So many pros to this location but the wait time is a huge con. This is my 3rd time here with my mom and i have been here 2 times for myself. I recommend not making an appt for a Monday as the wait times on the 2 Monday appointments were ridiculous. Also, try to make an appt on days you don't have plans afterwards. Yesterday, July 7 was a clear example of that. My mom had an appt for 12:15pm. We arrived at 12:05pm and checked in and paid the copay. We sat down and it wasn't crowded at that point maybe 8-10 people seated. We got up to drink some water as they provide with small cups. We waited until 1:15pm and at this point i was seeing it was getting crowded and everyone was being called except us. I checked in to see how long it will take or how many people were in front of us and the lady was nice but did tell me they had just started calling the 11am appts at 1:15pm they were completely booked and understaffed. They finally called my mom at 2:20pm and did the eye exam. We were seated again and called at 245pm to the second room where they take photos of the eye. Then we went back out to the waiting room and were called in at 3:05pm to see the provider. Dr Damon Pettinelli is so nice and friendly. Love his bedside manner and how he explained things to my mother and I. He was very thorough and the staff here were all very nice to my mom. We left at 3:17pm. I love the service of this facility. The staff is nice and thorough. The provider is great. The wait time is the biggest issue, if they work on that, especially on Mondays-they would be golden. read more

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The care that's provided here is amazing. It's the wait to see the doctor. My Doctor is excellent at what he does. This place is completely overbooked. But if you have to see a specialist you'll wait. The staff are all so accommodating. I also meant to say bring your breakfast and lunch because of the wait. Wear a jacket no shorts after sitting for so many hours you will be cold. I feel bad for the elderly people as they are cold and hungry. So you'll wait for hours if you have anything else to do that day cancel because you will not make it anywhere else but to go home eat dinner and go to bed because you're exhausted from sitting in one spot for so long. read more

New York Eye Surgery Center - People in the waiting room - Optometrists Near Me - Bronx, New York

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They charge patient cash money without notifying the patient that it's an extra charge and it's not cover by insurance. They will send the patient to the front desk to pay it. Even if you don't see the doctor for that day just for RX they will ask you god knows what changes they will make for patients. I spoke to different patients that works with me and used to visit that facility. And they all said the something read more

Cataracts. Arrived t 9;50 am, waited and waited in a very crowded waiting area to get tested. Then waited and waited to see doctor who was a bit rushed. Finally left just after 3 pm when they close. Dr. wanted me to get the more expensive lenses which leave halos around lights. No thanks.. I requested the less costly lenses which don't leave halos. Two days before surgery they call me saying the lenses I want may not be available and Dr. was recommending more costly lenses. Had arranged to be picked up via the transportation service they use for surgery. Was told to be ready by 10 am. No one showed up. Called clinic and was told they thought I was getting to the clinic on my own. I decided to cancel the surgery as this place has too many loose ends and I don't want a doctor operating on my eyes is who rushed (because they pack so many patients into a day). Next day their transportation service calls to "confirm the pickup." Glad I canceled. read more

it appears Vanja works for this business since she is the only one giving 5 stars. HORRIBLE!!!! Stay away from it!!! Yes you will be waiting 5+ HRS even tho you have an appointment. Doctors there just want to take your money. EXTREMELY unprofessional. Where is the -star option here???? read more

I dont understand all the bad reviews! And am so glad I trusted my gut and came here for my mom. I remember seeing this place for the last 15y so I trusted that they had to be doing something right to be in the neighborhood that long. Every single person that we saw today was nice, kind, professional! From the front desk to numerous specialists and nurses and doctors - everyone was kind and professional. Everyone is complaining about the wait time - here is our experience... We came at 9am and paid copay and say down. Next a nurse called us to check her prescription and glasses. We went to sit down. Again 10min wait and another person called mom - took pics behind her eyes, glaucoma check etc, went back to wait room, saw dr that explained everything- went back to the wait room and got called to the final person ( Rosie - sooo nice) that scheduled the surgery and explained the process. We left at 11 but at no time did i think the time was wasted! Everything was productive and something was going on at all time. I 1000% feel like coming here was a good decision and thank Goodness i did not listen to the negative reviews read more

New York Eye Surgery Center - Optometrists Near Me - Bronx, New York

This place is a huge problem. Making people wait 5 hours is unacceptable. Telling people when they arrive they need a referral and handing them some form and telling them to call their primary care physician while they wait is gross medical malpractice and malfeasance. They should tell you on the phone when you make the appointment that you need a refferal before arriving. I called the office manager and e mailed them. You think they bothered to reply? No, they don't care. They only do this because the patients are immigrants and culturally don't complain. If people got together and reported this to the insurance companies, New York State, and these Drs. Medical licensing boards, they would stop this. We all have NYS patient rights. I am going to notify the NYS Attorney General's Office about this place. read more

So here the deal my grandma was refer here for her cataracts surgery. They provided us free transportation to and from the clinic. The transportation came to pick us up thirty minutes before surgery. Once we got to the clinic we were taken right inside they took my grandma to get her surgery done. I was told to sit in a chair while I wait for my grandma to get surgery done. Once I sat down one of the employees told that I have to get up and that the chair are for patient only. In top that I was told to stand up I was kick out and told I was not allow to wait for my grandma inside but outside in the cold. When I was waiting outside for my grandma I saw the transportation driver about to drive two different patients home with their family member. I was in shock because of covid their are only allow three people in a car. Once my grandma got out of surgery we waited for ten minutes to what was the next step. I ask the lady on the front desk and she told that we need to wait for the next patient to be done so the transportation driver to take us home. I right away told her that my grandma was not going to get in a car with two other people. I don't know how but the front desk lady told call and ask to see if we could be taken just us two. For some reason I was told that he would take us. The transportation guy treated us like nothing he didn't even help me get my grandma in the car. The driver drove like he was in a car race. We got home safe thanks god. Once we got home the transportation driver didn't help me get my grandma out of the car. My grandma need to get her right eye done if it was for me I try to get a new place but that the only place for eye surgery here in The Bronx. My grandma and I are going to get mentally prepared for the next surgery. One good thing is that my grandma said the doctors took care of her good. But I would not recommend this place to no one. read more

I was totally upset about the wait time there i actually waited a total of five hours that's unacceptable!!! The receptionist on the first floor is very nice its when they shuffle you downstairs to standing while you are waiting because its so crowded . The nurses just cover their behinds and lie to the patients .When i asked about if they called me ,they said they called me but i never heard my name.Seriously thinking i should get another Opthamologist i have an appt on monday but when i checked modicare for transport i wasn't able to, because i need to make that 4 days prior. This tells me not to go back there .This office books too many patients at one time.Its a disaster.Oh one more thing the doctors are exceptional, i like Dr.Pettinelli hes really professional but i got the feeling the nurses told him im a complainer and i dont really care this office needs to reevaluate the scheduling for their clients. read more

I should have researched this place before going. I've heard family talking about the long waits but this is ridiculous. A two hour wait just for them to put in eye drops and stuff you back in the waiting area? On another visit I waited at least 4 hours. The nerve of the staff to be eating lunch while the rest of us are hungry and waiting. I believe the doctors are triple booking patients and over billing. I'll be looking for another place that sees patients on time. And the staff is rude as well. read more

Oh holy wait time! I wish I would've researched this place before coming. It appears they schedule multiple patients for the same appointment appointment time which is representative of their inefficiency. I felt bad for older patients who I know had been there for hours! Here's a concept: sticking to appointment times and only scheduling what can be handled! I ended up just walking out and rescheduling for later when I have the mental capacity to sit in a waiting room for 3+ hours...today was not it! read more

Be prepared for a three to four hour wait time. I had the unfortunate pleasure to visit this Bronx location three times in 6 months. They stayed consistent with the wait times. Find another location or another surgeon! read more

The waiting time is ridiculous. My Father had an appointment for 8:30 am. (Oh and my Dad is diabetic so he can't go that long without eating) So, we get up early and get to the appointment on time under the impression that we would be out by the latest 9:30. That wasn't the case. We go in and there is about 15 people already waiting. Then we find out that the doctor isn't in yet because she has a habit of coming in at around 10:30 to 11:00 am. I was so upset. Why would they give my father an appointment so early if the doctor isn't even in yet?. That makes no sense!! To top it off he was finally seen at around 11:00 but not by an actual doctor but an assistant. So, now he has to go back the following week. They gave his appointment for 3:15 so the doctor can see him. I was upset. What a waste of time!! And more money in their pockets. This is the first time I came with my Dad and was disgusted by how unprofessional they are here. Many of the people that come to this facility are older and don't complain. Many come by themselves and don't have anyone to up speak for them. Many also don't speak English so they take advantage and treat them like second class citizens. I would not recommend this facility to a friend or a loved one. read more

I waited for almost 2 hours to be seen. I was told to ask for Daniella, who was rude to say the least. I let her know that I have another appointment at 1 pm at another site and it is 11:45, to which she responded "everyone says that they have another appointment so In other words she was calling me a liar. I feel that the staff should treat the patients better. Apparently there is a problem with overbooking like a heard of cattle to make the most of copayments. Disappointed with the service at this facility! read more

Incredibly frustrated. My first appointment, sat in the waiting area 2-3 hours past my "scheduled" time, and I am told I need to come back. Now the day of the appointment I am called by a very rude & dismissive rep saying that they need to reschedule me. Normally I can deal with subpar customer service (you need to if you live in the Bronx), but this woman was blatantly disrespectful and didn't even bat an eye about it. Taking my business elsewhere read more

Honestly the wait time is HORRIBLE! My appointment was at 8:30 am and it was 12:00 pm and still wasn't seen or called! Wouldn't recommend if you're coming with a schedule planned. read more

Horrible!!! Neglectful!! No compassion for the patients at all! My dad who is diabetic had a 9:15am appt. He was not seen until after 2pm. It was a follow up appointment. No surgery. I left 2 voice messages for Eva the supervisor to call me back and I am still waiting for a call. I could cry that's how angry I am. How could you let your patients wait that long!!! This has been the worse customer service in a medical setting I e ever experienced. read more

Don't go there!!! I had an appointment at 12:30, I got there at 11:30, I figured I would go early in order to fill out the paperwork. The receptionist said no paperwork was required (first red flag). She then asked me to sit. After a while I was called up to confirm name and address and marital status, and to give her my insurance card. I was then sent downstairs with my file to be given to the receptionist downstairs, I handed it to her and was told to sit and wait. I waited approximately 2 hours and still was not called. Senior adults were complaining they had been there since 8:30, were thirsty and hungry and they had still not been called. I waited another half hour then went to the back to inquire about my appointment and complain about the long wait. The women advised me that it was normal to wait 4-5 hours. Well I decided to leave. I told the receptionist that it was ridiculous to wait so long and asked why? I asked why they overbook and she advised that it's the way the doctors want it and commented that the doctors are always late. That is very inconsiderate of these doctors, our time is just as important as their time and this is unacceptable!!! Don't go there unless you want to sit and wait!!! Most of the patients are senior citizens. It's inhuman to have senior citizens wait so long! Something needs to be done quickly. read more

This place is a joke, took my mother for exam, the tech said she needed glasses, the doctor said she has glaucoma but yet she left without a eyeglasses prescription or any plan of care for her condition. They only gave her a follow up appt for 2MThs!! Place is a joke overcrowded and understaffed, the young staff are texting away, and no one cares. My calls have gone unreturned. Find a better place, stay away. read more

Surgery is 10 minutes. Expect to be here for over 5 hours waiting. Happen both times I was here waiting for my mom getting surgery. Receptionist said it will take 2 hours. Came back 3 hours late she said about another hour. 2 and a half hours later then she is finally done for a 10 minutes procedure read more

So i should've researched the reviews but I was in such a rush to find a location. Came here to check out my eyes and get testing done it's been about 2 months since The testing and nobody has been able to contact me. Non stop calling for weeks only to be told my messages are being written down and that's all they can do. Not only are they withholding medical information from me but also my providers who are trying to reach them for information on testing. You're better off going anywhere else besides here!!!! read more

I would give this place-5 stars if that was possible. Horrible customer service! We had appointment 10:15 and they made us wait before 1:30. Nobody ever apologized for such a long waiting time. And then all fo the sudden one of the nurses came out and told us that the doctor left because of emergency and we had to reschedule. I wasted all day, my daughter missed school and all this for what??? Nobody even apologized for this, worst experience I've ever had visiting the doctor. Will never go to that place again! read more

2nd time coming here and both times I've had a horrible experience with the wait time. They constantly over book and I've seen patients wait for over 3 hours to be seen. I wouldn't waste my day setting an appointment here.. I would of given this place negative stars but that's not an option. read more

Stay away from here. My mother had an appointment to have a laser treatment for scarring after cataract surgery and we made the mistake of choosing this place. Terrible customer service. Waited four hours for an appointment scheduled at 12:30. Had to reschedule the surgery after initial consultation and NO ONE returned calls. Takes forever to get through on the phone and it seems like no one knows an ear from an elbow. Schedules aren't even made 30 days in advance so you cannot plan in advance. This place is run like a clinic where patients are stacked and they are understaffed. Can't say enough bad things about this place. Go somewhere else. read more

This place is ridiculously awful. What's the sense in having an appointment when you still wind up waiting over two hours to be seen. They claim they're understaffed, if that's the case stop over booking. I will definitely NOT be coming back here. read more

I came to this place through my local clinic's referral department. I was fortunate enough to have had the first of a few eye examinations started around 15 minutes after my appointed time and the optometrists and most of the employees I've encountered were professional. So why am I giving this place two out of five stars? For one, a few of the employees loudly complain amongst themselves about the patients they serve, however that's not the biggest offender. While I was in the middle of eye examinations, I left my black umbrella behind. I asked a couple of employees and was told that another employee named Diana found it. When I confronted her about it, she continuously gave me excuses that someone had taken it, even though she was the one that found it. So not only do the employees lie to their patients, they also take their belongings as their own. The fact that I "lost" my umbrella creates a mistrust between the patient and the center employee that's supposed to serve them. Therefore, I will not make a revisit to this center. read more

Terrible service.... they triple book appointments .. my appointment was at 9:45am at 12:00pm they made a announcement that they would be calling the 9:45am appointments now ... go somewhere else read more

I have been coming since this past July 2016. Let me start off first with the fact that this place does NOT keep their appointments. That being said I was supposed to have a procedure done and it is now October and it has yet to be taken care of. Tell me how the person in charge tells the person that is supposed to operate on my eye to do so and she then refuses because she says she has no time. This is a very unprofessional place of business and don't recommend anyone to go there. read more

While the administrative staff at the reception is professional and wonderful, my encounter with Dr Tekie is terrible. PI was waiting in the pharmacy for him to resubmit a treatment as the one he submitted is not covered and was not available, and I was waiting for the technician to call me with instructions. THEY LEFT, went home, and NEVER send/called. MALPRACTICE. MY EYE IS GOING TO EXPLODE and I have no treatment. read more

If I can give it no stars I would. They over book their patients and a 2:30 appointment and it's 8:00 pm and we have yet to see the surgeon. I was also told that the surgeon picks and choose whoever she wants to do first and at any random order. Word of advice avoid any surgeons related to this place. read more

This place is horrible!!!!! I've never been to a health clinic where my blood pressure went up and I got sick just waiting to be seen! My appointment was for 12pm and it was 5pm and I was still waiting just for the drops!!!!!!!!!! I kept asking when I was gonna be seen and no one wanted to help or seemed to care!!! I was force to give a star if not I'd give it no stars!!! read more

If you want to waste 2 to 5 hours of your life waiting to see a doctor, then this the right place. No other comments... read more

I have been attending New York Eye Surgery Center for several years until on a scheduled visit was told I should see the eye specialist...upon seeing him, I asked a question about proposed Laser procedure and the response I received was indeed shocking to me...this specialist told a staff worker to "give her a brochure so she could read about it"...this was a "Specialist" -- lots of education, but showed total disrespect towards me (first time meeting) in 2017 Nov. then he proceeded to walk out the door.. being in shock at this response, I even attempted to tell him how sorry I was for asking a question (guess I was hot supposed to ask a question). I was then ushered into an office where a clerk began shuffling papers around, opened a desk draw and pulled out a ragged soiled note book and began telling me that the 'Specialist' would not be seeing me because I did not want to be seen by him...I was in complete disbelief... I was prompted to ask a question after being told by this 'Specialist' that he could perform operations ASAP...perhaps I should not have asked a question...I had to leave this office. Drops had been placed in my eyes for exam purposes and making it hard for me to see properly...I stumbled home... A week later, I called this clinic and requested my records .They would send it, I did not receive it, so I contacted my Insurance company and my Insurance made a 3-way call for my medical records... This so-called 'Specialist' I do not know the reason for this event... I just had to mention it here...just in case someone else has the experience that they are not alone .... read more

I am appalled by the insensitivity and lack of consideration towards patients who are left waiting for many hours by the doctors and office staff of the facility. My mother was referred to this facility in March 2016 in order to resolve some eye issues before fitting her for prescription glasses. The long wait during our first appointment should have been a clue as to what we would be experiencing in the future. In any event, the original doctor at this facility referred my mother to another doctor at this facility, who after a very long wait during her consultation appointment, advised that she would need Laser surgery. The Laser surgery appointment was even worse as my mother had to wait 3 1/2 hours, while the doctor shuffled between regular appointments and surgeries, before her surgery was performed. A few days after the surgery, I called the general manager (Gerard Scalera) to complain about the experience, and was convinced to give the facility another chance and was assured that things would change for our follow-up appointment. The follow-up appointment was indeed better, as we only waited a total of about 1 hour between tests and seeing the doctor. On August 18th, I brought my mother back for her next follow-up appointment at 8:30 a.m. Unfortunately, everything was back to what appears to be normal at the facility. When I approached the desk after waiting 1 1/2 hours, I was advised that the doctor had just arrived and that my mother would have an additional wait because there were a number of people who had earlier appointments starting at 7:30 a.m. I advised the person at the desk that we were leaving and that we would not be returning to this facility. Although this letter is about a particular doctor (Dr. Hakimian), it was clear from discussions with other patients that they experience the same issue with the doctors that they were seeing. This appears to be a systemic problem within this facility. Why would you ever have patients coming in at 7:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. if the doctor is not scheduled to arrive until 9:30 a.m., especially if they are just sitting there waiting as we were? Although we may need to start over again with another doctor, it will be worth it as this facility and Dr. Hakimian are just not worth the aggravation. I will be calling the insurance carrier and our general practitioner so that they do not make the mistake of referring their patients to the New York Eye Surgery Center. I also have my doubts about the number of tests that they have the patients go through and question if this is just a way of padding the bills to the insurance companies. read more

If I could give negative stars I would give this place negative stars. First of all the "free" shuttle is not free. It costs emotional distress. On the way to surgery the driver made two unannounced stops that were out of the way and we had to wait, which made us nervous we were going to miss our appointment. Little did we know that the appointment, which was scheduled for 2p, wouldn't actually start happening until 4p. No exaggeration, two hours in the waiting room. Then the surgery happened, which took a speedy 1.5 hours by comparison. After a short recovery, we got the receptionist to put our names on the list for a shuttle. That was over an hour ago. We were told 10 more mins for 40 minutes and are currently sitting in a van waiting to leave. Keep in mind that the patients are 70+ and have been instructed not to eat since midnight the night before and not drink anything since 10am. They are TIRED and all of this waiting is not right. All of the people are nice enough but the logistics of this place are not well run. Don't schedule four appointments for 2pm - that is NOT logistically possible and just unfair to everyone . Don't have pickups that are really far apart in location. Run more than one shuttle per hour to take people home. A few tweaks could make this place worthy of the doctors who obviously choose to practice here because they make us come here instead of someplace that makes more sense logically and logistically. read more

I have been treat exactly as the other post reads. Except the wait was even longer for both scheduled appointments so far. I could write much much more but I'm stuck with them for now because of my insurance referral. My eye situation dictates I'm stuck with them for now. If they were a restaurant they would be out of business. If your a new patient avoid this place and go anywhere else perhaps the worst office/clinic in the country! read more

This place will tell you to come and assure you that it will be quick. That is an absolute lie. They will make you wait hours. Now when my family and I went, we waited several hours. We waited over 6 hours. It is hard to believe but it is very true. If I could give it no stars I would. The quality is good but the wait is horrible. If they want to get better they would have to speed up the process, and not lie and say it will be quick when really it is a really long wait. They say the surgery alone is quick, another absolute lie. If you are the patient you also have to wait. It is miserable. Overall this place is horrible and miserable. read more

I WISH my only complaint was wait time for this place. It's a very unprofessional environment, with patients waiting like cattle outside of the operating room, and in a very small space with employees nearby socializing and seemingly not having much work to do. None of the employees treating me with eye drops, etc., ever spoke to me about what they were doing. I was eventually taken behind a curtained area and never told what was about to happen. Apparently, I received a shot of anesthesia in my eye, which never should have been done. Almost 100% of cataract surgery is done with anesthetic drops, not injections! Once in the OR, everything went horribly wrong. I am now 100% blind in my eye, without an ounce of empathy or apologies from the surgeon or attending doctor. If all concerned communicated thoroughly with one another, this may have been prevented. The ride home in their free van was also harrowing. The driver had to drop off several others and drove like a bat out of hell on the FDR. I'm sure this place hires a "man with a van", and they really don't vet them thoroughly. The doctors here have equity in the practice, so they make money as investors and on the surgeries they perform. It's just a money-making factory. To compare this place with New York Eye and Ear, for example, is like seeing a doctor in a back-alley practice or going to one of the best facilities in the nation, NYEE! Try your best to have your procedure done in Manhattan. At least you will have a much greater chance for a better outcome. STAY AWAY FROM THESE BUTCHERS! NOTE: This should be NO stars, but Yelp arbitrarily put 4 stars. (Surgeon - Dr. Andrew Naing; Attending - Dr. Fleischman) read more

Every review for this place has been negative for a reason. They are consistently TERRIBLE. Every time I have gone here I have had to wait two plus hours past my appointment time to be seen. There is absolutely no reason for this if you are an organized institution. The staff is incredibly rude, unprofessional, with work ethics you would expect from the Bronx. The facility is gross, smells awful, and crowded because they overschedule patients -- I wish I had not gone here to begin with, but I have invested too much energy, money and frustration to turn back now. I would not wish this experience on my worst enemy. read more

I've going to New York Eye Surgery for about three (3) years now, when they give you an appointment for a certain time and you arrive on time, you have to wait at least three hours, I was told that the doctors don't arrive until 10:00 am, I usually make my appointments for between 8:30 - 9:00 am, the Center is supposed open at 7:30 am, so I can't understand why the doctors don't arrive until 10:00 am. And the place is so small if you get a seat you are forced to sit extremely close to the person next to you, it's like being in a sardine can. I have an appointment for Wednesday May 13, 2015 and this will be my last appointment, NO I'm not leaving on my own It's my last scheduled appointment, because they've RO the condition that I went there for. read more