N.Y. optometrist offers patients beer, wine before exams

Some people might be a little confused when they go into a New York office for an eye exam and get offered a beer first.

That’s what optometrist Justin Bazan, 34, does in his office in the Brooklyn borough’s Park Slope neighborhood. He says a beer before an exam helps the patient relax.

“We are friendly, helpful and like to have fun! We have beer/wine tastings all the time,” he told The New York Post, stressing that he and his employees don’t imbibe when they’re on the job.

“Heck, if it’s been a rough day and you need something strong, just ask. We got you,” he said.

But not everyone loves the idea of cocktail hour at the optometrist’s.

“I was offered a beer on my first visit,” griped one patient, Mark T., on Yelp. “Seriously, alcohol before an eye exam? And in a medical environment?”

“I just put myself in patients’ shoes,” Mr. Bazan told The Post. “Everybody except that guy ‘Mark T.’ has loved it.”