Comprehensive eye exams, medical eye care, and a frame gallery worth lingering in — led by three residency-trained optometrists who book real 40-minute appointments, not 12-minute slots.
Independent since 2009. No quotas, no upsells, no twelve-minute exams — here is what that means in practice.
Why choose us
01
Forty minutes, not twelve
We schedule half as many exams per day as a typical chain. Your doctor has time to test thoroughly, explain plainly, and never sell you anything you don’t need.
02
Medical eye care in-house
OCT, wide-field retinal imaging, and visual fields on site. Glaucoma monitoring, diabetic exams, and dry-eye treatment happen here — not at a referral across town.
03
An honest optical, on-site lab
Our opticians style to your face, budget, and prescription — and our lab cuts most single-vision lenses in-house, so many glasses are ready in days, not weeks.
04
Kids are half our practice
Picture charts, patient pacing, and one of the area’s longest-running myopia-control programs. We’ve watched a generation of local kids grow up seeing clearly.
§ 05The people behind the practice05 / 13
Doctors who know your name — and your history
Three residency-trained optometrists and a career optician. You see the same faces every visit, and they read your chart before you sit down.
Dr. Elias Brandt
Optometrist · Practice Owner
OD, FAAO — Pacific University · Residency, VA Puget Sound
Founded Iris in 2009 after a hospital residency in ocular disease. Leads our glaucoma and diabetic-eye clinics, and still books the first exam of every day.
Dr. Priya Menon
Optometrist
OD — Berkeley · Fellowship, Scleral & Specialty Lenses
Our hard-to-fit contact lens specialist: keratoconus, post-surgical corneas, and sclerals. If you’ve been told lenses "won’t work" for you, see Priya.
Dr. Alice Kwon
Optometrist · Pediatrics Lead
OD — SUNY · Certified, Myopia Management (MiSight, Ortho-K)
Runs our pediatric and myopia-control program. Famous among Bellevue eight-year-olds for making the "better one… or two?" game genuinely fun.
Marisol Vega
Lead Optician & Stylist
ABO-Certified · 12 years in independent optical
Curates the frame gallery and styles every fitting personally. Brings three options you asked for — and one you didn’t know you wanted.
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Practitioner intro video
Reserved slot: 60-second doctor introduction video (see guide).
From booking to follow-up, the whole visit is designed so you always know what happens next — and what it costs.
What to expect
01
Book your visit
Reserve online or call. Most new patients are seen within the week — and we verify your vision benefits before you arrive, so there are no surprises.
02
A real exam
Forty unhurried minutes with your doctor: refraction, eye health, retinal imaging, and plain-English answers to every question you bring.
03
A clear plan
You leave knowing exactly where your eyes stand — your prescription, any findings, and what (if anything) to do next. In writing, not jargon.
04
Care that continues
Styling and fitting with our opticians, free adjustments for the life of your glasses, and recall reminders timed to your eyes — not our calendar.
§ 07Outcomes, not promises07 / 13
The numbers we hold ourselves to
Measured every quarter and posted in the waiting room. If a number slips, we fix the process — not the poster.
Results and outcomes
96%of patients seen within 5 minutes of their appointment time
2,300+children enrolled in myopia control since 2014
9 in 10glasses ready within 5 business days from our on-site lab
410urgent same-day visits handled last year
01Hand-finished at the dispensing counter before every pickup
02New progressives, first week — adapted by day two
03Annual diabetic exam — stable scans, third year running
04Prescription sunwear, cut in our lab for the trail season
§ 084.9★ across 1,280+ Google reviews08 / 13
What Bellevue says when we're not in the room
Real-format demo reviews — names, neighborhoods, and dates the way they appear on our profile.
Reviews
“
★★★★★
Dr. Kwon got my needle-phobic seven-year-old through her first real exam laughing. We left with a myopia plan, a written explanation, and zero pressure to buy frames. Rare.
“
★★★★★
Keratoconus, three failed fittings elsewhere. Dr. Menon had trial sclerals on my eyes in the first visit and dialed the fit over two follow-ups — I can drive at night again.
“
★★★★★
They found early pressure changes my old chain optical missed for years. Dr. Brandt walked us through the OCT scans on screen and set up monitoring — no drama, just competence.
“
★★★★★
Marisol pulled a frame I never would have picked and it’s the most complimented thing I own. Glasses were ready in four days. Adjustments since have been free and cheerful.
“
★★★★☆
Woke up with a red, painful eye and they saw me the same morning — corneal scratch, treated on the spot. Only reason for four stars: parking under the building fills up by 10.
“
★★★★★
Eleven years, three prescriptions, two kids in their myopia program. The exam never feels rushed and the doctors remember us. It’s the only appointment I don’t dread.
Verified patient reviews of Iris Optometry. Book a visit and judge us in person.
The honest versions — the same answers you'd get from the front desk on the phone.
Frequently asked questions
01Do you take my vision insurance?+
We bill most major vision plans and medical insurance directly, and we verify your exact benefits before your appointment. Send us your plan details when you book and we’ll confirm your coverage and any out-of-pocket cost up front — before you’re in the chair.
02How soon can I get an appointment?+
Most new patients are seen within the week, and we hold same-day slots every morning for urgent problems like red eyes, sudden floaters, or eye injuries. Call before 10 AM and we can almost always see you that day.
03What makes your exam different from a chain optical?+
Time and equipment. We book 40-minute exams — roughly double a typical retail slot — and every exam includes retinal screening with the same OCT technology used in ophthalmology clinics. You see your own scans on screen, and the doctor explains them in plain English.
04Do you see children? At what age?+
Yes — pediatric care is about half our practice. We examine children from age 4 using picture charts and kid-paced testing, and we run a dedicated myopia-control program (MiSight lenses, orthokeratology, and low-dose atropine) for children whose prescriptions are climbing year over year.
05Can I get my prescription filled elsewhere?+
Of course. Your prescription is yours — we hand it over the moment your exam is done, no purchase required and no awkwardness. Many patients still choose our gallery because styling help, an on-site lab, and lifetime adjustments are hard to beat.
06I was told I can’t wear contacts. Is that final?+
Usually not. Our contact-lens specialist regularly fits keratoconus, post-surgical corneas, severe astigmatism, and dry-eye patients who were turned away elsewhere. A specialty evaluation will tell you what’s genuinely possible.
07What should I bring to my first visit?+
Your current glasses or contact lens boxes, your insurance card, a list of medications, and any questions you’ve been saving. Plan for about 45–60 minutes. If you’d like dilation-free retinal imaging instead of drops, just ask when you book.
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§ 13Last call13 / 13
See the difference a real exam makes
Book online in under a minute — or call and a human at our Bellevue front desk will find you a time this week.
