First Optical

Yesterday, I went to check if my frame is bent. Once Christine and her very skinny mainland old ugly Chinese woman assistant who apparently has excessive phony disgusting high self-​esteem (same as Christine herself) saw me, they bursted into big laughter while talking their weird local dialect. What did that supposed to mean? Making fun of me? Laughing at me? I figured they must be talking shit about me right before I went in. Then the skinny woman snapped herself into this long back chair turning the chair back towards me. After Christine corrected the bent, I asked if she cleaned the lenses, she said: of course, however, when I checked, there were still so many dirty spots on the lenses. So I went back, then they laughed at me so loudly and gossiped with the annoying dialect again. She told me those dirty spots are not dirt, they are scratches. But nevertheless, later on, she did get rid of those dirty spots which she called scratches. Is this the treatment and service I deserve for my $ 1000 pair of glasses? I felt so offended! A few years ago, the elder white eye examiner in the store told her I am too old to wear contact lenses that stopped me from wearing them for long time. This store only cares about money. I bought my first pair for more than 400, it did not last for a year before lenses started to show worn out surface, when I asked Christine why, she told me: that’s because you paid me too little, I had to sell you the cheap low quality ones, 400 dollar is not small money, granted it is, one year is way too short for a lens life, that’s just not acceptable! My suggestion: avoid getting ripped off, insulted and unknowledgeable misleading, never patronize this place!

Ok, first of all, I didn’t buy anything from this place. I wanted to write a review for the nice service I received. I came in with the intention to put in nose pads for my recently purchased Warby Parker sunglasses. I walked in and told the woman behind the counter what I needed. She told me they don’t do those type of things in-​store, she would need to send them out. Debating whether I should do it or not, she said again in honesty that if I proceeded to put the nose pads in, my sunglasses will end up looking funny on me. She then heated up the frames to adjust to my face and they fit and don’t slide down anymore. I asked her how much I owed her and she said nothing. Very nice of her!

Located in the heart of Chinatown, this professional establishment catered to those who are in need of eye-​wear has served its community for almost 20 years now. With a selection of over two hundred high-​end lens and frames, First Optical has set it’s standards far above it’s competitors. This place is recommended for anyone that wants a pair of quality glasses. The store also provides services for eye exams administered by a professional optometrist. Graduate of the University of Berkeley, along with over 40 years of professional experience, the doctor will provide you with everything you need to know in order to attain the pair of glasses or contacts that will be just right for you.

Store looks nice but since I was desperately in need of nose pads installed on my plastic frame, I came here to get it done. I saw the ones they did on a couple of frames and it looked good. But when I received mine, they are crooked! One is higher than the other. So poorly done. If I weren’t in such a hurry, I would have gone elsewhere. Thanks for messing up my Burberry frames.

I didn’t know much about glasses and I went to First Optical to get my first pair. This place was recommended by my mom. She said Christine would measure my face to find frames that would fit me best. I followed her advice because she recently bought a $ 500 pair of glasses from here. The store was very clean and organized. Christine was very nice as well. I told her that I preferred square frames but she did not measure my face. The first pair of frames she pulled out was by Gucci. I love designer products but when I tried them on, I thought they seemed too wide for my face. When I asked for her option, she said that they were fine and that’s not what matters; what matters is that they fit at the temples. Granted, my mom or I could have asked her to measure my face but who were we to argue with an optometrist? She knows what she’s doing, right? I looked around for other frames but found none that I liked. So I bought the Gucci frames. Christine said my glasses would be ready in 30 minutes since my prescription was so low, which was great because I live in San Francisco and it would save me a trip across the bay bridge. After purchasing the frames, I was looking around in the entrance area where the less expensive frames are kept. I noticed a small piece of paper on a wall that listed the prices of all the frames in the main room. She sold me the most expensive pair!
When I came home, my mom said my glasses looked too big for my face! She said my eyes were supposed to be centered within the frames. I researched online for how glasses are supposed to fit your face and your eyes should indeed be centered. My eyes are about a centimeter off from the center.
I spent more than $ 300 on a pair of ill-​fitting glasses because I trusted this woman, thinking she was there to help find the best frames for me. Instead, she found the best frames that would make her the most money. I understand it’s her job to try to sell you the most expensive stuff but she didn’t have to lie to me about the frames fitting. I’d be more than happy to pay a lot of money for glasses that were actually the right size. Although I’ll admit the process of choosing frames was rather pleasant, it means nothing to me considering Christine is deceitful toward her loyal customers.
So if you’re inexperienced with glasses, go to some place that actually cares about finding you the right pair of frames.

Very well-​organized and clean-​looking, First Optical has a large offering of products, with a special eye towards Asian optics-​wearers. Many of the models they offer are high-​end, fashionable and range from moderate to pricey. The salespeople are very knowledgeable and professional, and can offer advisory on what the latest fashion is for eyewear (considering every salesperson there wears glasses, they would know!).
As a standard, many technologies are also offered as options on eyewear, such as transitional lenses (light to dark in sunlight), scratch-​resistant coating, and much more. If you need prescription sunglasses, they have a variety of options (including colors of gray, green and brown). In case you don’t want prescription sunglasses, they also have clip-​on type sunglasses models. Another interesting point is that an eye doctor is also located in the same office (next door to the shop), offering a full optical exam on-​site. This makes First Optical a very convenient location to shop for your next pair of glasses.
I have gone here a few times and they have made a loyal customer out of me. Languages spoken by the store employees include English and Mandarin.

there was nothing wrong with this store, nice clean well appointed. However, you should only go to this place if you want metal frames. 90% of their glasses were metal framed, and since i was looking for something different, to me it was really disappointing because there was virtually nothing to choose from outside of that.

This «high-​fashion eyewear boutique» in Oakland’s Chinatown has more top brand name designer frames in stock than any other optical store I’ve ever been to– and I’ve been to many– from coast-​to-​coast and even overseas. On any given day, there is over a quarter of a milion dollars worth of eyewear to choose from, so you’re sure to find exactly what you want no matter how eclectic your style and taste may be. I don’t normally wear eyeglasses unless I’m driving, so the one dorky-​looking pair of glasses I keep in my glove compartment is all I need but I do keep different pairs of prescription Oakleys, Raybans and Armani’s around for those times when I’m rolling around town incognito.