Great students however the doctors just don't follow through with call backs, not to the patients or to their health insurances or the pharmacies. Two years in a row I was promised a prescription that never got called in, even after multiple requests of a status check. They have comprehensive testing that they help you understand while you're in their office but once you walk out the door the patient advocacy factor disappears read more

Exams are always extremely thorough. I appreciate that they have their own urgent care. However, the wait time at my last two appointments was unacceptable. read more

Very comprehensive exam. Definitely expect to spend three hours at your appointment but she did an awesome job. Was seen by a very sweet student who answered all my questions and then by the supervising doctor. Would recommend! Had to pay $20 to ship my glasses instead of coming back to pick them up. Overall solid experience. read more

I was referred to Illinois Eye Center for an issue with my eye. I accidentally overslept my 7:40am appt and called to apologize and reschedule. The lady clicked me over to collection and she said in a snotty voice "you owe us $67 that you have to pay now." What? When? I don't remember ever going there? She said rudely like it happened yesterday, it was 2012 ma'am! 13yrs ago??? I bought a house about 4yrs ago and I contacted all past due bills at the 3 credit bureaus and paid everything I owed. There was no bill from Illinois Eye Center? I was told after 7yrs a past due bills is written off and dropped. I was treated poorly and will never recommend or ever go there! read more

Every thing professionalism, courtesy, cleanliness time, conscious, large variety of frames

Set up an appointment for an eye exam. I told them I was just interested in getting contact lenses and that I needed them quickly since I was running out. After the exam, they told me I had to come back on a separate date for the contact lens exam. The options they gave me were 9 am the next day or 2 months later--those were the only options. I told them I couldn't make it in the next day because I work and that 2 months was too long to wait for contacts. The eye technician suggested I take a sick day to make it in. How helpful! I love when health institutions make assumptions about their clients' job and financial situations. Her suggestion has helped me so much since then. Whenever I can't make a simple and moveable appointment, I just quit my job to make it in when it's convenient for the Eye Institute. read more

The length of time for the appointment is a bit long, but the exam is very thorough and the prescription is right on the money

great god thankful thanksgiving thursday afternoon you'll so i met mr. thomas L. whom was my eye examiner today 10/10/24 such a beautiful soul in human form i just know he loves what he does so anyone want to get appointment with illinois eye institute ask for my darling thomas 110 out of a 100 read more

" look this way", look which way? my son asked, "that way, said the student" while shooting a light at my son's eye and of course my son is confused. The student keeps using this strategy and this and that way. She even ask my son to look at the wall, and he asked which wall? Come on, say left and right. She actually gave us that eyes because she thought we were difficult. Not only that she share that eye connection with the front receptionists after walking us out, she is making sure they got that eye message that "we were difficult" and she surely make us feel super uncomfortable. read more

Horrible customer service and don't waste your time if you have other options. I professionally voiced my concerns regarding the service I was receiving and was rudely told to leave and go somewhere else if that's how I felt. So if you feel that you are not being treated right or fairly, the company is aware and don't care. It is disgraceful that interns have to deal with poor treatment from doctors just to complete their residency. The interns are great but the professionals have no respect for them and undermine their work in the presence of the customers with no explanation. read more

I've been a patient since 1980's. I had an appointment today for my annual examination. I was seen by a clinician first and then my ophthalmologist. All was done in a two hour time span as my eyes were dilated with this visit. All in all, I am very pleased with this facility and the staff. All eye diseases are seen here from children to seniors. I highly recommend this clinic. read more

This place sucks, every-time you go the waiting time is unbelievable, what's the point of getting an appointment if you have to wait and wait . If you ask, you will get a rude answer... there is someone ahead of you not sure how long would it take. I will take my business somewhere else. Thanks for waisting my time. read more

I had a recommendation from a friend. This was a good place to go. However when I called I was given the worst treatment. The receptionist was extremely rude and with each of my questions she wanted to transfer me. I was transferred into someone's voicemail so I called back. I just wanted to make an appointment to see an eye doctor. When I called back she went off on me! I've never been treated this way before. read more

Rude and disrespectful staff. The managers of the eyewear section and the staff at the front desk area have the most poorest attitudes there are. I am not sure why they believe in this sort of treatment towards clients, however, this is not the way to go. I will be going elsewhere from now on. read more

The appointments are way too long and I keep asking for a summary from my daughters Appointment and still nothing they keep saying the report isn't ready I need that ASAP. read more

I have been going to the Institute for sometime. The opportunity to experience various technical approaches are of value. I also like the professional style of Dr. Salazar. read more

This is a great place to come for an eye exam. 5 stars for the doctors and students! The students do a very thorough job, and everyone is quite pleasant. It did take almost 2 hours though, so make sure you leave enough time. Purchasing glasses here isn't nearly as great as getting an eye exam, hence the 3 star rating. It took an hour for me to choose my glasses, be helped, double check everything. Then to be told at the end that my insurance would not cover the glasses because the prescription is too low. If the doctor thought glasses would help me see while driving, why didn't the insurance company? Who do I pay for eye insurance if they are going to deny me glasses? (But that is a complaint for VSP insurance, not Illinois Eye Institute.) This would have been an okay experience except for the amount of time it took at the end. However, this means this would be a terrible place to bring children. I was there over 3 hours, which was the limit of my patience, and I think that would be way too much time for children to sit around. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. This is the worst WORST experience I have had with any eye care and maybe even in general for health care. Inept in every department, long waits, rude doctors refusing to see you after you've been waiting while other people go ahead, won't let you see a doctor when you have a specific question that a student can't answer, takes forever to get any information sent to get prescription filled at frame shop, won't help with past prescriptions without a charge, just all around a bad experience. It was a complete waste of time and money and the lenses are no good. read more

This is a learning school for optometry. A examination can take more than hour. The students will examine you first and the experienced optimist will cross exam the students work. I've been going there for the past 5 years and it's not too bad, if you have no where to go that day. read more

i have been going to illinois eye institute since i was a child i always call to see what the charge is since i am self pay the desk clerk informed me they did my usual eye exam very thorough then she told me she needed to take a picture of my eye she did when i got my bill it was the fee i was informed but and additional 91 dollars for photo of eye i was never informed that this would be an additional cost by the eye dr. i have been trying to protest this fee and they always say they will turn over to manager and no one ever calls i have paid the original eye exam fee but refuse to pay for the picture of eye and still no one calls me back and am still getting bills i would like to continue to be a customer but you can never reach anyone who knows what to do about this basicallly they are refusing to do anything read more

Very unhappy with the billing process Illinois Eye institute I have insurance and was told before the insurance would cover any amounts then I receive a bill for $191 with no explanation as to why the $191 wasn't covered when I was told it was covered this has happened before with Illinois Eye institute I feel like they get you in and get these procedures done and then you find out that it's not covered by your insurance very unsatisfied won't be returning. read more

my seven year old was seen here 01/01/2023. The appointment went way over to about 2 hours . we were done with the eye clinic at 1231. We went to pick out glasses and was told we can only make an appointment because they were closed . A different rep assisted me after being turned around by the name of HALEY and got my son in to pick out his glasses . she turned my long and rough visit into a great visit . she understood my schedule and got us the assistance we needed at that moment . great job Haley with the customer service you provided to us read more

Service from entry to exams are full of courtesy and thoroughness. If you ever need any eye care, this is the place to do it. They provide detail eye care from babies all the way up to seniors. I have gone for basic eye exams to taking my daughter to vision therapy..and my latest in the advanced eye care unit where they are helping me to prevent & stay in front of a glaucoma possibility. They explain so you understand, and as I said thorough. From student doctors to teaching doctors...I have never had a bad or negative interaction. You may be there up to 3 hours sometimes but it's not sitting in the waiting room, it's getting thoroughly served the entire time. Check them out. You won't regret it. read more

Although the Ophthalmologist was very professional and speedy with their work on my daughter.. I would not recommend anyone go to this office. It's been months since I ordered my daughter glasses (October to be Exact) and I paid cash out of my pockets & I still haven't received her glasses. They said it's due to COVID but that's not true because last year when I purchased her glasses it took about 5 months to receive them. I will never be back. Also now I have to wait until January to receive them because the office is now closed for two weeks. I purchased them in October.. read more

I see the irony in someone named Karen writing a bad review. Let's start with the good stuff. The students and the doctors my son has seen here are amazing. They really do care, and are very good with an 11 year old boy. That being said, the staff here is literally horrible. I have had to call repeatedly with simple questions and no one returns your call. If you need to change an appointment, no one returns your call. Good luck getting anyone on the phone. Expect to sit for over an hour minimum in the waiting room before an appointment. It's rough when you have a 2 and a half hour appointment ahead of you. My son hates coming here for that reason. read more

I recently was there on 11th of January 2023 and I can tell you this ! that , I am absolutely grateful to be able to go to this wonderful organization to get my eyes check. The Illinois Eye Institute has one of the most comprehensive eyes exams that I have experience in my 58 years on this planet . And trust me, i have been to several optemetrist in the city of chicago and it was if , i was in an express checkout line, at the grocery store. Mrs Jenkins and Mrs. Brown in Suite 1 were instrumental in making me feel the love .With their witty sense of humor and amazing abilty to make my appointment seemed a little less stressful (Thank You ladies ) . And lastly, I dont want to forget the 2 excellent students (Chandler and Angela) to whom perform my eye examination .I would like to say ( YOU BOTH ARE OUTSTANDING ! ) And I look forward to seeing you both with your own practices soon ! Please, do not change and keep smiling ! Chandler and Angela whoever is training you two also should feel proud . Thanks ! Ms. Anderson read more

This is just a training ground for budding ophthalmologist's preying upon people with low health care literacy under the gise of providing top quality eyecare to the economically disadvantaged. The students are entitled and rude. The supervising staff seem rushed. My concerns were brushed off Changing my 2 star review to one, representing my middle finger. read more

the front desk & eye doctors have great personality( ites) & great service i hope to visit ( again ) before the year 2023 is gone . thx illinois eye institute M. PARSON read more

I was thoroughly impressed and they exceeded my expectations! I had my eyes checked 2 years ago at America's Best to get some glasses. I didn't go last year, but when I went this year they said my eyes needed to be examined more thoroughly by a specialized facility (possibly glaucoma). I chose the Illinois Eye Institute because I know they have been around a long time and have a good reputation. My exam took over an hour and they performed many tests. They were very thorough. They took their time and explained everything to me. I highly recommend this place! I'm not sure of their prices, because my insurance covered everything. :-) (Thankfully, no glaucoma.) read more

The script I received for my glasses was wrong. When I went to another location to purchase glasses, they re-checked my prescription and found that the original script had gotten my left and right eyes backwards. read more

The service is fine. Students are great.. but why in the world do u schedule an appointment send a reminder to come 15 minutes early only to not see a patient until 3 hours later? This is ridiculous. I feel like if you know that some patients will take longer than other then you should cap appointment slots for a day.. my appointment was at 2 I got here at 1:45 and it's almost 5 and I'm still waiting for the doctor. I wasted my only off day waiting for y'all.. be more respectful of peoples time... read more

The Doctors are great. Management and administration are not. They are out for your money. I recently had my eye exam. It was excellent, as in previous years. The only problem was that I lost my medically necessary contact lens. When I got out of the the exam to check out, I was told that I would have to wait for them to submit the insurance claim, have it approved by my insurance company, and then for them to get paid, before they would even order it. They told me it would be 4-6 weeks. It's there policy for them to be paid first before ordering lenses. They gave me three options: wait, I pay, and they will reimburse me, or I can pay for a set of lenses now and then when insurance clears I will have a spare set. I was mortified that they would have me wither wait for a leas or force me to front the money or basically pay for it twice. I talked to my insurance company and they said there was nothing they can do, since it's an Illinois Institute Policy. My insurance said this is not common, especially considering it is medically necessary and it's pre approved. All Illinois Eye Institute would have to do is submit the forms and they would be paid. I mentioned this to the front desk, and they just argued that it's not guaranteed and that the insurance company will say whatever they want. So they are basically accusing my insurance of lying. This practice basically shows that Illinois Eye institute is more concerned with money, rather than patients. They were more than willing to let me wait. I decided to front them the money and they will reimburse me. I will be hounding them for the reimbursement, since I no longer trust them. Thinking back, they have attempted to upsell me for glasses as well. They tried to offer me options that I didn't need. I usually get transition lenses in my glasses, they offered me blue light blocking lenses as well. When I went somewhere else they said it's a waste of money to get the blue light blocking option on top of transitions, since the transitions have it built in. Another time they processed my insurance to start looking for glasses. I asked them to release, the claim because I may look somewhere else. They promised they would, but did not do it. I had to argue with them over the phone to release it, they admitted they would, but they argued that I said I would come back, so they didn't bother to release the claim. It's a shame, since the doctors and students are excellent. It's also a shame that since they are teaching, they have two sources of income: patients and students tuition. To be this greedy is shameful. I will be looking for another place to be looking for an eye doctor. read more

I was on time which was able to have eyes examined on time scheduled, everyone was professionally trained, courteous & friendly throughout the examination read more

Always treated with the upmost respect and courtesy. Exams ate are done very effiently and the answers to my questions are well explained read more

Great service. I've been going there for couple years and each time I only have to wait a few. Clerks are respectful and courteous. I love the doctor that I was assigned to and really appreciate the time he gives me in the assessment of my eyes. I will definitely continue to go to the Illinois Eye Institute. read more

The husband and I both receive eye care here through our HMO. The Advanced Care Unit (for complications) is terrific with highly experienced attendings supervising the students. The regular care is also excellent. You're examined by a student, then the attending examines you and verifies the findings of the students. An exam with dilation takes 3-4 hours which is the normal amount of time for this type of exam in most places. A thorough exam by 2 people with time for the eye drops to take effect takes time. You want a thorough exam, not a rushed haphazard disaster. You are there for your eyesight, not a meal. I haven't used their eye glasses services. The reception staff and appointment staff are very organized and professional. 24 Hour Emergency Phone service is available. I dislike their push x for this answering system immensely! read more

Go here if: 1) You have ~3 hours to spare (as another reviewer noted, this isn't downtime) 2) You want an eyeglass prescription to use anywhere but no glasses/contacts upsell. I had a fine experience at the IEI. Both students I dealt with were very capable and courteous, and their work was checked by a real O.D. If you get the full exam, be sure to bring sunglasses, because post-dilation, stuff looks BRIGHT. Ow. read more

I have been going here for years. I just had my follow up appointment today. As always I was very satisfied with the treatment and professionalism that I received. I have never received such a in-depth examination anywhere as I do here. Thanks read more

Service was great!!! I was seen by a student, however everything was overseen by a licensed optometrist. Everyone was nice and thanked me for by business. read more

Haven't been here in 5 years as I was disgusted that my prescription wasn't right as I saw better out of my old glasses! Either they switched the eyes on my prescription or the prescription wasn't written right in the first place. Have no idea what other mistakes that could happen in not being able to see properly from your glasses out of a new script. I ordered photo grey, but my glasses did not turn grey to black in the sunlight but turned a medium brown. I did not request this--I asked for photo greys. If they could not accommodate this service of being able to order photo greys for my lenses, they should have specified that as I have very sensitive light colored eyes & this other variety where the lenses turned a medium brown color did not cut it. I ended up getting the frames from them as well--don't know if that's a contracted out business that's hand in hand w/IEI but it didn't take long for the lenses to come loose from the frames & it's extremely inconvenient to have to constantly tighten them up repeatedly. So I'm thinking the frames were not the greatest quality as this was indeed a huge problem. And I paid out of pocket so this all costed a fortune, a few hundred dollars which is very expensive for a person on a fixed income & on top of it all had to wait a considerably long time for the glasses to be picked up. I'm debating whether or not I should go back as I had thought all along the student's work was overseen by a real eye Doctor meaning an ophthalmologist as opposed to an optometrist. The exam always seemed comprehensive which was why I had went there to begin with but ophthalmologists diagnose & treat a wider range of eye conditions & diseases than optometrists & opticians so now that I'm a Senior Citizen, I have to carefully consider whether or not I will return. read more