Hiemstra Optical

Let’s face it– there comes a time when we all have to do those things that we’ve been putting off for what seems like ever– cleaning the garage, organizing the closet, vacuuming the cats… for me, well… it was getting my eyes re-​checked to make sure my glasses were still doing the job I needed them to– and if they were, then to see if my pair of glasses could be rescued (considering the fact it’d been about thirteen or fourteen years since I last had my eyes checked, and those glasses had stories they could tell– being sat on, left behind, the eternal hunt for nose guards, and the time they were almost left in Ohio…).
So the appointment was made at Hiemstra, and away we went (S needed to get her eyes checked out as well, so we booked two appointments at the same time).
The office is well-​maintained– there is a seating area with decent chairs and a stack of magazines for you to thumb through while you wait, though the selections for younger kids aren’t really strong (this really isn’t the kind of place to bring someone who’s not at least grade-​school age if you can help it). There’s a nice large selection of possible frames for you to peruse and try on– trust me, you’ll be here for a while if you don’t know the exact style of frame you want (I suggest asking a friend along to make sure you get the frames that make you look good), so make sure you allow yourself lots of time to find the right frames (they can’t start work on the lenses until you give them a frame to shape the lenses for!), and then just sit back and wait until you’re called for your appointment.
So my name was called, I go back there, and get my eyes examined. Everything goes well (even if I skip the little machine that blasts the air into your eyes to check for something-​or-​other– they have another way they can do this if getting air shot into your eyes isn’t really your thing). The staff was very nice and calm through all this– it didn’t feel like a chore at all to get my eyes checked and I felt like an actual person instead of just another patient that they wanted to get done with ASAP.
After the various eye-​disorder checks, I went with the optometrist to see just how much worse my eyes had become after thirteen years with the same old pair of glasses– he even expressed amazement as to the fact that my old pair was still in some kind of working shape (I’d gotten them there, at that exact office), and then we went through the eye exam, which was less of a chore than it sounds. Everything was calm, everything was professional, and most importantly, there wasn’t any pressure to overspend on designer frames– I got a pair that’s functional, (sort of) stylish, and didn’t really overspend– what isn’t to like?
This place also has a bit of a secret– if you pay your bill with cash or debit, you’ll end up with a discount to your bill for doing so.
About the only problem I can see is the hours– this place closes around five or six– if you work all day, that might be a problem.