Kestrel Optical
Every exam here is
forty-five minutes.
Then we fit it
to your face
and your day.
Book an exam
See the frames
Rated 4.9 by
1,140 patients.
Third Ward,
since 2011.
The practice
We opened Kestrel Optical because twelve minutes is not enough time to look after someone's eyes. Every exam here is booked for forty-five, and nobody rushes you at the frame wall either.
Dr. Elise Thiel spent eight years at a big-box chain before she opened a practice of her own in a cream-brick warehouse on Milwaukee Street. Dr. Owen Pak joined in 2017, and our optician Kalia Xiong runs the frame wall and fits every pair by hand.
Exams booked for 45 minutes
Most vision plans accepted
Free adjustments for life
Eye care for every age.
Six kinds of visit, all with Dr. Thiel or Dr. Pak. Not sure which one you need? Call or text and we will tell you.
Adults, 45 minutes
Comprehensive eye exam
Retinal imaging included, and every result shown and explained on the screen in the room. The visit most people need once a year.
Book an exam
Kids' eye exam
Ages 3 and up
Picture charts, no puffs of air, and a parent in the room the whole time.
Contact lens fitting
With any exam
Daily, monthly, toric and multifocal lenses, plus specialty scleral fits for eyes other offices gave up on.
Dry eye care
Evaluation and plan
A proper look at why your eyes burn or water, and a plan that starts with what you can do at home.
Myopia management
For kids
Special lenses and checkups every six months to slow how fast a child's prescription grows.
Same-day urgent visits
Call before 3pm
Red eye, something stuck in your eye, sudden flashes or floaters. We see you today.
600 frames. No logos.
About thirty small, independent makers: handmade acetate from Japan and Italy, featherweight titanium, frames cut from recycled material. Kalia knows every one of them, and she will tell you if a frame is wrong for your face.
Visit the frame wall
Japanese acetate
from $245
Titanium
from $279
Italian acetate
from $219
Recycled
from $189
Rx sunglasses
from $340
Frames
from $189
Lenses
from $120
A complete pair
from $295
Prescription sunglasses
from $340
Every pair fitted by hand, and adjusted free after that.
How a visit goes.
About an hour and a half from the front door to the frame wall, and nobody watching the clock.
01
Book
Book online, or call or text the front desk. New patients usually get in within the week.
02
The exam
Forty-five minutes with Dr. Thiel or Dr. Pak, and every result explained on the screen in the room.
03
The frame wall
Thirty minutes with Kalia, if you want them. No commission and no pressure.
04
Pick up
Glasses ready in 7–10 days and fitted by hand when you pick them up. Adjustments are free for as long as you own them.
Book an exam
Patients say it better than we do.
Fifteen years in the Third Ward, one patient at a time.
Years in the Third Ward
15
Stars from 1,140 reviews
4.9
Frames on the wall
600
Days to your new glasses
7
Dr. Thiel found the reason for my headaches in ten minutes. Kalia found me frames I actually get compliments on.
Priya, Bay View
My son fought his glasses for two years. Here he picked out blue ones himself, and now he won't take them off.
Marcus, Riverwest
They adjusted a pair I bought somewhere else, for free, and never once tried to sell me anything.
Joan, Shorewood
Exam prices.
Self-pay prices for 2026. Most vision plans cover part or all of an exam, and we check your benefits before you come in.
Insurance
We accept most major vision plans and HSA and FSA cards, and we file the claim for you. Out of network? We hand you a filled-in reimbursement form.
Check my benefits
Comprehensive eye exam
Adults, 45 minutes, retinal imaging included
$145
Kids' eye exam
Ages 3 and up
$110
Contact lens exam and fitting
Added to an eye exam
from $85
Specialty contact lenses
Toric, multifocal and scleral
from $185
Dry eye evaluation
With a treatment plan
$120
Myopia management
For kids, checkups every six months
from $49/mo
Same-day urgent visit
Call before 3pm
$125
Two doctors, one optician.
Dr. Thiel opened Kestrel Optical in 2011 with forty-five minutes for every exam. Dr. Pak joined in 2017 and sees most of our kids and our contact lens patients.
Dr. Elise Thiel, OD
Founder, optometrist
Dr. Owen Pak, OD
Optometrist, kids and contacts
Kalia Xiong
Licensed optician
Before you come in.
Anything else? Call or text (414) 555-0137. A person at the front desk answers, not a phone tree.
Call or text us
Do you take my vision insurance?
Most likely. We accept most major vision plans and HSA and FSA cards, and we file the claim for you. Call or text with your plan's name and we will check your benefits before you come in.
How long does an eye exam take?
Plan on an hour: forty-five minutes for the exam, and a few minutes before it for pictures of the back of your eye. Add thirty minutes if you want to look at frames afterward.
Can I bring a prescription from somewhere else?
Yes. We fill any current prescription, and we adjust frames bought anywhere else for free.
How soon will my glasses be ready?
Usually in 7–10 days. We text you when they arrive, and fit them by hand when you pick them up.
How old does my child need to be?
Three and up for a full kids' exam. Dr. Pak uses picture charts, there are no puffs of air, and a parent stays in the room.
See you in the Third Ward.
Pick a visit, a day and a time. We text you to confirm within the hour while we are open.
Call or text (414) 555-0137
hello@kestreloptical.com
241 N Milwaukee St, Suite 100, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Hours
Mon–Thu
9am–7pm
Fri
9am–5pm
Sat
9am–2pm
Sun
Closed
Two hours of free parking in the garage across the street. We validate at the desk.
Request a visit
Request my visit