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    Daniel L. Chao, MD, PhD

    5.0 (1 review)
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    Services - Daniel L. Chao, MD, PhD

    Eye surgery

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    Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health

    Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health

    2.8(302 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    I am so grateful for Dr. Afshari's excellent care and skill! This past year, my Fuch's disease…read moreworsened and she successfully performed both cataract and corneal transplant surgeries on me. She is highly skilled and professional as well as supportive and kind! From our first visit to the present, she has welcomed questions and explained things clearly. Her staff continue to check in by phone after visits to follow up on any further needs. I highly recommend Dr. Afshari and the Shiley Eye Institute for their excellent quality of care and expertise! Thank you! Rebecca Moore

    There are a couple good doctors here but overall, I would run away if you are referred here. I…read morerecently went blind a while under care here and the aftercare I received was nonexistent.. I was sent to another specialist in Los Angeles and when I called the center to have all my records sent over they failed and did not do it. Don't even attempt to call them by phone because the person that answers the phone isn't even on the hospital grounds so trying to get any help will be worthless. If you get a doctor that actually looks you in the eye when he talks to you and doesn't just berate students consider yourself lucky. You don't even feel like a patient in the room there. I also tried to receive psychological care, and because a referral was incorrectly filled out. I was basically told to buzz off.. There is no option for zero stars, but if you get sent here, there is probably something wrong with you, but I would definitely look at other options

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    Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health
    Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health
    Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health

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    Don O Kikkawa, MD

    Don O Kikkawa, MD

    3.9(11 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    I Watched My Daughter's Life Change After These Surgeries with Dr Kikkawa…read more I am writing this as a mother who watched her daughter go into what she was told were routine eyelid procedures and come out with permanent consequences she was never warned about. My daughter sought care at Shiley Eye Institute for excessive tearing in one eye. She already had a long-standing dry eye condition, which she clearly disclosed. Dr. Kikkawa recommended multiple procedures to be done together, including tear duct surgery, ptosis repair, and what was described to us as minor skin removal. She was assured these procedures would be safe, would not worsen her dry eye, and would require only a short recovery. We were told she would not be left worse off. That is not what happened. Nearly two years later, I have watched my daughter struggle with chronic eye pain, constant discomfort, and a permanently worsened dry eye condition that multiple specialists have told her will not improve. Her eyelid structure is visibly altered, her eyes no longer look the way they did before surgery, and she now experiences involuntary eyelid spasms. She uses multiple vials of artificial tears every day just to function. What was especially disturbing to me as her mother was how long and painful her recovery was. For over a year, she dealt with severe eyelid pain, slept upright for months, taped her eyes at night, and could not even hold her eyelids open as the day went on. This was repeatedly dismissed as "slow healing," and recovery was now change from 2 weeks to a year which is the time limit for filing a legal case. I was also deeply concerned by what I later learned about consent and documentation. On the day of surgery, my daughter was not allowed to see her informed consent before signing an electronic box, despite requesting to see it. Months later, when she finally obtained the document, it listed serious risks in bold including permanent changes to eyelid structure and worsening dry eye that she was never told about beforehand or assured these were not in fact risks. Instead, she was verbally reassured that her dry eye would not be affected, which directly contradicts what ultimately happened among other awful complications. We were also shocked to learn from the operative record that one of the surgeries was not documented at all. Other surgeons later expressed surprise that all of these procedures were combined given her medical history and that medically unnecessary surgeries were submitted as necessary As a mother, one of the most troubling moments for me was hearing how, just before surgery, Dr. Kikkawa raised his voice at my daughter in the surgical area. She felt scared and pressured to proceed at a moment when she should have been able to pause or reconsider. Patients should know that they still have the right to stop a procedure up until anesthesia is given. I am sharing this because I wish someone had warned us. My daughter trusted that she was being given full, honest information about risks, recovery, and alternatives. Instead, she is living with permanent consequences that could of been foreseen if the surgeon took her history seriously. Patients deserve transparency, so that they can give an informed consent, and the surgeon should have realistic discussions based on evidence not belief especially when multiple procedures are involved. I have never seen my daughter go through something this difficult. No one should. It is heartbreaking.

    Don Kikkawa ruined my eyes. After having ectropic eye surgery over a year ago, my eyesight was…read morenever the same. I lost some peripheral sight, I could no longer see up and down as I could before, and my sight, in general, was much worse - sort of cloudy where they were perfect the day before the surgery. To this day, I'm often asked to open my eyes wider, but, of course, they never will, which limits my eyesight. On top of everything else, he left a bulge in the outer corner of my eyelid. I went to him several times after the surgery just panicked at losing my sight. He said "I will take care of you", which of course he never did. He didn't do a darn thing. The final straw was that he told me ectropion surgery would take up to a year to settle. It never did, but a year is just outside the timeline for a lawsuit. Thanks, Dr. Kikkawa, for ruining my eyesight. Every time I open my eyes I think about the damage you did to them.

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    Don O Kikkawa, MD - On The Road Again

    On The Road Again

    Don O Kikkawa, MD - On The Road Again

    On The Road Again

    Don O Kikkawa, MD

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    Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute

    Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute

    4.5(264 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    I was referred by my Optometrist to Dr Julio Echegoyen who was at this location for LASIK. I came…read moreto the office 3x - first time was to assess if i was a good LASIK candidate, the actual LASIK surgery, and then a follow up the next day. All 3 times, the staff were amazing and helpful. Everything was explained to me in detail and they made sure I was comfortable. I had very bad vision but was at ease with the surgery considering how the folks are at Gordon Schanzlin. The surgery itself was probably only 5 mins, but a lot was done to make sure I was calm and ready for it. When I was a bit nervous during surgery, they helped distract me momentarily so we could continue seamlessly. I was given clear instructions for aftercare and i had zero complications. I even drove myself to my follow up like they said id be able to! When I needed receipts to help with FSA / insurance reimbursements, I called in and was assisted upfront. I never had any issues with the office side of things either! 3 months later, i still have 20/20 vision and 0 issues. I'm very happy with my treatment and would highly recommend Dr Echegoyen and the Gordon Schanzlin Institute.

    I highly recommend this practice. I have been dealing with styes for eight months with my last…read moredoctor treating me with IPL, antibiotics, extractions. I'm painful treatments. My appointment last week resulted with lots of recommendations, a new prescription, testing for blinking ability, meibomian gland scan, sensitivity testing. I'm hopeful that this situation will be resolved. The doctor spent over an hour with me for testing and I will be back next month for a treatment of Lipiflow which was not even offered to me at the previous practice.

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    Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute - Reception area

    Reception area

    Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute - At my follow up appointment a day after surgery. I was greeted with beautiful flowers and a thank you card :)

    At my follow up appointment a day after surgery. I was greeted with beautiful flowers and a thank you card :)

    Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute - David J. Schanzlin, MD

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    David J. Schanzlin, MD

    NVISION Eye Centers - San Diego - NVISION Eye Centers

    NVISION Eye Centers - San Diego

    4.4(288 reviews)
    0.9 miUniversity City

    I had a good experience with Mihir Parikh and the staff was friendly, which is why I chose to…read moreproceed with LASIK. However, I'm extremely disappointed with how my medications were handled. I was initially given expired eye drops before surgery, which I reported. After surgery, I developed an eye infection, and when I was given a new bottle on 03/30/2026, it was set to expire on 04/04/2026--just days later. When I called, I was told it's "okay" to use expired drops, which is very concerning. For a clinic like NVISION Eye Centers, this level of carelessness with medications is unacceptable. I would not recommend this clinic based on my experience.

    I'm 6 months removed from my LASIK procedure and I wanted to update my review to give more of what…read morehappened from the day of the surgery on. Day of the Surgery: The actual procedure was done in a very short period of time. I felt pressure on my eye socket, but nothing else. You just stare at some lights and each eye is done in a matter of 20-30 seconds. Once you're done, they give you protective goggles and send you off with whoever is driving you. You get meds to help you sleep and relax your eyes for the rest of the day. When I woke up from this, I could already see much better. Next Day: I woke up and was astonished at how good my vision was. I have books across the room from my bed and I could read all the titles from where I was laying. Pre-surgery I couldn't even tell there was writing where the titles were. I had my check up at NVision, which I drove myself to and the rest of the day was great. Day 3: This day, my eyes hurt like hell. I took drops a lot and tried to keep my eyes closed a lot. The rest of the week, the pain decreased and went away and my vision continued to improve. I was never more excited when I didn't have to wear the goggles to bed anymore haha Over the next several weeks and months, my eyesight was much crisper than it had ever been when I wore contacts. Colors were more vibrant and I could read street signs much farther away. My eyes needed drops at the beginning and end of days as they were frequently dry and to this day I still have minor halos around lights at night, but damn this eyesight is a dream. If you are eligible for Contura, I would definitely spend the extra money and do it. It made a big difference for me.

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    NVISION Eye Centers - San Diego - Festive time!!!

    Festive time!!!

    NVISION Eye Centers - San Diego - Proof of the demo

    Proof of the demo

    NVISION Eye Centers - San Diego - Bill from Nvision on 11/3 (3 days after rqsting patient files be sent to Clearview). Only sent after another practice rchd out

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    Bill from Nvision on 11/3 (3 days after rqsting patient files be sent to Clearview). Only sent after another practice rchd out

    Robbins Shira MD

    Robbins Shira MD

    4.1(18 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    I traveled from Rancho Mirage, CA to San Diego, CA to have Dr Robbins surgically treat my eye…read morecondition (Diplopia). Doctors here in the Coachella Valley were unable to do so. I am so glad I did. Dr Robbins was very thorough and assuring throughout all the stages of my treatment, which did require eye surgery. Cutting into your eyeball, clipping and stitching muscles therein is not a pleasant thought. Dr Robbins completely fixed my double vision problem with one surgical procedure. I had no problems at any point during the treatment. I could see correctly immediately after the surgery was performed. I highly recommend Dr Robbins, her staff, the Ratner Children's Eye Center and the entire UCSD Shiley Eye Institute for any Adult Eye Re-alignment Surgery you may be contemplating in the future. Joe D

    Life-changing, simply life-changing!!! At 56 years old and after 6 years of progressively worsening…read moredouble-vision, to the point it was unsafe to drive, I was referred to Dr. Robbins for strabismus surgery and the results were phenomenal. Aside from the expected and immediate single-vision after the surgery, I found myself feeling less confused and less tired overall. The double-vision had me questioning everything around me and I had no idea of the brain energy I was being taxed to process and try to pull together the double-vision (even with prisms). It is no wonder that Dr. Robbins is a leading expert in this field, her skills are extraordinary for a delicate surgery such as this one. I found Dr. Robbins to be extremely kind, empathetic, and patient with my questions and concerns throughout the whole process. Her confidence and honest feedback was comforting. Every morning I wake up and am so thankful for the near perfect vision I now have, I could not be more blessed. Thank you!

    Daniel L. Chao, MD, PhD - opthamalogists - Updated June 2026

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