routine and not medically necessary. And the people working in the billing department were not very helpful: I was told two different things the two times I called, and they were very dismissive about my concerns.
In the end it wasn’t much money at stake, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a more transparent billing system, and to be treated like a human being by the billing department.

Customer service is so important! I called to schedule an appointment today. Jessica said Dr. Henderson was booked and then asked for my date of birth. When I asked why, she said she needed to pull up my account. I explained that I didn’t have an account yet but would really just like to schedule an eye exam. She then asked me if I had any eye disease or diabetes. I restated that I was calling to schedule an appointment and would be happy to discuss my medical history when I came in to the office. She responded that she needed to setup my new patient file.
All I wanted was scheduling information. I’m not going to discuss my medical history with your office supervisor over the phone. Too bad: I really liked the website and what I read about the doctors.

After a month my eye sight is great after LASIK. Everything was very professional and I highly recommend this procedure with these Doctors and their staff.

Over the past several years I have been visiting Eye Clinic of Austin and have been very please with the depth of expertise and the assistance the Dr Prosise has provided.

Customer service is exceptional! Liz is the best!

–My first Unilocal review, a bit long, but really shows the full experience I’ve had so far–
I made the decision to get LASIK done last Thursday, after 15 years of glasses and contacts.
I read reviews on every clinic in town, spent two hours comparing prices, Doctors, qualifications, awards, and user reviews, and decided to give ECOA the first shot because of the awards that their doctors had been given and the volume of surgeries they’ve performed. With LASIK, the sheer number of patients they’ve successfully treated needs to be your FIRST concern. This was late Thursday evening.
The following morning, they called me at 10 AM, with the bright and happy voice of the receptionist at ECOA on the line. She was so cheerful and thankful to me for my interest email from the night before, and wanted to know if I wanted to come in for a free LASIK consultation. She didn’t ask me to clarify anything about what I needed or wanted, she obviously had paid attention to my email and knew exactly what I wanted. I expected a long wait, so i told her I was free Fri-​Sat-​Sun every week. She said they could get me in that same day at 1 o’clock, and I instantly agreed. I was taken aback by how quickly they were willing to have me in.
I got there around 12:45 on Friday, and only had to wait for about 5 minutes before the Opthalmic Assistant, Alexis, was smiling at me and leading me to the back. Throughout the whole eye exam, she was very sanitary and clean (I was watching), always sanitized her hands after everything she touched, changed gloves, etc. And so personable! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed at a doctor’s office before. She was even right there distracting me through the eye dryness test, which is always uncomfortable and the worst part. In every test she administered I could tell she was an absolute professional and expert at her work. She kept distracting me (from the stress that can come with medical exams) with genuine interest in my work and life, and it was truly more like having coffee with a friend rather than a cold, uncaring medical examination. I was so at ease, I wish all practices operated this way.
Dr. Falknor only kept me waiting for maybe two minutes, it seemed like he was there instantly after Alexis smiled and left the room to get him. I’ve never seen a doctor so on-​the-​spot like that. He talked to me like an adult, with no attempts at selling anything or eluding any questions or concerns I had. You know how some doctors act like mechanics and don’t want to get into too much detail with you? Well, that was NOT the case with Dr. Falknor. He explained the entire range of eye correction surgeries, including their history and techniques and how they’ve been improved and how the clinic had kept pace with the latest technology and procedures. After seeing the way other eye clinics in Austin had couched their services in fancy marketing terms and flashy terminology, it was nice to see a practice that didn’t treat the latest technology like a gimmick to attract new patients. Eye Clinic of Austin uses the best and newest equipment as a matter of course to provide the best care possible, instead of as a matter of attracting new business. Everything he explained made the entire procedure far less mysterious and daunting, and I was sold on the Eye Clinic of Austin before he even finished his exam.
After he examined my eyes, studied the information Alexis had collected, and gave me the «All-​Clear» to be a candidate for LASIK, he turned me back over to Alexis with a smile and a firm handshake.
After being advised of the average costs and everything the procedure entailed, in the end the cost was exactly what I thought it would be. On par with every single other top clinic in Austin, so no surprises there. I didn’t complain, since I only have two eyes and want the best for them. Every clinic in town charges the same price, for the most part, anyway. If it’s cheaper than you think, don’t let them touch your eyes. I scheduled my surgery date at a convenient time for me and was on my way home.
HOWEVER, after I left, I had just made it home when Alexis called me (not the receptionist, but the charming medical assistant herself) on my phone and said she had good news. She told me that she had spoken with the Doctor and manager of ECOA and they had offered to give me a military discount that would knock an entire thousand dollars off the final price! I could remember mentioning my time in the Marines once or twice while chatting, but she had remembered and had gotten a discount for me without me even asking for it! I was so stunned that I couldn’t believe it, even right now as I’m typing this. That’s a lot of money to a working class guy!
After my procedure is done, I’ll write another review about that. Hopefully it’s just as good, but I’m extremely optimistic! Thank you so far for being so great, Eye Clinic of Austin! I mean it, thank you!

It’s been about a month since my LASIK, so I figured it’s about time I write this review.
I’ve been wearing glasses or contacts for about 20 years, and have been thinking about getting LASIK for the past several years. I finally decided to research my options this year. My insurance doesn’t cover the surgery; instead they partner with a discount provider. The only place in town that works with the discount plan was Eye Clinic of Austin, so I decided to give them a try for a consult.
I was run through all the tests and Dr Falknor told me I was an excellent candidate for the surgery. When I spoke with the financing coordinator I found out that my discount plan only worked with the other doctor in the office, but that they would match the price I was quoted previously anyway. That was a huge relief to me, since they were much more pleasant to deal with than the discount plan people (who had already been rude to me on the phone twice before). So I took the plunge and scheduled my surgery.
The day of my surgery was a breeze. Before we got started they went over all of my before/​during/​after instructions again, just to make sure I didn’t have any questions. During my surgery the surgery coordinator soothingly explained every step as it was happening, so I was never freaked out or nervous. From the time I got onto the operating table to the time I stood up to walk out was about fifteen minutes, and I could SEE when I left the room!
Getting LASIK is probably one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I’ve had such an amazing experience here. Everyone in the office are friendly and helpful, from the receptionists all the way up to the doctors, and every visit to this office is a pleasant one.

I originally came to the Eye Clinic of Austin over 10 years ago on a referral to Dr Henderson, who is an ophthalmologist (MD). I don’t even remember why I needed to see an MD at that time. He was excellent. On my subsequent visits, I’ve seen Dr Prosise, who is an optometrist (OD) because she is the contact lens guru. She is wonderful. I had been seeing her for many years until they dropped off my insurance. I was sad that I had to go elsewhere and never developed a bond with the other doctors I used for several years. 2013 — new insurance and Dr Prosise is back on the list. Yay! She is still the best eye doc I’ve ever had because she takes the time to expłain everything so thoroughly. I’m so glad she’s on my new insurance list!

I have been living with poor vision for the past 8 ½ years due to retinal problems (13 retinal surgeries) and my retinal surgeon sent me to Dr. Henderson (the only Dr he would send me to due to his exceptional experience working with «special cases») for cataract and lens implant surgery on both eyes. I recovered with ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision in one eye and ²⁰⁄₃₀ in the other = REMARKABLE results.
Dr. Henderson and his entire staff are professional, friendly, efficient (never have waited more than 5 minutes to start my visit in the eight appointments I have had) and easy to work with. I cannot recommend him highly enough — BRILLIANT.

Dr. Henderson prescribed drops for my eyes that had an ingredient in them I was allergic to. This allergy was noted on my chart. I ended up with what felt like poison ivy all around my upper and lower eyelids, and this right before my vacation to the beach.

If you need any eye care please let me recommend one very special Doctor-​Dr. Thomas Henderson! From the moment you walk into the pretty office area and meet his friendly and helpful staff, you feel very welcomed. Dr. Henderson has just completed the removal of my cataracts and fitted me with mono vision lenses. This means one eye sees distance and the other sees close up for reading. I now have ²⁰⁄₂₀ eyesight. No glasses! For me this is so great because I have worn glasses all my life. Thank you Dr. Henderson for such wonderful care and professionalism. God Bless! Nadine Arnet
Please visit his website for more information.

Ok, maybe I’m a fan of this place because I haven’t been to any other place in Austin to get an eye exam since my old awesome eye doctor left town years ago. I HATE having my eyes examined or having anything anywhere near my eyes, so these appointments always last a tad longer than they should for me. If you’re getting your eyes dilated, be sure to build in that time when you request time off from work. This office does seem to shuttle people in one after the other, but considering 90% of them are probably there for a routine eye exam and not for anything seriously wrong, it makes sense to me that there’s a little less one-​on-​one time.
Appointments can run long, especially since there are so many people there at one time and everyone is rotated in, so if you’re tight on time you should probably look elsewhere. When my husband has gone to Walmart, they seemed to do a pretty quick job.
When I decided to try contacts for the first time so that I didn’t have to get married in glasses, the contact lens person who got stuck working with me was very patient, nice, and understanding. It only took an hour and a half, but I got those suckers in! The office staff members are friendly, as well.
A couple of years ago, I think on a Thursday or Friday, my husband woke up to find his eye completely irritated and scratched. They were able to book him in that day, and the doctor gave him some eye medication. He wanted to make sure my husband was doing ok, so he asked him to come back on Saturday so he could check him out again. To us, that was very unique, personal service.

Initially this experience was great with the pleasant reception and what seemed like a short wait time, about 20 minute initially. This was okay, as it is a doctor’s office, and yes that is just to be expected. When did the 2^nd waiting room get introduced, however? This is just cruel, and after my pupils were dilated, I waited another 40 – 45 minutes in this second medical purgatory. Finally, the attendant takes you to the doctor’s examination room, and you guessed it, the final stage of waiting, at least this was only about 10 – 15 more minutes. (could have been more or less as there was no clock.)
To be fair, the doctor was nice and very thorough and gave me free eyedrops for dryness. The retina was not damaged, thank goodness, and I did not have to go to a pharmacy. I would say go if you have extra time, but to the actual business, they should offer better magazines or work on promptness.

I recommend never going to this office. They lost the appointment I booked and waited for a month «we just don’t know what happened;» messed up my benefits and refused to budge on the charge, stating the problem was mine; took forever for trial lenses; refused to call my past doctor, an easy solution to finding contacts that fit me; and I still do not have workable contacts. Once I wade through this mess and get contacts I am never return. The doctor I saw was Dr. Prosies.

If you’re looking for a place to get an eye exam, look elsewhere. I found this place because it was listed in my vision plan and chose it because they had an M.D. on staff. I will never be giving this place business again, and I’d highly recommend no one else to either. Here’s the scoop:
I made an 8:15am appointment and showed up on time. I was then asked to wait for 50 minutes before being brought to the exam room. Once in the exam room, it was more waiting. The whole process took about 2.5 hours and the amount of actual time with their staff was about 20 minutes because my prescription hadn’t changed much. I then scheduled a follow up appointment a few days later.
I come in again for my follow up (another 8:15 appointment) only to find that my doctor won’t be here for another 45 minutes. I tell them this is unacceptable and reschedule.
I show up for ANOTHER follow up appointment at 8:15. Guess what! My doctor won’t be there for 45 – 60 minutes. At this point I’m tired of their games and reschedule for the last slot in the day which upon returning finally works out (after they lost my chart while I waited once again).
This clinic does not know the meaning of the word punctuality. They will waste your time again and again. Avoid unless you have hours of time to waste reading Texas Monthly in their waiting room. There are plenty of other eye clinics in this city, the Eye Institute of Austin is FAR better, they have all M.D.s on staff, know how to use a calendar and actually show up for their appointments on time.