I highly recommend Dr. Bonnie Nickel. She was absolutely lovely and you can tell she has deep experience. We were concerned our 6 month old daughter might have had a lazy eye. On our way to our appointment, we got stuck in some traffic and called ahead. Dr. Bonnie Nickel was very kind and understanding. When we got there, I was a bit worried because our daughter is going through a major stranger danger phase. Dr. Bonnie Nickel couldn't have been more warm and kind. She clearly knows all the tricks of how to put a baby at ease, and she also moved through the appointment efficiently which I appreciated. She explained everything in easy terms for us, instead of medical jargon. I wish all doctors were this wonderful to interact with. read more

This review is really more of a nostalgic review. Dr. Bonnie Nickel was my doctor when I was a child. She helped my parents with my cross-eye issue (double vision) and my parents would always praise her. She was my doctor in my childhood years and eventually we moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area so I never returned. I see that she mostly treats children, but also adults. Anyway, I can only imagine how scary it is to be a parent that has a child with a very visible vision problem such as mine -- and while I still remember visiting her office, it's really my parents that got to experience working with her. I was happy to learn that she's still in practice. P.S: my double vision cleared up on its own when I was a teenager! I like to think that Dr. Bonnie Nickel's expertise and prescriptions allowed my eye to straighten itself out eventually! read more

For those of you who are old enough, remember the day when Docs took their time, listened, cared and had a sense of humor? She is all that and more. With meticulous detail, she did a THOROUGH exam, diagnosed my husband, gave detailed post care instructions and arranged follow up. The visit could not have been better. 10 stars, really. We are both ER physicians, so we know the world of medicine pretty well and I could not have been more pleasantly surprised with her. Thank you for doing the work you do. read more

both my kids go there for their annual visit and always have a great experience, even my little one who tend to be more shy. Dr. Nickel is really great at engaging with the kids. read more

I was referred to Dr. Nickels by another ophthalmologist as the doctor on call for the day. When I spoke with her she was very kind and bought me in at 4 p.m. that same day. I was greeted by wind chimes, Kites on the wall an Old Fashioned picture of the circus as well as the most joyful front office assistant I've ever met. Upon making the appointment I didn't know she was a pediatric eye doctor, and it didn't matter. This doctor was amazingly kind and gentle. I actually have a fear of the eye doctor, always have. I apologized for being like a child, pulling away and blinking, being squeamish and taking a lot of deep breaths, and she laughed with me. I left with treatment for my eyes and a referral to a "grown up" eye specialist. read more

Nickel Bonnie MD - Ophthalmologists Near Me - San Rafael, California

Dr. Nickel was wonderful with my son. We had gone to another doctor and they insisted that he needed glasses for an issue with depth perception and Dr. Nickel was recommended as being amazing with kids. She retested my little guy and he passed all the tests including depth perception. I'm so glad we had the recommendation for a second opinion. read more

I'm so grateful that I found Dr. Nickel! She's an incredibly intelligent and kind doctor. She took me in at the end of her day as I was having some emergent eye issues. She took a good amount of time to explain everything to me. I can't remember the last time I had a medical provider actually explain anything to me without rushing me out. Dr Nickel has amazing bedside manner and was so helpful in treatment planning with me to take better care of my eyes and clear up my eye issue. I am so so thankful that I have an eye doctor now! read more

Dr Bonnie is one of the best Drs my family and I have ever had. She will treat your illness/injury/disease from the very bottom, she will give you a full regimen treatment that if followed correctly will significantly improve your condition fast. She has treated all the members in my family, including our toddler, whom is a bit difficult to get to stay still. I'm very confident to say that the amounts charged at her office are very low compared to other places (we are 100% cash paying patients) adding to that her vast knowledge and expertise in the field. Thank you Dr Bonnie & Staff! :) read more

Dr Nickel with her weekend hours is a God Send. I have gone to her for many years and completely satisfied with her

We use to go a different ophthalmology and my momma guts just keep telling me to ask for a second opinion as I feel like my daughter's eye prescription was getting higher and she's not getting a proper eye exam. To add that we are also paying more and 100$+ out of pocket on some visit for some test that we didn't even know if necessary. We went to Dr Nickel for a second opinion and after seeing all the test she did for my eldest who is 4 at that time I believe, I was really glad I did! She is very thorough and all the test she did make me really confident my daughter was getting the proper prescription and care. She is very kind and very accommodating to us, she takes her time and was very patient and gentle to both of our kids. My youngest got cross eyed out of the blue when she turn 3, and again I have never felt so secured knowing that she was there for our family. When I thought we were gonna move, one of the reason that holds me to do that was Dr Nickel! Fast forward my eldest is 9 now and don't need anymore glasses which I thought she would have to her whole life! I feel very confident that if we hadn't met Dr Nickel that would be the case for us. One of the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving was Dr Nickel and her service. I can't imagine going to a different eye Dr for my kids and I wish for her to have good health all the best in life so she can help more children. I didn't know them personally, just putting this review out there to help other Mom. read more

Dr. Nickel was referred to us by our pediatrician. Leading up to our visit, I contacted the office to make sure they took our insurance and to ask what we could expect during the appointment for our 2yo son. While I was never able to speak to anyone directly (phone calls were missed and hours are extremely limited), I did receive voicemails that never addressed my questions and simply reminded me to bring my insurance information and to not forget my child for the appointment. Once we arrived my husband and I were told that while the office does take our insurance we would have to pay up front and then file ourselves because the technology was too advanced for the office to figure out. While we were filling out the intake form we asked what would happen once we were seen and Dr. Nickel asked "well why are you here?" We then responded "our son my have a myopia in his left eye." To which she replied "well that's what we are going to check." We then asked about dilation and she quickly said that dilation must be done and while there is another way to test his eyesight she won't do it. After trying to ask a few more questions about dilation (how long does it last, do all ophthalmologists do dilation on 2year olds, what are the risks) Dr Nickel turned her back to us and stated that we probably weren't a good fit for her office. Her office is very uninviting and the overall experience was horrible. We will not be returning and she was right-we were not a good fit for her office. read more

We did not have a great experience seeing Dr. Nickel and won't be returning. I'm pretty surprised of all the good reviews to be honest. We made an appointment for our 7 month old son and was told we needed to bring two adults with us to the appointment. This would be very difficult because we also have a toddler so I asked if this is absolutely necessary and was told that it was. They said we could bring our toddler also because there are lots of toys. While being at the appointment it was clear that there was absolutely no need to have two adults present. My baby was sitting on my lap during the appointment doing just fine and my husband was just struggling with my toddler to keep her in the exam room. When my 7 month old was given eye drops, we were told to return to the office in 15 mins sharp to proceed with the exam. Just shy of 15 mins, we walked back into the office and a man went in to be seen by the doctor. I waited for awhile and finally asked the office manager at the front what's going on and was told that the man was being seen for an emergency. It would have been nice if they told us this rather than just having us sit around not knowing what's going on. In total, we waited a half hour or more after they put the eye drops in. Finally the man left the room, and obviously I can't know for certain, but it definitely didn't seem like an emergency. Dr. Nickel saw him off and said "have fun on your trip." When I walked in I asked her about the situation and she said something to the effect of, "Oh yes, he's going on vacation. Sorry, we got talking and I lost track of time." Seriously?! We're trying to keep our infant and toddler occupied while this pediatric dentist chats it up with an adult man as a patient in an "emergency appointment situation." I completely understand emergencies take priority, but this didn't feel like that type of situation. When doing the exam, she was asking my husband's opinion if he thought my son's eyes were going crosseyed because she wasn't sure maybe? It felt like he was being asked because she didn't know. It also didn't appear that she was listening to us because my husband told her that when he was little he had the eye issue that my son was being examined for and it can be hereditary. Later, she was asking medical history and I repeated that my husband had this eye condition growing up, and it was as if she'd heard this news for the first time. Also, she asked if we brought pictures with us where the eye condition seems apparent - we were not told this ahead of time, so we were strolling through our phones trying to look while trying to keep our baby and toddler occupied in the exam room. It was a terrible experience and the only reason I'm writing this review is in hopes other parents won't have to go through this. read more

Very caring doctor. It was nice to see all the different techniques she used to evaluate our daughters eyesight. She did her best to avoid giving her drops and encouraged us to try exercises to improve her eyes. Our daughter felt really comfortable and everything went great. read more

Dr Nickel took my call out of the blue and told me what to do to help my condition until I could get in to see her, which was very fast after my first call. She is extremely knowledgeable and a very kind and caring person. Definitely "old school" in the best possible way, when the telehealth fad is such a disappointment and big medical practices prioritize volume over quality, fancy offices over genuine human contact. And her receptionist is a hoot. read more

I continue to see Dr. Nickel and so does my child. I still think she's great and was the only one who could help me with my supposed dry eye. To the person who gave her a 1 star review because her office assistant was not up to par. He has only ever been polite to me. He does tell bad jokes but they are never rude - I like how he tries to make your day fun. There was a reason he was breathing heavily back then - he wasn't well and is now, thank goodness, much better. Yes, Dr. Nickel does not have a fancy office - insurance doesn't pay very well and she isn't part of some expensive medical group. I have only ever found her to be kind to my kids, and courteous and professional to me. read more

Saw Dr. Nickel today, I received a thorough exam and a very clear explanation of my symptoms. She was welcoming and kind. I learned that she is on-call for emergencies and/or taking care of patients (like me) whose other Marin County doctors are temporarily unavailable. This might explain her willingness to see patients at 6pm or later. I admire her dedication, experience and expertise. We are lucky to have her. read more

About a year ago, I had a feeling of pressure in my right eye and was having double vision. At the suggestion of my optometrist, I made an appointment at a large and very busy opthalmology clinic here in Marin. After waiting a couple of hours, and undergoing a couple of examinations, I was told that perhaps I had strained a muscle or was experiencing some consequence of my type II diabetes. A month ago, I awoke with a severe headache and blurry vision in the same eye. The clinic who conducted the original examination told me that the doctor who had examined me had since retired and that they were booked up for the next month. My optometrist referred me to another ophthalmologist who referred me to Dr. Nickel. I called at 2:30 and was given an appointment at 4:00. Dr. Nickel examined me and told me that I had a mass growing in the orbit of my right eye and needed an MRI and an immediate operation. That night, my eye rapidly became swollen shut. I went to MGH for the MRI, which confirmed her diagnosis. When I came out of the MRI, Dr. Nickel was standing at my bedside and arranging my transport to UCSF. They operated the next day and removed a lymphoma of the tear sac. Quite simply, Dr. Nickel saved the sight in my right eye. Moral: A correct diagnosis in a simple office is better than an incorrect diagnosis in a fancy office. read more

I saw Dr. Nickel over the New Year's holiday because my regular Ophthalmologist was out of the office for the holidays. Dr. Nickel was very thorough and knew exactly what the problem was. She not only gave me the prescriptions that I needed, she gave me a complete protocol to follow until the infection went away. I would highly recommend her. read more

I called to set up an appointment for my son to get a stye removed. The receptionist said o no problem and then preceded to set it up for the next day. Great I though. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived the receptionist was wearing sandals and had really gross feet. Then may rud3 jokes that had nothing to do with our appointment. As we waited to see the doctor he layed on the door staring at us and breathing really hatd (kind of creepy and uncomfortable). When we finally saw the dr she informed me that she wont be removing my sons stye and she had no idea why we were there. Then she accused me of waisting her time. I wad appalled. Never have I been to such a disgusting medical facility! Please do not take your child there. If I could rate this place a 0 I would have. read more

I first came to Dr. Nickel when my other ophthalmologist was away. The standard of care I received from Dr. Nickel was so far beyond what I received from my regular doctor that I decided to switch to her. She is gentle, thoughtful, and really cares about her patients. I have seen Dr. Nickel now many times over the years and I now take my children to see her. I wish all doctors took their hippocratic oath as seriously as Dr. Nickel. She has my highest recommendation. read more

Doctor Nickel purposely keeps late hours to attend emergency cases in order to treat urgent cases since hospital ER do not have her special ophthalmic equipment. My wife with a severe case of facial Shingles was taken in very late on a Friday and given TLC. We will credit her for saving her eye sight. read more

Dr. Nickel is fantastic. She is a brilliant diagnostician and has treated my whole family making appropriate referrals to other specialists as necessary. She is incredibly responsive. I have another opthalmologist I see for a condition that required surgery (Dr Nickel no longer performs surgery), however, I still see her on occasion. Look, her office is quite simple and won't be in architectural digest- but, what is your priority? She is accessible, smart, very easy to talk to and clearly explains what you need to do/know. Best of all, she sees patients from Thurs-Tues including Sat/Sun. That makes appts so much easier- no pulling the kid from school or sports practices, etc. Her receptionist is a very kind, smart, guy who makes every effort to get your appt made timely, etc. They have waited late for us when we were held up due to traffic. She treats her patients the way one would like and her office is not the factory set up many are today. A big thumbs up to Dr. Nickel! read more