John Gartner, OD

I come here for all of my optometry needs including glasses, contacts, and routine exams. The team is easy to work with and always pleasant. Highly recommend Dr. Gartner and his associate Shawn.

What’s the bottom line here? What does everyone really want to know? Well I’m going to try to hit it some points with a little humor involved:
Can we trust this guy? YES, he’s not one of those doc’s that’s just looking to make a buck.
Does he know what he’s doing? Yup he’s not a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy he really did pay attention in class!
Are you just a number to him? No, definitely NOT. He really cares and is there to help you!
Will he treat me well? Most Definitely. He’s actually a really Cool Cat and that’s just how he rolls! More importantly he does not roll his eyes at you (smile).
Is he going to try and sell me something just to pay for his next vacation? Nah, like I said he really does care and he’s not there to make $$$ off of you.
I really like him, so much so that I’ve taken my 9 year old to see him and he was Awesome with him. For me that says a lot, because my children are everything to me. To entrust someone with your children, for me, says a lot. Anyways I highly recommend him and his wife Lisa Galstian. Lisa is just as wonderful and I love her. They are both very thorough and offer you the latest and greatest technology so that you can rest assured that thee old eyeballs are right on track. Oh and his staff are AWESOME everyone makes you feel right at home HUGE BONUS!

I can’t even begin to say how great this doctor and office are! Dr. Gartner is so friendly, helpful, honest, and prompt. He will not make you pay for things you don’t need and won’t try to convince you to buy unnecessary products or procedures. Their office hours are convenient and they have a great selection of glasses. I always recommend this place to anyone who asks!

I have had an excellent, albeit unique experience with Dr. Gartner and his staff. I have a rare eye condition called Keratoconus which requires special hybrid RGP/​Soft contacts to properly address. Unfortunately, for various reasons, it does mean fitting contacts will be a hassle.
I am very relieved and grateful that Gartner and his staff have been so accommodating. Even with insurance pre-​paying upfront, I have had 5 follow up visits already and they have ordered 5 new custom contacts from Synergeyes. Gartner has taken the time to meticulously re-​analyze my eyes after each iteration of the custom contacts.
Each iteration has been an improvement, and at this point my right eye can see ²⁰⁄₂₀ or better! I have never experienced that kind of vision, even with glasses! Work still needs to be done in fitting the contacts — we realized my current Synergeyes Duette trials may not work in the long run so we are going to try a different brand of custom contacts, perhaps Synergeyes KC.
The hunt continues for fixing my vision issues and I have glad Gartner & his team are behind me.
Beyond their service, the office is very nice, clean and orderly. A pleasant place to wait in and the surrounding shopping center is a nice place to linger if you arrive early. I highly recommend Gartner, whether you have an eye condition or just want to keep pace with your yearly check ups.

I have been seeing Dr. Gartner for 2 years. He is just great — makes you feel comfortable and really cares about helping you find a solution if you have a problem!
The staff is always courteous, professional, and prompt. I like that they are open on Saturday morning. This is a good option if you work late hours during the week.
I would recommend this office in a heartbeat!

Dr. Galstian was my Optometrist, and she was great! I finally found someone that I really like! Each person in their staff were extremely knowledgeable, thorough, courteous, and helpful! I brought my two crazy young kids with me and while it sounded like a bad idea to bring them during an eye exam, they were extremely welcoming and accommodating to them. They even allowed me to take them in the back with me! They had a nice small selection of luxury brand glasses. The cost for the exams were reasonable, and I liked how they also offered an additional exam to see the image of your eyes in 3D. My husband had also scheduled an appointment to get his eyes checked. I have VSP insurance, but if you don’t have VSP insurance, they do offer a discount for BlueShield members! I didn’t buy insurance for my husband this year because he had lasik surgery about five years ago (from another practice) and he didn’t have a problem with his vision until now. When I called to ask if we could get a discount for him since he didn’t have insurance, the person who was helping me tried her best by looking into their other discounts. Unfortunately, their other discounts didn’t apply to us, but I appreciated how she spent some time to help me on this regard. Everyone here was great and a pleasant to work with. Definitely coming back here again for my annual checkup!

I live really close by here so it was very convenient to walk over to this place. I looked on Unilocal ahead of time time and reviews sounded average. Going to any specialist is sort of tricky to determine how it is because we all have different experiences. Nonetheless, this place met my needs because the front desk, assistant, and doctors really take care of you.
I came in for a yearly check up, to determine the cost of replacing my lens because they are mildly scratched, and prescription sunglasses because it’s such a hassle to switch to regular sunglasses with my everyday glasses. Plus, I am not interested in contact lens… yet.
When I came in the assistant gave me information about their special exam that they offer for $ 29 to help prevent Glaucoma or anything else. I went for it because I haven’t had my eyes checked for about 2 years so better be safe than sorry!
Dr. Lisa Galstian was my doctor for the day, had me look at letters and determine how bad my vision is or if it has changed. Then she showed me the x-​ray from the special exam. It was cool to see the inside of my eyes! @_@ Amazing technology! I saw that my eyes are healthy and it was affirming to see (pun intended).
Afterwards I was assisted to get prescription sunglasses. They don’t have the greatest selection to be honest in terms of designer but I was glad I was able to find a good pair of Gucci’s. The assistant broke down the cost and what my insurance could cover. I am glad that they can accept half the payment and then next visit to pick up the frames, I just have to pay the rest off.
I am giving 4.5 stars because of the minimal selection of frames and glasses. But other than that, the doctor and the assistants would keep me coming back!

I broke my glasses on Friday evening, at work, and I was desperate to get a new pair of glasses. They were able to find an appointment for me first thing the next morning.
Dr. Galstian is wonderful, very patient and very honest. The office staff is also very helpful and patient.
I would definitely recommend this office to my friends.

Hello! Thank God for this place! Dr. Gartner was awesome! So personable. I have terrible vision for distance but the doctor made me feel completely comfortable throughout the exam. His staff, especially Liana, were all so very helpful. I called on a Tues & got in on Thurs morning. They were suuuuper accommodating b/​c I love my current frames & just wanted to replace the lenses. But Liana showed me a couple other super cute frames that were VERY similar to the ones I have now. I ended up deciding to go with my original frames but she made a note of the one I liked & said I would be eligible for another set of frames in January. Everything was explained really well AND she emailed me an electronic copy of my receipt so I can easily upload to my health flex spending to account for the expense. Fantastic customer service, 100% recommend… not sure how they are with kids but I would totally take my son here (he’s 4) when/​if needed. Also, parking is super easy b/​c it’s almost right next door to von’s & I work at UCSD so it’s incredibly convenient. A+++++

Dr. Gartner is so wonderfully personable and, though he is usually booked like crazy, does a great job at giving you his undivided attention. If you get him at a time where there isn’t a heavy patient load, his stories are so interesting and always funny.
The staff their is also incredibly nice. I came in for my first contact appointment ever and, after reaching my 20’s only wearing glasses to that point, took over 45 minutes to learn how to place the lenses in my eyes and take them out. One of the staff members spent the whole time with me reassuring me I could do it and never rushed me. His fellow staff members were more than happy to pick up the slack as my irritated eyes and the lens fiasco was occurring. Overall, the whole office was polite, professional, and fun to work with.
Story time: During the middle of a contact lens test trial, I dropped one down the sink and had to get a replacement. Doh! The office gave me not just one, but 2 sets as my follow-​up appointment was not for awhile (something like 3 or 4 weeks), no extra charge.
My only qualm is that the group may be too good and in demand. Being in a prime location and being rated so highly, the place gets swamped as alluded to earlier. It may be hard to schedule appointments close together at times and the office operates at pretty standard work hours during the day. I can’t really blame either Gartner or Galstian for this, nor the staff as the office is as big as it can be and they really do a great job. Good luck booking Saturday everybody…

So glad I found Dr. Gartner! I had an excellent first experience here. The staff was very helpful and friendly. They fully explained my benefits to me before the eye exam began. Dr. Gartner had a good sense of humor and discussed the results of all the tests and answered all my questions and concerns. They also had updated technology and tests I had not had before. The office has a great small personal feel and the eye glasses selection had some good fancy brands like Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, and Dior. I’ll definitely be back here next year!

I’ve seen both Dr. Galstian and Dr. Gartner over the years and I always look forward to my annual eye exams at their office. They and their staff are excellent. The doctors use the latest diagnostic techniques and equipment and conduct the exam in a professional, informative, and personable way. The office staff are friendly and helpful, and have made minor fixes and adjustments to my glasses at no charge.

Called for my appontment and they were able to see me in just a few days. The Support staff is friendly and know what is going on. My Pre consultation was quick and to the point. I have used John and Lisa for over 10 years. John has a great sence of humor and excellent knowledge of his craft. They have also had me do their family portraits many years ago as well, I think it’s time to update their photos! Dennis of

Dr. Gartner is personable and professional. Friendly and helpful staff as well.

Love these folks. I’ve been a patient for nearly thirteen years and have no desire to change. The doctors are knowledgeable and personable. The staff are long-​term and very courteous and helpful. I can’t say enough good things about this place. YES I highly recommend them to anyone looking for great reliable eye care providers.
Sincerely,
Kim Page

Professional staff and great service…
I bought my Evatik glasses from them about 2 years ago. I’m extremely happy with the quality of the product and exceptional customer service I received from them and the manufacturer.
I went back to the office to order a cosmetic metal piece that was missing, and I was given entire front end of the frame instead at no charge.

Dr. Gartner is the BEST!
He’s friendly and so funny! He makes the appointments painless. I’ve very near sighted. I’ve had some difficultly finding contacts that fit well and allow me to see near and far. He worked with me and order a bunch of pairs for me to try on in different brands and prescriptions. It took a while, but I was finally able to find a pair that works!
Their frame selection is small and not the best, but they do have some cute stuff. I would recommend getting a frame somewhere else and bringing it in to have the lenses ordered. I also get my contacts here! They price matched and I received it within 3 days!
Everyone is so helpful and professional. I’ve never had a bad experience here.

I live next door, and the office was extremely convenient to locate. The staff was helpful and got me in for an appointment easily. The décor is modern and there is a small selection of frames. When I tried to follow-​up about ordering lenses, the receptionist wasn’t particularly eager to help, but overall its a convenient location if you live in UTC.

2 weeks for lenses?!
I live right around the corner and needed a stronger prescription for my reading glasses so I thought I’d go here. Before I met with Dr. Lisa I asked the receptionist how they normally arrange new lenses. She said they just send the prescription off and 5 days later the lenses come in, they call me and pop in the new lenses. Perfect! Especially because I need my reading glasses for work or I get major headaches.
As I was in the exam room doing he eye tests another employee came in 3 times to test something for another customer. His name was J. It was extremely distracting and very unprofessional.
After the exam and meeting with the doctor I met with this same J fellow. He popped my lenses out of my current glasses and said that they have to send my glasses out to get the new lenses put in. NOT WHAT THE RECEPTIONIST TOLD ME!
I waited 2 WEEKS for my glasses and meet received an apology. They just blamed the company they sent the glasses out to. Well sorry, they do business with this other company and 2 weeks for glasses is way too long. Have you ever had a headache for 2 weeks?
Long story short here was my experience:
1. Lied to about turnaround time
2. Very unprofessional
3. Not even a sorry
Just an all around bad experience.

I have been a patient in this office for over four years and I am very satisfied with the quality of service provided. Appointments are easily made and reminders are sent via email (which makes it great for adding the appointment to my calendar). They also help to make sure I get the best possible deal. During checkups I am informed about the results and have been delightfully educated on anything that may benefit my health.
I highly recommend this office.