My consultation uncovered that I am unfortunately not a candidate for Lasik or PRK, which was a bummer. However, the experience was as good as it possibly could have been- they seemed really prepared and educated and after a bunch of specialized machine scans they told me the news in a really kind but straightforward manner. Then they didn't even charge me for the consultation. They were totally professional and I really appreciated their evaluation. read more

I made an appointment 6 months out, and hand delivered to Balin Eye & Laser Center my 20 years of records from my retired eye doctor's office. I had my eye exam, and a new prescription was written based on that exam. My new glasses were awful. I went back for a follow up visit to see what correction was needed, another prescription was written and again, the glasses were awful. I went back a third time, was finally listened to, and another new prescription was written. Not surprisingly, the third set of lenses were the worst of the three and absolutely unusable. I have requested my complete records back in order to move on to a new provider and I was told that my records now belong to Balin Eye & Laser Center and that I have to request my records in writing and pay $0.50 per page to have them copied before they will release them to me. Dr. Brown was nice but his prescription(s) weren't correct for me and my new glasses are totally useless to me. In addition, the entire office space and exam rooms are outdated and in need of updating at the very least. The patient use rest room had wall paper hanging off the walls and the ceiling fan was filthy with dust when I was last there. Good luck if you choose this eye care center. read more

I had LASIK. Geoff and Christine were awesome. Staff was great. I have almost 20/10 vision!

There was a patient named Joan Fournier who went in for routine Is cataract surgery and balin blinded her. She was miserable and how to wear a patch over her eye for the rest of her life until she passed away in 2017. I put her name in here because I want you to read this review and know what you did to her read more

I am saddened to write this review because they weren't like this 3 years ago. Now you have to schedule 4 hours of your day just to be seen. You are better off with Eye physicians of Northampton. I have gone to Balin for glaucoma suspicions and finally got operated. The waits are TOOO long for a small town. Súper unorganized. read more

The results of Lasik was not what I had hoped for. When I told Dr. Balin this, she said I had 20/20 vision. Sorry Doc, I know my eyes better than you and it's not as good as it could be. When I said I wanted them to be better, She suggested glasses. Also, the office is horrible at balancing schedules. Be prepared to wait a long time, several times before the doctor actually sees you. read more

Very long waits. Plan 3+ hour appointments and having them always being an hour behind your planned appointment time. Pleasant enough staff but mismanaged by understaffing and single choke point of patient care ala Dr. Balin. Well, updated from 1 star to 3 stars considering the follow-up appointment. Considering outcomes are more important than efficiencies and problems. Next appointment my Dad was seen pretty quickly and on schedule. I believe there is much room for improvement here but a 1-star rating in undeserved. read more

They are FANTASTIC if you have a medical need, i.e., keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes), some other issue, rather than getting a glasses prescription. If you get an exam for glasses, you will use up your annual exam with your insurance and they will give you a prescription that does not include PD (pupil distance), which is necessary to be able to order glasses. I called because I thought this was just an error on my paperwork and was told they don't measure PD. Ever. Then I asked, "What's the point of getting a prescription that can't be used to buy glasses?" and the answer was, "I don't know." So, I wish I could split my review in half, because 5* for all medical issues, but 1* if you need an exam for glasses. read more

I'm sure that the ophthalmologists here may be competent, but on both occasions that I've been to them, I thought the time I spent waiting was excessive. I sat for nearly an hour the first time, then 45 minutes the second time. Furthermore, after a brief initial examination, I was told to go back to the reception area and wait some more. Overall, I spent an hour and a half with them for 20 minutes with the doctor. read more

I had an appointment with Dr. Balin this morning. I waited 6 months to see her. When I arrived, the office told me that she was not in today. I confirmed the appointment 3 times. If Dr. Balin had an emergency, the office staff should have called me to rescheduled. I was told that I could see an optometrist in the office. A great case of bait and switch. read more

The Doctors and staff are very knowledgeable and caring of their patients. They give you the information needed so you can make the best choices for your eye care. My wife & I have had eye exams through this practice and recently both had Cataract surgery. All the details were explained, the procedures left us with much better vision. I would not hesitate to recommend this business to friends and family. Thank you Dr. Balin, Dr. Brown and your entire staff. read more

What is going on at this office? I made an appointment months ago I go in the morning for my 8:30 appointment I call the number on the door. They inform me my appointment has been canceled? I was not notified not a call not a text not an email. I asked if they could squeeze me in but no. If this was unusual then I surely wouldn't be writhing this review but the same thing happened to my daughter two weeks earlier but they did get her in only because they had sent her a reminder the day before but still claimed they had canceled her appointment earlier. They did offer me a new appointment in August. I Think Not!! read more

My last visit to this establishment. In 2020 went to Balin and the staff person I (rotund blond) apparently became upset that I couldn't distinguish quote (better this one or better this one) I was given a prescription. I literally could not read her name tag. This after paying for new glasses went back to Balin and said that the priscription was not right. I was given a new exam and a new scrip by the same (rb) The scrip is still not right and I payed for new lenses again. Hasta la vista Basin read more

I am honestly surprised at the negative reviews that Balin Eye has received. I had iLASIK done by Dr. Balin in June 2014 and couldn't be happier. I had a -8.25 script and astigmatism in both eyes and am currently 20/15 and can see perfectly. Her office staff were friendly and took great care of me during and after my procedure. Dr. Balin also offers a 1 year guarantee on the procedure, so if your vision deteriorates she will touch up her work with another round of LASIK for free. Also, just to clarify a misconception- LASIK may not correct your vision "permanently" no matter where you go. It might, but that can't be guaranteed by any surgeon. So, 7 years after a procedure I can understand why she wouldn't perform a multi-thousand dollar procedure for free. I found them to be extremely up front with the risks and benefits of the procedure. Dr. Balin is honestly the most experienced and surgically skilled of her peers in the area. Although chit-chat may not be her forte, when looking for a surgeon I was not looking for a best friend- I am looking for someone who will get the job done effectively and safely. Dr. Brown and Dr. Balin took exceptional care of my eyes and I am very grateful for that. Please feel free to contact me if anyone has any questions about my experience. read more

It's hard to say enough about someone who restored your sight. Dr. Balin is both highly skilled and highly professional. Not only did she remove cataracts from both of my eyes, thought I went from 20/650 vision to 20/20 in the course of just a few weeks. The predominance of the change occurred virtually overnight. The aftercare, as well, has been phenomenal. Doctors Balin and Brown, as well as the entire office staff, are wonderful to work with. I highly recommended this office. read more

My partner received LASIK from Dr. Balin two years ago and ended up with multiple complications, extreme pain and discomfort and ended up paying out of pocket to see a specialist in Boston. They are juggling far too many patients, the wait time can be over two hours, and Dr. Balin does not communicate well with patients. There was no decisive action or even an explanation of what was going wrong. Avoid this practice if possible. read more

terrible service. always have to wait at least an hour and staff are terribly rude and some downright incompetent. dr is nice but go somewhere else unless you have all day to wait for a five minute appointment. read more

Terrible....never keeps appointments as scheduled; long waits in crowded waiting areas; arrogant "care less" attitude on part of receptionist; more interested in getting paid then service. Paid miultiple visits over several years; nothing improved and if anything has gotten worse. Will be changing eye care doctor immediately; these folks are fresh out of chances to learn and understand the service business. read more

I went in for a contact fitting, I have needed them for years but was too nervous to get them but I needed them for pool tournaments. I had an appointment at a different eye place last week and had a terrible experience, so i made an appointment here with Dr. Brown and they were able to get me in very quickly. I was very nervous especially given my experience at the other place, but i cannot say enough good things about how well it went and I wish I had gone to them to begin with! Dr. Brown was amazing, and the technician who did my exam and taught me how to put the contacts in was equally amazing! I wish I could remember her name, she was so great. (If staff are reading this, it's the woman who says "ballerina hands" when showing how to put contacts in. She is awesome, and a great teacher!) My appointment ended up taking longer than usual, there was something with my eyes that was making it difficult to get my prescription correct. But they stuck with it and i could tell they genuinely wanted to figure it out and really cared. I'm sure helping me for that long while also accommodating their other appointments wasn't easy but they didn't show any frustration and didn't rush or cut my appointment short. I was so thankful. They were able to figure out the issue and explained to me what it was in a way I could understand. They got me the correct prescription and I walked out wearing contacts! I never thought I'd be able to do it. I will recommend Dr. Brown any chance I get. Thank you!!! read more

I took my 87 yo mother to Dr Balin today for an emergency visit after a bad fall and head injury. We were told to be there before 3. One of the staff got her in an exam room and started her work up but then she was left for 3 1/2 hours. Dr Balin told her she couldn't take the 5 min to complete her exam until all the patients had been seen. I am a physician and most of us squeeze emergencies in all the time. When I went to check on her after 3 hours she was distraught and I was afraid she was going to have a stroke. She and my father had been patients there over 20 yrs. my mother feels like it has turned into a money making place that has no compassion for the patients. STAY AWAY. read more

The average wait time in this office is upwards of an hour on many occasions. Several of the assistants smell like ashtrays. Not only did it take three months just for them to figure out how to properly bill insurance, they made me wait for my lenses while they figured it out. Despite my being in a great deal of discomfort. They will not call you when your lenses are in. They will forget to order lenses. They will tell you the lenses will be in tomorrow and tell you three days later that they will call you whenever they get in (combined with not calling you when the lenses are in)! The only reason I gave more than one star is because Dr. Brown took the time to call me himself on several occasions. Its easy to win "Best of" awards when you are pretty much the "Only one". read more

Dr. Balin and Dr. Brown are amazing doctors. I just had PRK surgery on August 11 and even though my eyes are still healing and adjusting, my vision is so much better already! I've been a prisoner to glasses and/or contacts since 3rd grade (I'm 45). I had been on the fence about vision correction surgery for years. After finally deciding to bite the bullet and go for a consult, my fears were quickly put to rest. The entire staff is very compassionate and thorough. They never made me feel rushed and always made sure everything was explained and understood. On the day of the procedure, I had laryngitis and couldn't speak, I was only able to whisper, and they were extra accommodating on that behalf as well. They even let my husband stay with me for the whole visit, except the actually surgery itself; but he was able to wait right outside the door and even got to watch my procedure on a TV in the surgery waiting room. The price was fair as well. But...how can you even put a price on being able to see again and not have to depend on glasses! I can't say enough good things about the Balin Eye and Laser Center. I wouldn't hesitate to refer anyone looking to ditch the glasses! And finally, a HUGE shout out to JoAnn. She is beyond amazing. We communicated mostly via email for setting up appointments and my questions and such. Super friendly, efficient and responsive! THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE ENTIRE STAFF! read more

Waited for over 45 minutes for my appointment due to their overbooking. I also had to wait over 5 days for them to fill a perception for my eyes. They have extremely poor customer service and will not be returning after my next and last appointment. read more