Kessler Optical

I love going to Kessler Optical. First and foremost, I like to support local businesses. Dr. Kessler and his wife run the place with wonderful staff members, from reception – to the medical assistant before your exam – to fittings, and it’s as friendly of an atmosphere as you can have when you’re dealing with a medical appointment and subsequent fittings for eyewear.
They have a beautiful selection of eyewear from different designers. The staff will spend as much time as it takes to get the right fit and the right look and tell you how to properly care for your glasses. You can walk in to get your frames adjusted or get your glasses cleaner refilled for free anytime. They really care about their patients and it shows in all of their interactions.
The eye exam is comprehensive and Dr. Kessler is knowledgeable and kind. He takes his time and your exam is not rushed. I will continue to give them my business.

This place is wonderful. I was visiting from out of town for the weekend and lost my only pair of contacts. Kessler helped me get a new pair of contacts on very short notice, were extremely nice and made me wish I lived in Champaign so that Dr. Kessler could be my regular optician. Highly recommended.

I have seen my fair share of eye doctors due to being blessed with horrible vision and moving frequently for work. I LOVE Kessler Optical. I had eye pain that was quite bad and Andrew got me in within 24 hours of my phone call. It was easy to submit all my new patient paperwork electronically so I was ready to go for my Saturday appointment.
When I arrived to their trendy downtown location, I walked into jazz music and a bunch of classy individuals chatting and laughing as they tried on glasses at a posh bar-​like counter. People were chatting it up with total strangers about which frames they should pick and the ladies helping everyone seemed so good at turning everyone they helped into their new best friend. I was offered chilled water upon my arrival and their collection of magazines included the New Yorker, which I love but do not subscribe to myself. Once in the exam room, music played while I waited and the screen saver of the computer taught me several new vocabulary words while I waited. Dr. Kessler was pretty much amazing and helped me solve my eye problem quickly so I could go on with my Saturday. I would recommend this eye place for sure!

Excellent as always. Dr. Kessler is really thorough, and always takes the time to answer any questions I have. I have been going to him since 1997, love the experience even more now that he has opened his own place. I love working with the staff to find frames, everyone is so helpful and honest, and it just makes for a really fun experience.

I needed a new eye doctor since I was staying permanently in Champaign after school. Everyone at Kessler is so nice and helpful, and Kessler himself is a great optometrist. He explained everything I had questions about and helped me choose what was best for my eyes. I did not purchase glasses or contacts here, because it’s always cheaper online. However, I will continue to come back here for my annual appointments. Also, the office is super trendy, which I LOVE!

Solid customer service.
Yes, their glasses are expensive. But the staff are glad to help you if you want to buy your glasses elsewhere. They just specialize in high quality frames.
My eye exams were great and they were very helpful in scheduling difficult appointments and responding by email.
Not many places are as understanding or helpful like that.

Absurdly overpriced. Went in for prescription glasses. The frame I chose was priced at 855 when online retailer sell it for 300+ bucks. When I asked them, the sales lady tried to justify the price tag with warranty etc. but c’mon, more than twice the retail price?
Also, the high index lens cost almost 500, adding up to a grand total of 1350. As an international student, I do not have eye insurance so the price seems really ridiculous.
The eye exam cost 160 which I think is still much higher than average.
I recently accompanied my friend to get a pair of designer glasses on Michigan avenue in Chicago, and the total cost is a mere 400, frame, lens and eye exam combined.
My advice, look elsewhere if you do not have insurance to cover the full price. They don’t stick price tags to the frames so keep in mind the ridiculously high pricing when shopping. Remember that you can get it a lot cheaper online, so just remember the model number of the pair you like.

There’s a lot to like about Kessler Optical. Dr. Kessler himself is phenomenal, the office is comfortable, and they have mimosas on Saturdays! Still, there are some things about the way they do business that leave a bad taste in my mouth.
First, as a new patient, you’re going to be asked to fill out an EXTENSIVE medical history – everything from mental disorders present in your grandparents to what birth control you’re on. They wanted a more thorough medical history than my general practitioner has. I opted to leave a lot of this blank – it’s okay to tell your eye doctor they’re asking for too much info.
Second, buried in the pile of new patient paperwork is a sheet that informs you that their standard yearly eye exam involves three additional components, all of which your insurance won’t cover and you’ll need to pay for out of pocket – taking your blood pressure, a blood sugar test, and a more extensive eye exam. I realize that diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, but my GP does my bloodwork every year, and I’m not paying $ 40 to have it done again! The sheet is drawn up without an option that says «I decline all three of these services», so I had to write that in myself. Be warned – if you are the sort to fly through your new patient paperwork signing everything in sight, you’ll be saddled with about $ 60 of extra services not covered by your insurance.
Third, every time I have left a message on their machine (during business hours!), they haven’t called me back on that business day.
Fourth, they’re training a new receptionist (god I hope she is new), and although she’s incredibly sweet, both times I was checking out I had to wait 10 – 20 minutes just to get my receipt worked out. This meant my entire eye visit took nearly two hours, and popping in to pick up my contacts took half an hour. I was told there were several emergencies on the day I had my initial appointment, which is why it took so long, so perhaps this isn’t usually the case.
Fifth, my contacts came with a rebate, and despite reassuring me that they had given me everything necessary to send in the rebate, when I got home I realized they had not. I now have to go back out to Kessler a THIRD time in order to get the correct itemized receipt for my rebate.
Dr. Kessler and the other medical staff are fantastic, so I’m considering giving this another shot, but to be frank, I don’t care how suave or chic the wait room is. I want my optometrist visits to be prompt, painless, and I don’t want them to try to squeeze me for extra money by pushing unnecessary services.

At last — a place where you can find interesting eyewear in Champaign. If you’re looking for eyeglasses that are beyond the ordinary this is your place. I bought prescription sunglasses, and I look forward to returning for regular glasses.
Unlike another reviewer, I found the staff to be *extremely* friendly and helpful. I was there in the mid-​afternoon, with few other customers around, and I got the royal treatment. I was offered a sparkling water and got to look through a giant case of LA Eyeworks frames that happened to be there at the time (they were deciding which frames to carry in the shop). The folks I met at Kessler Optical were really great.

A suave eye place. Would you believe it if you saw it? I walked inside and thought, «Am I in New York? Am I on Michigan Avenue? How did I get to Paris?» Champaign optometry now comes in a new flavor: Urban-​Chic. For me that flavor is a bright forest green — my new colored contacts, customized at my appointment and ready to pick up the same week.

I never thought I would describe an Optometrist’s office as «trendy» or «chic.» But there are no other words for Dr. Kessler’s office. It’s like a chichi hair salon. The waiting room has techno music playing. The magazines are of the Elle and Elle Décor variety, instead of the usual Family Circles and US Weeklies littering the waiting area. There is a long bar where the glassitas (that’s my new word amalgamating ‘baristas’ and ‘chicks who help you pick out glasses’) help you try on new glasses from an extensive selection. It was odd, but admittedly, very cool.
BUT, none of that compares to the fact that Dr. Kessler is fairly frickin’ awesome. He was obviously intelligent (he likes Madison, WI, so, there’s apparently a light on upstairs… ha ha, I’m hilarious… but kidding. Really, he’s smart). He was very concerned about getting just the right fit for contact lenses and did a bit of trial and error there instead of just handing me a pair and rushing me out the door. More than anything, though, he did not give me the usual patronizing explanations of where to look while shining a light in my eye – I’ve been doing that since I can remember, and I appreciated being treated as such. He also didn’t push for me to have my eyes dilated that day. All hail Kessler!