Monarch Bay Optometry

Today I had an appt. at Monarch Bay Optometry, my first time. I have to say– I have been in total denial of even needing to see an eye specialist… anyone else out there??:-) I truly didn’t know what to expect… then I walked in. I was so suprised at the soothing and welcoming atmosphere. Dr. Lin kindly greeted me immediately and put me at ease. I found her to be extremely efficient and thorough. Her sister Elizabeth went through the initial testing with me… what a sweetheart she is! She really took her time and was so caring… love her! Everything was so new to me but I felt I was in such professional hands with Dr. Lin. I did need glasses but Dr. Lin took me through finding the right frames and really let me take as much time as I needed (remember.I’m still in denial:-) to find what I was truly comfortable with. What started out to be a quite difficult process for me turned into a plenitude of pleasantries and I am truly grateful. I highly recommend this facilty…;-)
Cynthia

Dr Lin and her team are great!!!
My Husband, daughter and myself have been coming to Dr Lin for years. Not only is she a good Dr but she cares.
We have recevied excellent treatment and everyone is always very professional and freindly.
I highly recommend Dr Lin and her practice.

Dr. Lin is the greatest! My wife and I have been patients ever since she opened her practice and we have never had any issues st all. We both actually been seeing her even before she started her own practice. Dr. Lin and her staff so helpful and the quality of her lenses for glasses are superb. I’m really rough with my grasses and they always stand the test of time. The selection of glasses and sunglasses are the best I’ve ever seen. We live very far away from Dr. Lin’s practice, almost 2 hours away, but you really cannot place a distance on the great quality lens, vision health and the patient care that comes from Dr. Lin’s practice. We would could never trust our eyes to anyone else! We are very proud to recommend her to all our family members and friends!

I was looking for an optometrist to do a regular annual eye exam. I had Lasik surgery a few years ago so I don’t need glasses (just readers which I can get at the CVS). I selected Dr. Lin because she does Lasik pre and post evaluations and she seems to know about that procedure.
I walked into the store and told them very clearly that I was not looking for glasses or contacts. I just wanted an annual eye exam to make sure all was okay. While I was waiting for them to take me I saw Dr. Lin trying to sell a guy on glasses. He commented that he got a discount through Oakley and she took out her calculator and was trying to show him how much he could save buying them through her. He had to nicely decline at least 2 or 3 times.
They offer the opportunity to do your dilation that day or you can come back within 30 days to have it done at no additional cost which is a great bonus. Since I had to go back to the office, I filled out the form they offered that said I would come back within two weeks.
I had my eye exam and she was very nice. She said I had missed some of the peripheral vision signals and she wanted to retest that. But she forgot and never did — clearly her focus was on finding things to sell me instead. That annoyed me a bit. Shouldn’t the focus be on my eye health? And then she got a bottle ready to put drops in my eyes. I asked if those were dilation drops and she said yes. I had to stop her quickly and I told her I filled out the form that said I would return. She didn’t even look at that.
Once the eye exam was done, she started trying to sell me. Didn’t I need progressive lenses for my work? She tried to tell me that since the distance between my writing and my computer is different I should really get progressives. Really? For about two feet of difference? I have never had an issue and I told her my CVS readers worked just fine. Then she tried to sell me on a heat compress for my eyes to produce more tears. No thanks — I really just want an eye exam.
I returned about a week later for my dilation. They had to test my eye pressure again before she gave me the drops. I had to say this time I was very turned off as they didn’t use any sanitation wipes to clean the machines. The first time I was there, they made a big deal of doing it before I was tested. I was her last patient at 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon, and clearly she and her receptionist were ready to leave. She did the dilation and then proceeded to again sell me on the mask to produce more tears. No thanks, I said, yet again, I really only wanted an eye exam.
I left the office and within 5 minutes my nose started getting very stuffed up and for the next 48 hours I felt like I had a head cold or had a major reaction to whatever drops she used. I have never had an experience like that and I’ve had lots of eye exams. Thankfully it went away two days later, but I wonder if it had to do with not cleaning the machine or with a bad reaction to the drops.
Dr. Lin was nice enough, but I really was turned off by the hard sell tactic. What happened to optometrists just checking your eyes to make sure they are in good health. I feel like these days they are all associated with eyeglass or contact lens sales and just want to make as much money as possible.
It is a shame as her office is very convenient to where I live, but I just don’t feel like dealing with the constant sales tactics any longer.
UPDATE MAY 2016: I see Dr. Lin keeps making updates to her response saying she wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t try to solve my problems, and I just want to point out that I DIDN’T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS WHATSOEVER. I just wanted an annual eye exam. So her trying to sell me things to address my complaints are just an excuse as I HAD NO COMPLAINTS. NONE. All I kept saying is I am having no issues and I just want a checkup to make sure all is OK. I should add that it is not just her. Everywhere I go, everyone is trying to sell me things. I am sure that it costs a lot to pay for rent and staffing, etc. and business owners need to make as much as they can. I am a business owner myself so I get that. But you should just be a little more perceptive to see if a client says no once or twice they don’t want anything, listen and stop selling.

I made an appointment here after a friend recommended it. I’m so glad I did! Dr. Lin is so thorough. I hadn’t had an eye exam for 5 years and was considering going from glasses to contacts. Dr. Lin explained everything so well. She takes her time and made sure I understood everything. She explained all my options and helped me make a decision based on what was right for me. Her assistant was so patient teaching me how to put contacts in and how to remove them. Kudos to her as I don’t catch on quickly. I feel so free now, not having glasses on. A lot more clear than with glasses, too. They also handled all my insurance, zero hassle. I highly recommend Dr. Lin and her practice!

I have been seeing Dr Lin for many years now and she is absolutely wonderful. She is extremely patient and caring. She is very thorough and provides clear explanation during the exam process. Until I met Dr Lin I had never been very good at keeping up on eye exams — nor had I ever been loyal to any particular optometrist. Her approach and her caring make you want to come back.
Reggie Feuille
Laguna Niguel, CA

Very friendly front staff. Dr Lin was very personable and professional, she took her time to explain everything. I would highly recommend this business. Another bonus is the office is beautiful, clean and in a great location.

My family and I have been going to Monarch Bay Optometry for several years now.
I highly recommend them for everything from eye exams to shopping for that perfect
pair of glasses or sunglasses. They have a wonderful selection.
Their service is kind, friendly and has that personal feel. They are a wonderful addition
to our community and support the local schools and sports teams.
The location is great! You can grocery shop, grab a starbucks and get your eye exam taken care of all in one trip.
Cynthia
Dana Point

Dr. Lin is very nice and thorough. My baby girl had to accompany me on my first exam and was being a screaming banshee the whole time. Mortifying! I was so impressed with Dr. Lin’s patience and understanding with my daughter. Very fast glasses and sunglasses RX fill as well!!! :)

Dr. Lin has a great optical boutique with lots of selection, reasonable prices and, best of all, great service. We are so fortunate to have an optometrist this good in our area. I highly recommend her.