Eye Care | Kaiser Permanente Northgate Medical Center

I had a very bad experience with Kaiser Permanente Eye Care. The lenses were not properly fitted into the frame. They do not sit correctly and feel loose, like they could pop out at any time. For something as basic as installing lenses into frames, this should never happen. The quality control was very disappointing. When you pay for prescription glasses, you expect them to be assembled correctly and securely. Instead, I received glasses that feel poorly made and unsafe to wear. I expected much better attention to detail and professionalism. This experience has made me lose confidence in their optical department.

I recently had an eye exam with Dr. Werd Khader, OD at Kaiser Permanente Northgate in Seattle, and he was one of the best eye doctors I've seen. Dr. Khader was exceptionally thorough, genuine, and caring throughout the visit. He took the time to explain my eye health in detail and shared helpful tips on how to better care for my eyes. I also appreciated our friendly chat about hiking in Washington, which made the appointment feel personal and relaxed. 10/10 would highly recommend Dr. Khader for anyone looking for outstanding eye care.

During my visit, Dr. Werh Hader demonstrated exceptional professionalism, a compassionate demeanor, outstanding bedside manners, and a commendable sense of humor. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Werh.

I had an appointment with Dr. Khader. He was a very nice guy, answered all my questions in a professional manner, and even was helping me when talking to my Dad on the phone about questions I had to verify for my appointment. Cannot express enough how helpful he was!!!

I discovered I'll need glasses because of my age, this is my first pair. I followed a nurse's recommendation's on frames & couldn't be happier. I'm new to the world of glasses. I get compliments all day & don't necessarily wear these frames for short-sighted driving anymore. (take off to read the menus & books, lol) Thanks! =D Need to buy pair of same frame with no script, as a backup.

I had a very negative experience with one of the employees when I went in to pick up my glasses lenses on Friday 10/25/24, so I won't be returning to this eye care center. I don't recall the name of the employee but she had black hair with the ends of her hair dyed pink. I had an appointment to run to and thought it would be quick to pick up my new lenses. Had a long initial wait in the waiting room. When my name was finally called and I sat down at the counter, I asked whether they had any glasses cases for a pair of sunglasses. She looked at me like I had hugely inconvenienced her and paused then finally said "I'll see what we have." She took my glasses and I sat at the counter for around 10-15 minutes. When she came out again, she handed a pair of glasses to another customer and gave me a soft glasses case. When I asked her if they sold hard glasses cases, she looked at me like I was dumb and said in a condescending tone, "uh, no." She returned to the back office. Another 10 minutes passes and at this point I was running late for my appointment, so I popped back to where she was working and asked how much longer it would be as I had another appointment. She said, "I'm just cleaning it now" but that was it. I was hoping for a time estimate (so I could inform the person I was meeting as a courtesy) so I asked, "Do you know how much longer it will be? Will it be a couple of minutes or a little longer than that?" She looked at me and said degradingly, "It won't take as long if you're not looking." I was shocked by her passive aggressive statement. I've never been spoken to in such a mean and hurtful way at a place where I was receiving medical care. All she had to say was "It'll just be a few more minutes." I walked away not sure what to do and incredulous that this was how she chose to interact with others. She eventually came out a few minutes later and had me try on my lenses. I told her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rush you. It's just that I'm running late for another appointment." I could not tell if she just didn't hear me or was blatantly ignoring me but she was looking at another customer behind me and talking to them and wasn't paying attention to me at all. I felt so small and insignificant. It was a terrible feeling. Then she turned towards me again and asked if I liked my glasses padding the way it was (again in a judgmental tone; I do have larger padding because my glasses digs into nose if the surface area isn't large enough though I can see how that might look silly to her) and if I needed any adjusting though it would take a little longer if I needed an adjustment as "we don't want to rush the process." I was pretty late to my appointment at this point so I declined any adjustments. I don't think it's too much to ask to provide customers a wait time estimate ahead of time or even give an estimate when they ask you. Most customers do not know how long procedures take. I have generally had positive experiences with Kaiser so I'm really disappointed and sad to have had this encounter.

The Kaiser Northgate clinic has a separate building devoted to eye care with both optimetric exams and a retail space for purchasing glasses and frames. For Kaiser members they are integrated into the overall system, so it's easy to request an appointment online or over the phone. If you're just shopping for glasses you can check in at the kiosk in the reception area and they'll call you when it's your turn to speak with someone to help you choose frames and order glasses. The eye exam was thorough and the healthcare providers were all professional and welcoming. The process of checking for the exam was quick and efficient; the wait for choosing frames and purchasing glasses was a bit longer, primarily because it's a walk-in service (thus, your milage may vary...) For Kaiser members the selection of frames is very good and the prices are decent (you may have a certain amount of credit toward purchasing glasses, depending on your Kaiser coverage.) Overall a good experience. Free parking is available around the building, although in peak hours you may need to park in back of the building.

Greatly appreciated help from Faith at the See Center for renewing an older pair of eyeglasses. She went above and beyond with skill and pleasant concern.