Having perfect vision is a dream come true! I've been wearing glasses/contacts as a child, and I…read moreguess the past few years has been my nudge to just get through my bucket list. Correcting my vision was one of them. I knew I wanted/needed LASIK but wasn't serious until this year. I shopped around a bit and scheduled several consultations. What stood out about Travers LASIK is that Dr. Lori Travers performs all of her surgeries herself and has completed over 60,000 surgeries. Impressive. I've learned that when it comes to health you should always choose a doctor who is an EXPERT at their field, and hyper focused on one thing, not dipping their hand at the pot with 5 different things. Her credentials along with her extremely well run office was the reason I chose Travers LASIK over the other options in the Triangle. To note however; Travers is a smidge more costly than the others but you are paying for precision and you're paying for her 20+ years of experience, which is well worth its weight in gold imo. After the surgery, I came out with 20/15 vision, which is better than 20/20 vision. Here was my experience and here are the things I learned. Yes, you do spend a lot of time at the free LASIK consultations and the surgery day itself, as they need to perform tests and take pictures of your eyes with many different devices and expect to see A LOT of people at every appointment. Yes, it does feel like an assembly line / factory but honestly, I was okay with that. I wasn't there to socialize nor did I feel the need to chit chat beyond what I was there for. Everyone was professional, kind and very knowledgeable. I barely spoke to Dr. Travers, the majority of the time I spent talking with her team from one test to another. I only met Dr. Travers in the surgery room and she asked if I had any questions and explained mono vision to me (although I ended up going with distance vision) and I was in and out of the surgery room within less than 10 minutes, as advertised. The actual procedure: If you can't sit still and focus, LASIK might not be for you. (I learned that people with diabetes and/or hormonal changes, pregnant, etc.. shouldn't also have LASIK either) Recovery: from all the reading and research and asking people about LASIK, no one really talks about the recovery. People usually rave about the results which while are impressive, it's important to know what to expect also. After the surgery, you are sent away with plastic shields taped to your face to protect your eyes (and prevent you from touching them) and are directed to sleep when you get home. I couldn't sleep for 6 hours as they suggest, and probably slept for about 3. Your eyes feel very tired and your eyelids feel glued due to the stickiness and crust forming in your eyes. It's annoying to not be able to clean your eyes due to the shields that can't be taken off until the very next morning. You just have to deal with it. The next morning, you take off the shields and your new life begins, you should be able to see very clearly, it's remarkable! One thing to note also is that after age 40, they made it very clear that you might have to use readers (reading glasses) as LASIK is unable to correct near vision, which is natural -- and inevitable with age. I am now 1 week post surgery and am doing excellent. I can see far away and feel like a new person just about. I do still wear (blue light) glasses to reduces eye strain while on the computer which is fine by me, I just love having vision for distance that isn't dependent on glasses. I use eyedrops on my eyes extremely often however, because I want the healing of my cornea's to go as smooth as possible. I expect to taper off in about 3 or 6 months, as needed. Two week update: while I can generally see well, sometimes things far away that I'd expect to be able to read, are blurry. I've read this is normal until the eye completely heals. Also, nighttime driving isn't superb, and things are not as crisp either. I am hoping over the next month that will sort itself out also and that I can see more clearly also. If you're considering or on the fence, go for a free consultation.. you'll learn a lot about your eyes! And hopefully you're a candidate, and hopefully you'll take the leap of faith! Disclaimer: as with any surgery, there are always risks and sometimes short term, and occasional long term side effects. Dry eyes, halos, starbursts, non-crisp night vision, etc. I personally understood all the risks and went with it. But be sure to talk it all through thoroughly with your doctor so you know what you're signing up for. Good luck!

Dr. Travers did my LASIK surgery in 2004 when she was with LASIKPlus. It was the best decision I…read moreever made. My vision was so bad that all I could see was light/dark, shapes, and my fingers in front of my face! I needed to put on glasses just to go to the bathroom at night! I went in thinking and accepting that I'd still need glasses afterwards, and was fine with that. I just wanted SOMETHING better than I had! I never dreamed I'd come out of it never needing a pair of glasses and two pairs of contacts per year again - ever! The surgery was quick and painless. Dr, Travers talked me through it and kept me calm and concentrating. I got up and could read the clock and posters across the room! Two weeks later I had the Corrective Lenses requirement removed from my driver's license! The difference, 17 years later, never ceases to amaze me. I walk down the street and can see the veins in leaves, birds in trees, and all the beauty in our world. The value of sight to an avid reader is priceless. Have your procedure with Dr. Travers!! Her success rate is, literally, in the tens of thousands and counting. She is very professional and her staff is great. Thank you, Dr. Travers!!!

When I came there was 1 other person on the waiting room. Th Dr did come out several times to…read moreintroduce himself to us. When I was taken in I was given a regular eye ck up by the assistant and then I waited for 39-45 min for him to return. I went in for extreme dry eyes n I needed glasses that worked. As it was I waited 2 months before I could see a Dr. n now, he brushed it off...no prescription for the dry eyes and all I need are reading glasses. When he gave me the eye exam, he gave me 1 line to read n I told him I could not read it n he was blurry. I am an artist. I can't read a road sign, Im using old glasses to teach art n to paint at home. Reading Glasses! I contacted my insurance n told them what happened n they have made me another appt w another opthomologist n filing a grievance on my part n their's. I guess I need to get a pair of reading glasses to read a book, another to read a road sign, another to see you, a couple to teach, another for the PC, another to paint, and another to see my subject. And I still have no help for the dry eyes.

Had cataract surgery and a year later minor laser follow-up. I have clear vision and am satisfiedread more

Dr Palo and his entire staff are phenomenal. They go above and beyond everytime I come in and I…read morereally appreciate it. Especially as I'm new to contacts and had a lot of questions. They took ample time with me and genuinely helped out with everything that came up. As long as I'm in Raleigh I would never consider going anywhere else!

Your service was inadequate, As A customer I found that a product was priced higher than in other…read moreoptical stores. Whether this was ignorance or a faulty staff, your staff has a lot of work ahead. I feel you are neglecting your customers, I trust this is not the way that your company wishes to conduct business with a valued customer. Your needs to take all the necessary measures to make sure that bad service does not become a habit, when you know better, do better

My wife had lasik surgery and she was impressed by the amount of professionalism shown by the…read morenurses and Doctor Porter The office is spotless and pleasant atmosphere prevails starting with the ladies at the front desk. Dr.Porter is very methodical in his work and thorough in his examination

I had been thinking of LASIK for years but only recently decided to follow through. I had searched…read morethe local Raleigh area and found Porter Ophthalmology had the best and highest reviews. The lower star ratings I read seemed to be related to insurance related issues so I ruled those out. I initially tried to make an appointment online but never heard anything so I called a few days later. The receptionist was friendly and immediately sent me forms via email to complete prior to my consultation. My wife and I went to the consultation and met Dr Porter and his wonderful staff. After completing all the required tests and asking Dr Porter more questions than I probably should...we scheduled the pre-op appointment and my surgery. The pre-op lasted about 2 hours, which included dilation of my eyes. I drove home afterwards with little issue. Surgery day (yesterday). We showed up just prior to my 0910 appointment and we were sent to a small room just outside the inpatient surgery room (or whatever you want to call it). Friendly staff came in and spoke with us and put some numbing drops in my eyes. Shortly thereafter I was in the room and having the surgery. I will note now that I am 54 and wore progressive lenses so we went with monovision for my surgery. Meaning that my left eye is for reading and my right (dominant) eye is for distance. Seems weird, right? After the surgery, which lasted less than 10 minutes, we received some final instructions and we were on our way home. My vision was cloudy but I could make out pretty much everything. I rested for a few hours in a mostly dark room, putting drops in every hour as directed. After 4-5 hours the cloudiness was almost gone and I could see TV and read fairly well. My eyes were slightly itchy but the eye drops seemed to alleviate the issue. Later on in the evening my left eye began to ache slightly so I took Motrin and went to sleep. Woke up today and vision was even better than the day before. We went to my 0900 appointment and again met with Dr Porter. After a series of checks he stated my eyes were between 20/25 and 20/20, which I haven't had in about 11 years. I was worried about the blended vision but my brain is quickly adapting. Dr Porter said that my vision will continue to improve over the next 4-6 weeks. My only regret is that I waited so long to have this surgery.

I absolutely love this place, I didnt have to wait long when I got there and the staff was amazing!…read moreJuliana was such a doll, she was really sweet and made sure I had a great visit, would definitely be coming back!!

Absolutely will never schedule another appointment here again. I waited over 1 hour 45 min min to…read morebe seen for an appointment. This office is dingy and needs a deep cleaning at the very least, but a complete renovation or new location is totally warranted. Fixtures were covered in a thick layer of dust, ceiling tiles were bowed and had water stains, air vents & returns appeared to be clogged with dust (I left there with a sore throat and stuffy nose from the poor air quality), walls had holes from things that previously hung there but were never repaired, optical equipment appeared to be original to the office (decades old), front desk staff was very loudly conducting personal conversations amongst themselves. Find a better practice.

I visit the office often as I have macular degeneration. Doctor Kumar has treated me for cataract…read moresurgery, laser surgery, and 3 years of macular degeneration. He is the best and most knowledgeable and professional. I will not go to another doctor. He is always pleasant, and takes the time to answer my questions without rushing me. With my eye sight being ultra important I leave his office knowing I received the best eye care. His staff from the receptionist to the nurses are friendly and caring. I can't imagine anyone feeling otherwise unless they are having a bad day and rate CRI poorly.

I had cataract surgery at Carolina RETINA INSTITUTE with Dr. Kumar. I was very unhappy with the…read moreresults not real happy with the office demeanor. Overall, I would not recommend them to anyone you have choices and where you go go to Duke instead.

I called and was able to make an appointment in a timely manner. There is plenty of parking in the…read moreshared parking lot outside of the business. The employees that I engaged with were pleasant. The doctor and tech that gave me my vision test were thorough & knowledgeable. The eye institute offers a variety of frames for your glasses or you can take your prescription to another location. There is supposed to be an option to text the business after hours or when an employee is unavailable. I used this service but did not get a response back from the business.

Dr. Andrew is so wonderful. His bedside manner is great along with his cheerful personality. He is…read morevery knowledgeable and gives his patients so much information. He is also very honest & will tell you if you really don't need additional services. I've had eye drs in the past tell me I need a certain service when in reality it wasn't necessary. His staff are friendly and patient when you want to take your time picking out the right frames for glasses. I highly recommend Dr. Andrew and this location of The Eye Institute for eye checks.

i "highly recommend" (the cary eye…read morecenter).....................very professional....knowledgeable, and friendly! whether you have visited once, or ten--times the doctor , and staff treat you like you are old friends!!! i have "recommended" dr. oniel to others, and all have have expressed their satisfaction!!!! r. a. super

I went to Dr. O'Neal at the Cary Eye Center a while back. He was kind and very professional to me…read more He was also willing to work with me when I was having an issue with my bill due to a personal reason. Dr. O'Neal took the time to listen to me, and went out of his way to help. I would highly recommend Dr. O'Neal at the Cary Eye Center. Thank you!

This place is an absolute rip off. From the office staff to the doctor to the optical team…read more The appointment process was ridiculous, had booked 6 months in advanced and there was no availability for around 3 months from the day we wanted... So our appointment was 9 months apart from the booking date.. The doctor visit was so rushed. Poirier clearly wanted easy cash, started trying to hook us into their in-house specialist sector while ridiculing the doctor we currently went to. He also did not explain things clearly and was very difficult to work with. Tried to ask questions and he was already halfway to the door. The optical team were uninformative with the lens options, automatically ordering us the premium lenses instead of giving us all the options so we could choose. Said it was "their automatic choice as they wanted the best for their patients". We demanded a refund, after consulting with our insurance, which took forever to process as they had a "no returns" policy. Additionally, the frames on display contained no price tags, so every one that we liked we had to ask them to search it up on their computer to know if it was in our budget. The front desk team was polite, but their work ethic was very questionable. When we were all done, they checked us out and simply handed us a paper with the next appointment date. Did not ask if we wanted to schedule in advanced. Did not ask if there was a day that worked best for us. Just a "here you go, and if it doesnt work call us back"... Overall, horrible office. We were given little to no choices on anything and everything. They try to force our hands into doing things for us without our consent just so they can gain the most money out of it. DO NOT RECOMMEND AND PLEASE STEER CLEAR!!

They always stand by their products and the staff is just amazing!!! The front desk people are…read morelovely and Rob and Sam are just the best!

Dr. Wick and his son Mason are a great team. Dr. Wick knows how to build a lens. Not cheap but…read moreafter spending a fortune elsewhere and having lens that were off, The Spectacle is well worth it. Thanks!

I won't go anywhere else for glasses. My husband, son, and I have all been beyond impressed by the…read morelevel of service at The Spectacle. Their ability to quickly match you with perfect frames seems almost supernatural. I love my glasses so much I've virtually stopped wearing my contacts.