Miller & Stolarczuk Optometrists

I’ve been going there to see Dr. White for the past 3 years. She’s the reason why I go back there. But my experience with the ladies up front at the service desk is getting worse and worse at each visit. They are not friendly and come across very rude. Instead of providing service, they appear as if clients are bothering them. I am at a point where I’m looking to switch doc’s office and take my business elsewhere with better treatment.

My husband went in with our daughter to fill his prescription. The assistant (older white woman) was rude, and got annoyed because he had the wrong insurance number and, in the end said there was no record of our proof of coverage. I just called my HR and they have verified we do have insurance covering optometry and listing this clinic as eligible. As a PA myself, I find this treatment rude and unbecoming a health care center — why would you every be rude to a patient who is seeking health care!!! I see we are not the only ones that feel this way. Maybe the optometrist is nice, but the front office staff needs to be recycled! No thanks Miller & Stolarczuk!

I’ve been coming to see Dr. Miller for years. Excellent service, communication and thoroughness. I couldn’t ask for a better experience.

I’ve been going here for years and have noticed the office personnel attitude deteriorating rapidly. Now I have finally had enough. Because my new dual coverage was too much for them to handle, and them telling me it’s not their job to figure out my insurance coverage, it’s time to move on. Very rude!!! Other offices would be more than happy to take someone with good vision coverage…

I’ve been coming to this office to see Dr. Stolarczuk for better than 15 years and it’s because of the quality of the care I receive. Dr. Stoarczuk is outstanding in every way and I have complete faith in her ability to help me see better. When it comes to selecting my eyeglasses, Sharon can be very helpful. I am ‘special’ in so many ways and demand things above and beyond. It would be very easy for the occulist to become frustrated and take it out on me but this is not the case here.

I have been seen by multiple eye doctors at this office and they are all great, including the rest of the staff. I also really enjoy the convenience of being able to schedule an appointment on Saturdays.

I have been going to this wonderful office for 20 years. I would highly recommend this office when getting your eyes checked. The doctors are SUPER, terrific. The office is organized and their follow-​through is amazing. Although I do have other closer options I could consider, I actually commute from Pleasant Hill to El Cerrito because of the doctors and the office.

Everyone in this office is quite friendly and professional. The folks at the front desk attended to me promptly and I didn’t have to wait around to get started. Dr. Stolarczuk was interested in me as a new patient, but also very efficient in getting the exam done. I don’t think I’ve ever had this many tests done on my eyes! I felt confident in the care I received. They didn’t try to sell me anything I didn’t need and, in fact, Dr. S told me that my vision with my current glasses is ²⁰⁄₂₀. However, I am quite tempted by the beautiful selection of frames and Mary gave me pricing — just in case. The free parking right in front is a big plus. I will be returning for all of my eye care needs from now on. Thanks, Ladies!

nice place. i really like Dr. White. She’s great. she really listens and works with you to try and solve whatever problem you are dealing with. pretty good selection of glasses. smaller selection of sunglasses. prices are a little high but if your insurance covers a good amount then it should be fine. great location w/​easy parking and they have really good hours (open on saturdays… although those appointments book up fast).

I wondered what other people thought of this office. I live so close by that I’d like to keep coming, and I found Dr. Miller to be fine. However, as others have said, I do not feel welcome here and that makes a difference. At least I now know it isn’t just me! I think I’ll try a new place.

Pros: Plenty of parking available.
Cons: Rude people. I did not feel welcomed.
My medical coverage was at question. I verified this office accepted my coverage as I located them through the preferred provider listing. It was very UNprofessional how they acted. They obviously don’t need or want new patients with good medical coverage. There are plenty of other optometrists in the area. I wanted an eye doc close my residence. I’ll take the longer drive to my old eye doc.

The first time I walked into El Cerrito Optical, it was to ask them a huge favor. I was traveling to Guatemala in three days, and had lost a contact for my right eye, which left me only the one I was wearing. I was going to be traveling for a few weeks in rural villages and thought that if anything happened to my last lens it would be a big problem. So, I brought in my box, asked them if they could possibly order me a trial lens for my trip. Done. Two trial lenses. No charge. No questions. I had never been a patient there and they helped me out quite graciously. Awesome. It turned out that my first day in Antigua, I did loose a lens so it was amazing to be prepared like that. Their kindness sold me forever.
When I needed a new exam and prescription, of course, i went there. Great experience. Genuinely nice people, great doctors, professional atmosphere. Very happy.
Two days ago, I woke up with an eye emergency. I thought I might be going blind in one eye. Something was definitely not right. I drove up there immediately when they opened and got an appt with Dr. Stolarczuk that afternoon. Many tests performed. Very thorough and the last step was looking inside my eyes with a special light tool, to find that, indeed, I had a very serious problem going on. She immediately made an appt for me at a Retinologist who I went to see the following day. I am so very grateful to Dr. Stolarczuk. The condition is serious and I will be having monthly treatments for the next 6 months. Had I gone to someone less expert, less thorough, I might be blind right now. Thank you so much Dr. Stolarczuk!
I cannot, repeat, cannot recommend this practice highly enough. Great staff. Wonderful doctors. Wonderful care. I have never had a better experience anywhere in my many years of wearing glasses, contacts and having eye exams. I’m a graphic designer/​visual artist. My eyesight is my most important physical asset and I feel very safe and secure in the hands of El Cerrito Optical. If there were 10 stars, that’s what I’d rate them!

I’ve been seeing Dr. White for the last three years and have had nothing but the best of experiences. Kind informative, she constantly keeps me abreast of how I’m doing and what I should be keeping my eye on (excuse the pun).
The rest of the staff is great and friendly as well. Good selection of glasses and frames, always willing to do small adjustments for no charge, and just overall helpful.

I strongly recommend Adrienne White. (If this was just for the doctor, I would give five stars) She was great. Not only was she professional and thorough in her explanation of the tests/​results but she was also exceptionally nice. I have pretty bad eyes and have been to many doctors over the years and this was the first one who was friendly. It may seem like a small thing, but it really goes a long way.
Other info:
–The interior is a little out dated and cluttered but they make the best of the limited space that they have.
–The staff that handle the front desk were very nice and knowledgeable.
–A staff member (not a doctor and not part of the front desk — not really sure who they were) did try to order and charge me for my contacts. This resulted in some confusion, but overall it was fine.
–Cute selection of frames. I am not in the market for frames, but they had many that I would get if I was.
–Shared parking lot with the other businesses in the plaza
–In order to measure pressure in the eye they do NOT do the poof of air test! This was a nice surprise to me because I hate that test. They measure it with a non-​invasive probe instead.

I have see Dr. Stolarczuk for 25 years now (since high school). She is an excellent doctor and I have always enjoyed my visits and look forward to seeing her each year. Her office is clean, parking is readily available, location is convenient.

As someone else said, this is not the most welcoming place. I never feel a rush of warm, welcoming customer service hit me as I walk through the door. In fact, I usually am given the once over and every time I am asked, derisively, if I have insurance. Yes, ladies, despite my Robert Baratheon beard, my head to toe tattoos, and my casual attire (bc with their limited hours, if I am walking in there it’s bc I’m off that day, and I’m not sporting professional wear if I don’t have to) I AM employed (as a nurse! And soon I will be a nurse practitioner! My wife is a lawyer! We are respectable people™!) But even if none of the aforementioned were true, I am still a human, walking into a medical office as a patient, and am just as deserving of respect and quality care as the next guy or girl. So yeah, they really bug me with that crap.
HOWEVER-​since I moved here, I just keep coming back. I think they have an over all excellent selection. I can’t wear contacts, have a pretty heavy duty script because I have both astigmatism and near sightedness in both eyes, as well as farsightedness in the right eye. I can’t wear plastic frames, bc they cause blisters on my ears. I am a pain in the ass, and yet I can still find frames that work for my delicate sensibilities. They really help you with finding what will work right for your face, for your activity demands, etc. They have heaps of top quality, designer frames, and a great amount of entry level frames. They work with many different discount plans too.
The parking is easy as hell. There is never too bad of a wait. Its hard if you need an appointment to update a script, usually there is a bit of a wait involved, but over all it’s minimal. There is no issue, if you have a up to date script, with just walking in and ordering the glasses (Or contacts-​but who dreams of contacts? I guess the same person who dreams of glasses, but, I digress.) of your dreams. They are a locally owned and operated NONchain establishment. By virtue of that alone, if you are a Northwest Alameda or Southwest CoCo resident, it would behoove you to keep you $ in our community and support this biz when you need your next pair of glasses or contacts.

My profession is centered around making people feel warmly welcomed. I did not feel welcome here … My favorite part of using Unilocal is supporting local small businesses (especially women-​owned, women-​run) with positive reviews. I resist writing negative reviews unless my experience is especially negative. ** If I am going to spend $ 1000 on eye exams, glasses and contact lenses, I don’t think it is unreasonable for me to expect authentic courtesy and respect.
1) I booked my apt over the phone. I specified that I would need to get an eye exam for BOTH glasses and contact lenses. When I about the visit fees, I was quoted a price that sounded reasonable. BUT when I went in for my apt I was told that the exam/​fitting for contact lenses would be AN EXTRA $ 90! — The price is *fine*, but I should have been told the total price when I booked (and specifically asked).
2) a. When I went in for my apt the receptionist was «nice» … yet demeaning. She said things in a professional way, but she was not nice. She gave me duplicate forms. When I asked her if I needed to fill them all, or just the 1^st copies, she answered my question as if I were wasting her time by asking, and silly for not knowing. She called me «hon» in a way that sounded demeaning (like I was being a silly little girl).
b. She seemed slightly perturbed that I did not have my old contact lens boxes me. (I was not told to bring them when I booked, or I would have happily brought them.) I told her the Brand and Type of lenses that I have used for years, and she was dismissive as if she needed proof. She made several comments about the fact that I didn’t have the boxes, and indicated that I would have to call her with the info later (???).
4) When I booked, I was told my apt would last 30−45min = it took 2 hours, I got there at 11am, and left at around 1pm. Again, no problem, but at least tell me what to expect.
5) I don’t know if this is industry standard, but they did not give me my prescription when I checked out. The place that I used to go always gave me a print out of my new prescription. Im going to have to call and try to get it, and I am worried that they will be rude about it (but I update this review once I have called)
Positives:
The Optometrist who did my exam was professional and thorough. She was generally friendly.
The center is convenient and easy to get to
The woman who helped me look at frames was the nicest and most personable individual there. I felt truly welcomed by her (too bad she was not working the front desk)

I have been going to this office for over 10 years now. The staff are awesome and the doctors are great! The exams are thorough and their recommendations such as seeing a specialist are spot on.
They are very clear about what they can and cannot do, while being professional, polite, personal and courteous.
Love this place! :)

I’ve been coming here since I moved to the Bay Area a couple years ago and recommend to any local family and friends. I used to live in El Cerrito so my first visit was for convenience. Now I’m willing to drive the extra 30 min + for these ladies. They’re very welcoming and knowledgable. Been very helpful in every visit from contacts to glasses and even a recent medical visit when my allergies were causing issues with my vision. Definitely the place to go.

This is a quick, spontaneous review, but then, my visit yesterday was equally spontaneous and quick.
Yesterday, I was running around doing errands of one kind or another. Stopped by the Plaza to get a few things at Trader Joes. Had a pair of expensive prescription glasses in the car. (I’d been toking them around for several months as I forgot to bring them in the UC Berkeley’s Optometry Department during my regular appointment.
Useless to me, these expensive glasses. Unwearable. They needed fixing.
Because I was parked just outside of Miller & Stolarczuk, I brought them in to the office. It was afternoon and seemed quite busy. Almost left as my need to fix these particular glasses seemed trivial.
A friendly voice called from the counter so I went over. Explained that I hadn’t taken my glasses in with me to my regular appointment at UCB. Told them that I certainly understood if they didn’t have time to fix the glasses but that I’d be more than willing to pay if they did.
The «friendly voice» behind the counter left (with the glasses) to an antechamber. About three minutes past and she returned with m glasses, now intact. Asked for the charge.
«Nothing,» she replied. «Glad to do it.»
Ask me if M&S Optometrists has made a positive impression on this Unilocaler. Ask the Unilocaler if she intends to return again and again for new prescription glasses, cases, sunglasses. All things optical.
You bet.
I’m impressed.