Front desk staff good customer service responsive to questions - warm and friendly. I have been Dr O'Dwyers patient for many years she is thorough provides detailed explanations and information. Dr O'Dwyer cares about her patients and it is apparent to me every time I have an appointment. read more

They have a notice in the lobby that this building has asbestos but they say it's on other floors. The other reviews about them rotating clients is correct and I had to wait with no explanation after they took people that walked in after me. I waited 30 minutes and was told they didn't know I was "ready" when I was told to take a seat, that didn't make sense. The Dr is nice and takes her time and did a great job but the optician Rose rushes you a bit and was too busy to answer all my standard questions. They also tried to sell me some over priced products I saw at CVS for half the cost that I didn't really need and suggested I get an additional test through my health insurance not covered by my eye insurance and they want you to rebook a return for follow up. All standard stuff. Some of the front desk girls are horrible and there seems to be miscommunication between the tech staff and them. I asked the desk for a form the optician told me to get from the front and the girl at the front said "that's between her and you"...strange answer. I feel like a little bit of cordial behavior at the front plus a stronger communication between the staff could go a long way. There are a lot of choices in NYC and it's really sad when you give your business to people and you have a less than stellar experience. We all work hard and should be able to at least have a decent experience in healthcare. It's a convenient location. Also clean office with a pretty view. They have good selection of glasses. read more

Bottom line, everyone in this office just wants you to spend money. Front desk will make you sign consent to have a photo of your eyes taken, instead of dilation. They conveniently don't mention the cost ($39) and say it's to avoid the 4 hours of blurry vision caused by dilation (if you read the paper, it says 2 hours). They were shocked when I said I didn't want contacts (I wear my glasses only for distance, like once every 2 weeks). Dr. O'Dwyer was nice enough and seemed thorough. Optician (Rose) is very pushy and doesn't want anything to do with you unless you're spending significant $$$. I wanted new lenses for my existing pair of glasses. I briefly entertained Rose's suggestion of getting a new pair, but once I made my decision to stick with my existing frames, she couldn't get me out of there fast enough. Lenses alone came to $360 (she assured me this is a "great price" but didn't offer a detailed receipt, just the total cost). Spoiler: this is NOT a great price. I had to sign a consent form saying if they break my existing frames, they are not responsible. I should have just taken my prescription & left. read more

I can't believe what just happened to me. I chose this Dr because she was close to my office and has good reviews on zoc doc. My first appointment was fine. Eye exam and contact lens fitting. Exactly what I wanted. She scheduled a follow up which I expected. Then we scheduled another follow up. I thought it was to check on how I'm doing with the contacts since I didn't really wear them before. But I thought it was weird. Why am I scheduling appointments if there is no problem yet? I showed up today and I was given a form to sign that this was to get my eyes dilated and a series of testing which I/my insurance should pay for. Isn't that expected? Why is there is separate form for this visit in particular? Then I see on the form that if I elected to not do it today, the form says "I decline thus testing and understand blindness may result" or something like that. WHAT THE FUCK? It seems like they were trying to scare me into taking these tests which weren't necessary. So I asked to follow up with the doctor. Turns out no they are not needed, nothing in my files indicated that I need to schedule these tests...blah blah blah. Really? Sounds like churning to me. You're bringing me in here multiple times a year and scheduling unnecessary tests to hit up my insurance company with. I walked out of there really disappointed. I thought I would've like her. She did say that my glasses prescription was overcorrected which I don't understand because it helps me see, which I'm a fan of. I feel like I can't trust that assessment anymore and will go to a new doctor in the new year for a new opinion. read more

I had seen this Dr for two years, and was happy. However, at my last visit, she clearly made an error while writing my new glasses rx. (She wrote the contact lens Rx for my glasses, and there is supposed to be a conversion factor). I didn't catch this as my Rx was faxed directly to the store where my glasses were made. Needless to say, I could not see clearly out of these new glasses. When I tried to get her to admit the error, she insisted that the Rx was correct, even though I went to a new OD and verified that it was wrong, and that this error should have been obvious to her when she double-checked my charts. Not sure why she couldn't just admit her mistake and compensate me for the bad glasses I had made. Too bad, she had been a nice Dr up until this painful two-month ordeal. read more

I chose Dr. O'Dwyer because she takes VSP and is close to my office...risky, but the people at the nearby Cohen's seem to have a problem answering questions about insurance. Dr. O'Dwyer is great. I got an appointment for the day after I called, and didn't have to wait to be seen. I brought my Rx from my previous doctor and learned that he had me in contacts that were too strong and the wrong axis. My eyesight is .5 BETTER than I thought. Nothing was blurry before, but with my new contacts, everything is super clear. She also prescribed me a brand that is half the price of Acuvue! I got new glasses as well and the guy who fit them...Dr. Bill Something, was really nice and patient as I did different poses in the mirror to find the perfect naughty librarian frames. He said to come back anytime they needed to be adjusted and that I didn't need an appointment. There are 3 people on her office staff and they're all very friendly and helpful. I had eye surgery when I was in junior high and have always been wary of going to a new doctor, but I am really pleased and would recommend them to anyone. I asked a lot of questions and she didn't dumb anything down or brush me off to get me out of there like my old doctor. read more

I wish someone had warned me off this doc before I went!! I picked her office because it was near my place of work - big mistake. What she did wrong: 1) Tried to charge me $75 for an extra exam I did not want. When I walked in, her assistant made me sign a waiver agreeing to pay all charges claimed. This should have set off alarm bells, as I've never had to sign one before. Afterwards she tried to charge me $75 for a contact fitting after I specifically told her that I did not want one because I was happy with my current brand. After I complained her assistant quickly dropped it to $40...they will milk you for what they can I guess. 2) She DELIBERATELY gave me the WRONG PRESCRIPTION. At the time, I felt the change was kind of weird since my prescription has not changed in 8 years and I told her as much. She insisted that it changed and that I should "come back in 6 months" to "see how I was doing." This is called creating churn, I believe, when you force patients to come back to you so you can charge them twice a year. Thanks to her, I'm squinting all the time now and I can't wait for next year to come around so I can go see a new doc. h 3) She persistently tried to push Proclear lenses on me because she is sponsored by them (her shelves, writing pads, etc all say proclear). I told her that I have tried those in the past but found them to be drying, but she persisted to the point of making me put in a pair... People like her are a disgrace to her profession!! AVOID. read more

I've been coming here for 4 years and always enjoy the visit (efficient, thorough, thoughtful). I've had problems with contacts and she always works with me to resolve issues. I have also sent many colleagues to her with same outcome. read more

Dr. O'Dwyer is an excellend opthalmologist. She has always treated me with extreme care and thoroughness. Every visit has been excellent in every way. She is cautious, thorough, patient in and I recommend her highly Suze R read more

I found this office via VSP and needed to renew my contact lens prescription. I was a bit apprehensive after reading all the negative reviews, but I have to say that my experience was fine. I made an appt for the next day with Jennifer Colavito (back up doc in Maureen's absence). I also made sure to understand the coverage VSP provided to me and the copays I would have to incur. The whole appt took about an hour and Dr. Colavito was very nice. I didn't do/want the dilation done and was not pressured to schedule another appt to do so. I was not pressured to order contacts or glasses (which I wouldn't have done anyway). I did fill out forms that included a list of fees that they charge (IF you are paying out of pocket) and I was not pressured to do any extra exams as per some of the reviews. I would say my visit was very straight forward and I got my prescription instantly via email and the copayment I was charged was exactly what VSP stipulated. So overall, I would be weary of a practice that has so many issues, but at the same time come informed and know what your insurance covers and be aware of what you are actually getting done. I did not feel swindled or mis-treated, so I am not sure what all the other reviews are referring to. Of course they're going to try to get you to do more tests because they're getting paid pennies from the insurance companies. But you need to know what's covered, what fees you are paying and what additional costs you can incur....I felt like having that info provided up front was helpful. And again I have coverage through VSP so I was not responsible for any of the fees outside of my normal co payments. I am not sure if people are coming here mis-informed or completely clueless but since there have been repeated complaints, if you do come here, just make sure you know what's up and what your insurance stipulates you are responsible for. Eye docs are tricky and I would expect that a Manhattan practice would try to maximize the revenue they receive from your insurance since they're not getting paid all that much. So don't worry about what your insurance pays them, what do you care? Worry about your out of pocket expenses. In addition - if you need contacts, go online and look to see what other companies charge, or what Eyeconic charges, or what lens.com charges and make an informed decision as to what is the cheapest route. But please don't complain that you are swindled by this practice, when all you were was misinformed about the fees. Yes front desk staff aren't overly friendly, but who cares. You're here for a quick exam.....so again don't pay so much attention to these minute details. I can't say these guys were amazing....but did I efficiently get what I needed? Yes. At the price I expected, Yes. read more

She's a nice doctor but they made me come two different times for my visit - completely unnecessary. By doing this, they charge the insurance company twice and you're left with the remainder of the mess. Someone else mentioned this already but the people who work there are not helpful and miserable. I like supporting smaller doctor's offices but since these same people run their billing, it'd be better to go to a place with a separate billing department. read more

Dr. O'Dwyer is nice enough, but this was a bad experience. This is the only optometrist I have seen in 25 years that required a separate visit to dilate your pupils (sorry, lady, but this is a scam to get people/insurance companies to pay for two visits). On top of that, the front desk staff seem like they hate their lives (not particularly friendly, come across that they would rather be ANYWHERE else). Doorman was a dick, too. Finally, they've been blowing up my email AND texts with SPAM. This was just an overall unpleasant experience. read more

The worst experience ever! Overly priced services, which were not necessary in my case and which were not disclosed fully and thoroughly up front!!!! First of all, I was not seen at the time of my appointment, I had to wait at list an hour. Then, as my appointment began she kept rotating patients, instead of finishing with one. The total time I spend at the office was more than 3 hour, which is absurd. The reason for the appointment with doctor Maureen O'Dwyer was to get the annual checkup, which means to get new prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses. At the office, I was informed that my insurance would only cover the examination for glasses prescription, and not for contact lenses, which meant to pay out of my pocket $250 ( $250 just for contact lenses prescription). That was clearly out of my price range of what I could afford, so I refused that part. I am glad that I was notified upfront. Because I still needed my contacts prescription I had to find another doctor ( which I could afford), and I ended up getting a full examination at the price of $100, where I got both prescriptions for glasses and for contact lenses. Long story short, I received a bill from doctor Maureen O'Dwyer for $690 ( again, I only came to get prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses, and I only got a prescription for glasses). I do annual checkup every year and I have never heard or experienced such an astronomical charges in my life!!!!!! When I called my insurance company I was told that the doctor had charged me as a patient with a "Medical Condition." What medical condition????? Never had in my life!!!! And still don't have it!!!!!! Call the office of Maureen O'Dwyer, and explanation at her office was: "the doctor conducted multiple tests, which she thought were necessary for my "condition", she also conducted a test which is required by the DMV." ( WOW! I did not ask for such test!) What struck me the most when I was told: "you are not going to pay that "Much", your insurance will cover most of it and you are Only responsible for the rest, which is $105." Just curious, how do they define wat is "much" and what is not and for whom. Seriously!!!! If I knew that I would Only get a partial examination for such price I would definitely refuse the services at her office!!! which would save me from wasting my money, time and energy on this nonsense. For many years, once a year I visit an eye specialist for the same exact purpose - to get new prescriptions. ALL doctors do exactly the same procedure as I have received at the office of the doctor Maureen O'Dwyer. Oh, no the only difference I DON'T have to spend 3 hours at the office and I am getting a charge of $690, that is basically the only difference! read more

Awesome experience from everyone in the practice, including of course, Dr. O'Dwyer. Every step was explained & the associated costs were detailed in advance of anything proceeding. Very thorough. Felt like my vision health and its needs were well taken care of. read more

Since moving into the city a few years ago, I haven't had the need to get my eyes checked until I had a problem recently. I wasn't sure who to see and I didn't just want to pick a name out of the phone book. So I asked a coworker of mine who highly recommended her eye doctor, Dr. Maureen O'Dwyer. I had my first appointment with her last week and it was a really great experience. My appointment was scheduled in the late afternoon and Dr. O'Dwyer took me right away and got my exam underway immediately. She was very friendly, extremely knowledgeable and took the time to answer all my questions (and I had a lot of questions!) I will now be going to her for all my eye exams in the future~ great doctor! read more

Had a great experience at Dr O Dwyer's office. She and her office were highly professional and I have sent others to her office. Everyone including myself were quite pleased with the service and personal attention. I normally don't write reviews but was shocked at the other reviews. I can say my experience was quite the opposite and wanted to set the record straight, maybe the previous reviews should stick to Costco if they want wholesale prices and care. read more

Untrained staff do most tests. Terrible doctor & staff. Insisted I had to pay for glasses prescription which WAS covered by my insurance. Had to threaten to bring charges to get refund. DON'T USE THIS PERSON. read more

AVOID. Have been twice, possibly 3 times and it is a total scam. First, waiver signature the minute you step inside sets off ALARM bells for outrageous contact lense refitting..give me a break! Guessing it is her way around fees she isn't able to collect otherwise but she is ripping off patients! Next count on adding a slew of things to jack up costs such as erroneous drops, measuring who knows what, which you consent to w/o her explanation of + FEES oh and then changes prescription slightly w/ pitch to change lenses in frames I never wear and then the bills start coming via mail. All in, $700 + to re up prescription and get one yr supply of contact lenses. Oh and made me wait close to 30+ min while dilating because she supposedly had another patient in her offices which she did not and no one else was in office besides staff. Just got off phone w/ insurance co. who told me they'd send a letter to inform Ms. ODwyer she can only charge me her contract rate. STEER CLEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I have been a devoted patient of Dr. O'Dwyer since 2009 and have never been so pleased with a Doctor's practice in this city as I am with hers. No long waits, no overcrowded waiting room, no dingy decor.. Her office is beautiful and her staff is friendly, professional, efficient and they truly understand the importance of great customer service. As for the Dr. herself, she's the best! She's extremely knowledgeable, patient in explaining all the aspects of the exam and answering questions, and she's got excellent taste in eyewear! Her in-office boutique is nicer than many of the neighborhood's most high-end, elegant eyeglass stores and she stocks a wide range of choices. I recently started taking my 9 year-old daughter who was in need of having her first full eye exam and Dr. O'Dwyer took a lot of time making her feel comfortable and talking her through the process. I highly recommend Dr. O'Dwyer to anyone wanting the very best in vision care. read more