Park Slope Optical

I have been buying glasses and contact lenses her for about 20 years. The service has always been fantastic. I am rough on my glasses and need repairs often; this has never been a problem. They have an excellent selection and the prices are reasonable.
Charlie is the best! I prefer to patronize small local businesses in general, and the prices, selection, and service here reinforce that choice.

Last summer, I splurged on a pair of extremely expensive glasses at another optician. The frame broke – well, I stepped on them – and when I went in to ask about a repair, the two people in the store barely glanced at the frame, just offhandedly said, you have to get a new one. This can’t be repaired.
I was dumbfounded and outraged at their response after having paid them SO much money for these glasses – not even a year ago.
Then I took the glasses to Park Slope Optical, where Charlie assured me that the frame could be simply re-​soldered for a nominal fee. I got them back after a week, and they are perfect.
This is the place I will use from now on. There’s a good selection of frames, but they can order another style, and I need someone who is utterly trustworthy when it comes to repairs since this is not the first time I’ve stepped or sat on a pair of glasses.

Hands down the best experience I’ve had with vision care. I felt truly taken care of by Doctor Baruch and his staff from the moment that I walked in the door. Not only did he take care of me, but he educated about my eye care. Then, when I mistakenly forgot to pack contacts on my trip home for the holidays, he went the extra mile (or three) to help get a prescription to a place in my hometown where I could pick up a replacement pack of contacts — all with grace and good humor, and despite the fact that it was a mere 48 hours until Christmas. I was so grateful.
Loyal for life!

I had a great experience with the gentlemen at Park Slope Optical. I used my UFT insurance to get me a $ 125 off any frame/​lenses in the store (quite easy) and found a wonderful pair of sunglasses I wanted. The man there helped me find the right pair and made some suggestions as to modifications I wanted. We discussed my use for the glasses and what would be best based on that. I ordered them on a Monday and they were ready for me by Thursday. Great deal!

I have been getting my eyes examined and my glasses from Park Slope Optical for over 20 years and have never been disappointed. The owner, Charlie, is not only very professional, but extremely personable. He has a knack for being able to pick out frames that are perfect for my face and my pocket. And actually my whole family, husband and daughter, have always been pleased with their experience there. On a final note, we had friends in from Boston, who wound up buying two pairs from Charlie, they were so thrilled with his great selection. Arlene Bianchi

By far the best place to get an eye exam. Not only did Charlie help me pick out the perfect pair of glasses, but we did so while I waiting to be seen (I showed up a little early). Both he and the doctor were quite nice and the exam was very quick and to the point (perfect if you are in a hurry).
I will definitely be going back!

I live just north of Park Slope and went to every optical shop within a few square miles of my apartment, looking for prescription sunglasses. In particular, I wanted a certain style of rayban new wayfarers.
Not only did Park Slope optical have by far the best selection and the best service, but the exact same pair of sunglasses and lenses would have cost me $ 50 – 100 at other shops. Simply put, this place is much better than the competitors.
And the staff there don’t hover around you like vultures the way they do at other optical places – a real pet peeve of mine…

Who actually makes you pick out glasses when your eyes are dilated? THEY DID! This is my first pair of adult glasses and I was thrown off enough at the fact I needed them but then they teamed up on me to rush me to pick out glasses. When I got home my fiancé said, what the? They are the ugliest glasses, ever!!! Really, why the pressure? Any way, I will not be returning to this place, ever again. Go at your own risk, but do not fall for the teamed up pressure to purchase while dilated!

What an amazing shop. Reminds me what life was like when there were more small, caring businesses and fewer chains.
GREAT selection. Helpful advice even on products I told them I wouldn’t be buying. Superb customer service combined with knowledge of all aspects of the business make this THE place I’ll be going to from now on.

I am flabbergasted by the positive reviews. I’m only one person and this was just my experience, but I wouldn’t return to this optician if you paid me.
The doctor seemed like he was in a bad mood, snapping at me every time I expressed a concern. He asked very few questions and expressed the worst bedside manner of any doctor I’ve ever been to. He was downright rude and argumentative. I swear I am not this person under the usual circumstances, but I actually left crying. I think I was just shocked by the way I was being spoken to and frustrated that my needs were not being met.
I went in because my vision had been oddly grainy lately and I was trying to get to the bottom of the issue. He told me my eyes were just dry and I needed to get eye drops and use them every day. When I went to another highly-​rated eye doctor afterwords, not only did she offer me a different prescription than his, she told me that I had cuts all over both of my corneas, and that that was causing the «graininess.» She prescribed me something to help restore my corneas and voila, my eyesight is better.
Again, this is just my experience and judging by other peoples’, this place is allegedly awesome? Seriously, though, it was a really crappy situation and I’d never recommend this particular doctor, Jeffrey Baruch, to anyone.

I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for in a glasses store in the Park Slope/​Prospect Heights neighborhood: terrific customer service, great selection of frames, fair prices, and very quick turnarounds. The proprietor has worked in the neighborhood for years and really knows what he’s talking about – he makes terrific suggestions on frames and seems genuinely concerned with his customers’ satisfaction. I’ve been recommending this place to all of my friends and family in the area. Very highly recommended.

This place is great and Charlie is awesome. I live in sunglasses, I have a light prescription that actually allows me to see that trees have individual leaves… Win right…
Anyway Charlie has done my glasses for years, takes the time to be familiar with the shape I wear, I’m a creature of habit, and calls me whenever he thinks there’s something I might like. I actually lost a pair in a waffle house in Slidell Mississippi (a whole other story) and I called Charlie the next day, he special ordered exactly the frames I had, which were discontinued, made the glasses and fed exed them to me. WIN!!!

I actually left this business and updated my Facebook status with «Katie endorses Park Slope Optical». I’ve had generally awful experiences at eye care places since moving to the city, and this was the opposite. It felt like a 1950s-​era shop, with a level of customer service I’d thought didn’t exist anymore.
I came in for a simple exam and glasses, and the doctor spent about half an hour with me, explaining everything from which brand of contact solution to buy to what I can do about my dry eyes and allergies. I’m very satisfied, both with the quality of the glasses I got and with the care and concern they demonstrated.

I’m rating this so low not because of the quality of service — both the doctor and eyeglasses salesman were very knowledgeable and helpful. I’m giving them low marks because they didn’t accept my Aetna Vision discount for frames and lens. This was the first time in my life I’ve paid full price for frames and lens and it was not cheap. When I asked about it, I was told that the doctor and eyeglasses are separate entities. This is a big issue. I can’t afford to keep going here and that’s too bad because the guys were really helpful. Because of that it’s two stars. Otherwise would have been a four or five.

I’m very picky about shapes, colors, and quality, in every object that I have to use on a daily basis, because I have university degrees in fine arts and product design. It’s a curse. Some of you know what I mean.
So I went to this store three separate times to select one pair of frames. (And made 2 or 3 phone calls with questions, in between the visits.) Each time, I was calmly welcomed in the store, with no attitude other than courtesy and helpfulness.
I found frames that made me happy! They have great prices (I shopped around). Did I mention they accept my insurance too?
I’ve recommended Park Slope Optical to every friend who wears glasses — and I recommend this place to you too!

I have been getting glasses for my disabled son from this place for 12 years. Charlie is the picture of kindness and patience and does amazingly accurate work with a pretty ‘thick’ prescription. Their prices are fair, frame selection large. The whole neighborhood goes, from old folks on fixed income, to big brand-​name spenders. It’s always like a family reunion there. Everyone is treated with the same warmth.
Recently after a bad experience with Cohen’s on 7^th, we went back to Charlie to get a redo.. . lo and behold, not only were the Italian frames stronger and nicer looking, the whole thing, including anti-​reflective coating, came to less than what Cohen’s had ripped us off for. Highly recommend – when I start needing glasses, it’s Park Slope Optical.

I’ve been here twice in two years, both times my glasses got smashed at concerts. The people are Park Slope Optical were incredibly helpful and friendly both times. The first time, they assisted in picking out frames (very important since I was essentially blind), worked with a reticent optometrist in Virgnia who didn’t want to fax over my expired prescription, and made my glasses in an hour while I had lunch at a diner next door. The second time, they took my prescription over the phone in the morning and had the lenses ready to fit to frames that evening after work. They’re the fastest and friendliest vision place I’ve been to. The selection of frames is nice, too.