1. Pacific Vision Institute

    1. Pacific Vision Institute

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    San Francisco, CA

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    Pacific Vision Institute

    4.5 (314 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Services - Pacific Vision Institute

    Eye exams

    Eye surgery

    Laser vision correction

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    Recommended Reviews - Pacific Vision Institute

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    Edrian D.

    To summarize my experience in 1 word: WHOA! But let me leave you to be the judge of that. By far, one of the best patient care I've ever received. Dr Faktorovich, Dr Garg and the entire staff here are great! I originally came in for a Lasik consultation and found that I wasn't a great candidate so I ended up getting PRK. Yes, more invasive yada yada yada. You hear of all these horror stories, so please stop googling the procedure and here's why... During your consultation you are provided more than enough information with true results from the horses mouth. I can not express the amount of gratitude for the information, statistics, and sources of truth for me to make an informed decision. It was a no brainer. Yes! Do the surgery. I'm about a month and a half out from my surgery and my vision is 20/15. Yup! Better than 20/20, I literally can see the future (I can't but you get the gist). I highly recommend taking a week off from work after the surgery. Yes the pain is intense, yes you don't want to open your eyes, but it's well worth it. By week 2-3 your vision starts to normalize and you finally realize you aren't squinting or relying on contacts or glasses. It's magical. I have a follow up at the end of September and I'm hoping I can see through walls. We'll see! So is this place worth a 5 star? Absofreakenlutely!

    Jonathan N.

    I did consultations with about 10 laser eye professionals and ended up choosing Pacific vision institute for my laser eye surgery in 2018 Boy am I glad that I went with PVI. During my surgery, the doctor found that I had a rare eye condition that only affects less than one percent of the population (Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy) and was not able to be diagnosed prior to the incision being made. Fortunately, Dr Faktorovich knew exactly what needed to be done in the moment to complete my surgery successfully. Afterward, she calmly explained what had happened and set up a schedule to follow up the next day as well as a few days later. Over the next few months, I needed to continue going in for check ups. I explain to Dr Faktorovich that I was taking a trip abroad and would not be able to come in for an extended period of time. Upon hearing this, she set me up with a list of trusted eye doctors in every city that I was visiting during my trip (London, Hong Kong, Tokyo), telling me that my visits would be covered under my laser surgery package with PVI. After a year, I noticed that I was still having some trouble with bright lights at night. The team at Pacific vision Institute continue to see me with no hesitation, and continued to provide consultation and support throughout. Although they did explain that doing another surgery would be an option if I really wanted to, they explained that for my case due to my condition, healing may take longer from my initial surgery and urged me to continue seeing if they would be improvement with regular usage of medicated eyedrops. Sure enough, my low light vision did improve over time. While it still isn't perfect, I am happy with the results even 5 years later and still maintain 20/20 vision. I would not hesitate to recommend a Pacific vision Institute and Dr Faktorovich. The main drawback for most folks will be the cost. PVI was the most expensive clinic that I did a consult with. But if I could go back in time and make the decision again, I would still choose Dr Faktorovich and her team! I feel completely satisfied in the level of surgery quality, ongoing care, and customer service that I received.

    Pauline W.

    3/24/2021 Quarantine Day 373 This is THE place to go if you want the BEST lasik journey experience. I was referred here by my optometrist and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from them only a few days later. I scheduled a consultation with Marguerite in two weeks and they are really great at sending appointment reminders, which is helpful for me because I can forget things. Pacific Vision Institute is located near Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 area. Parking is expensive in the area, so be prepared to pay the meter. I was immediately impressed by the cleanliness of the facility and everyone is so nice! For my consultation, they did tests and scans of my eyes to first make sure my eyes were qualified for lasik surgery. Dr. Faktorovich took a look at the results and they told me that my eyes were perfect for lasik surgery. Marguerite went over the financials and brief pre-and post- op care and answered all my questions. After some thought I decided "yes, let's do it!" My surgery was scheduled for 3/24/2021. Up until the day of my surgery, I wore just glasses the entire time in preparation for the surgery. Dr. Chen was very professional in explaining to me how to prepare for the surgery and what was going to happen to my eyes during the surgery. Come surgery day, I was nervous and excited at the same time. Throughout the whole surgery, Dr. Faktorovich's calm demeanor put me at ease. The procedure overall was painless. In the beginning, I did feel like my eyes were being pushed into my brain, but other than a small hemorrhage on my left eye (which is almost all gone by now) it went well. I was ubered home, I took a short nap and BAM... I COULD SEE! I followed Dr. Chen's post-care instructions very carefully and 2 weeks out from my surgery, I can see better than before. At first it felt like I was wearing contacts for the first few days, but then I had to remind myself that I would never need contacts no glasses again. I had been wearing glasses since the third grade and I was so happy to donate them since I had no use for them anymore. I can't thank everyone enough at Pacific Vision Institute for making this happen. Thank you Dr. Chen, Elizabeth, Marguerite, Abby, Renee and of course, Dr. Faktorovich, just to name a few of the wonderful staff that made this possible. Being able to see clearly is definitely a life changer. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

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    Great practice highly recommend Dr.Faktorovich is the best and her staff is super friendly and helpful!

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - Pacific Vision Institute

    Review Highlights - Pacific Vision Institute

    Faktorovich is a refractive surgery specialist meaning she makes sure you can see 20/15 coming out of surgery.

    Mentioned in 167 reviews

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    Lillie A. Mosaddegh, MD - Our Waiting room/lobby area

    Lillie A. Mosaddegh, MD

    2.9(187 reviews)
    0.7 miUnion Square

    My family and I have been seeing Dr. Aller for nearly 20 years, and I can honestly say he is one of…read morethe most exceptional doctors we've ever had the privilege of knowing. I first brought my son to him when he was six years old and needed glasses. From that very first appointment, it was clear that Dr. Aller is not just an optometrist -- he is a true advocate for his patients. He is incredibly professional, deeply knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about his work. He has done extensive studies, to help his patients see better, and you can feel that expertise in every visit. He takes the time to explain everything, makes sure you understand your options, and never rushes you. In fact, he once stood up to his own practice partners on my behalf because he felt I wasn't being given all the choices I needed for my vision care. That level of integrity is rare. His staff is always friendly, welcoming, and organized, which makes every visit smooth and stress‑free. Even after he moved offices -- twice -- we followed him without hesitation. And even after we moved an hour away, we still make the trip as a family because we trust him completely. Over the years, he has watched my children grow from little kids into young adults. He remembers them, asks about their lives, and treats us with the kind of warmth you'd expect from someone who has known your family forever. We truly think of him as family at this point. If you're looking for an optometrist who is skilled, compassionate, honest, and deeply committed to his patients, I cannot recommend Dr. Aller enough. He is a rare gem in the medical world, and we are so grateful for everything he has done for us.

    Mosaddegh Eye Institute is not really a medical practice, it is more of a medical assembly line…read more There is nothing wrong with someone being ambitious and wanting to build a successful business, but this, after all, is a medical practice, and personal attention to each patient HAS to be more important than making a profit. This clinic books their appointments SO tightly that in most visits you will have an hour wait. So, after you put in your hour or hour plus and assistants give you whatever tests you are scheduled for that day, you finally get your 5 minutes with Dr Mosaddegh. It's a bit more like the Dr. Mosaddegh show, as she will be talking to her AI powered talking computers asking for this and that detail that the computer spills out, BUT she never really takes the time to explain to you what is going on. From my experience there are three in attendance at these sessions...there is you, Dr. Mosaddegh AND Dr Mosaddegh's ego, and that ego takes up most of the space. I was willing to put up with all this as I was coming to the practice for routine eye exams, and I was not really having any ongoing problems with my eyes. It was a convenient location, they seemed to have all the necessary testing gear, so I was willing to put up with my negative impression of the doctor herself. The turning point for me was when out of clear blue I got diagnosed with NPG...normal pressure glaucoma. Instead of getting a clear understanding of my diagnosis and what the treatment would entail the overall communication I got from the Doctor was "there was some reasonable chance that I might go blind, so I was lucky to have her as my doctor, as she was so good at what she did, now because of my kind of glaucoma there were limited tools she had to keep me from going blind but she would try her best" Now these were not her exact words but it seemed to me she was going out of her way to give me the worst possible scenario, and that I should be grateful I had her great skill to save me. First medication she put me on was going to cost over $400 for a one-month supply (even with my part D Medicare insurance), but it turned out there was a generic at almost no cost. After about 9 months I got a terrible allergic reaction, and had to stop taking the drug. For some reason she waited almost 5 months to start me on another drug. I asked as to whether this new drug was a generic or was it going to be expensive like the first drug I got prescribed. Mind you I am a low- income senior just scraping by so this is a BIG issue. Dr. Mosaddegh says to me, "it shouldn't matter what it costs if you don't want to go blind". At that moment it was like I came to my senses and realized just what kind of person I was dealing with and I knew in an instant that I would never see this doctor again. Luckily this drug had a generic but I did a deep dive into local glaucoma specialists and got the earliest appointment I could get with a very well-reviewed Ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma Dr. George Tanaka. I had my appointment just a few days ago. I got a full round of testing and inner eye photography the whole nine yards. My session with the doctor reminded me what a real doctor's appointment should be like... you know useful and direct information and actual empathy and was not a rushed 5 minutes and the doctor actually seemed to really care about me...imagine that. THE RESULT FROM ALL MY TESTING WAS THAT FROM A CLINICAL POINT OF VIEW I DID NOT EVEN HAVE GLAUCOMA. He took me off the medication Dr Mosaddegh put me on, and will follow up in about 6 weeks to see where my eye pressure is at and make an informed decision after that. So perhaps if you have an extra 4 grand lying around for a dry eye treatment or like your eyes getting looked by someone who can also do your Botox injections and beauty treatments, then this practice might just work out fine. If you are not troubled by the fact they will try to sell you overpriced goods at the front counter such as $60 eye vitamins which are basically Ginko Biloba and Bilberry root, this could be your place. However, if you have any actual serious eye condition, I would not recommend this practice and in fact suggest you get the heck out of there just as fast as you can. I have no direct experience of a procedure done by Dr Mosaddegh, but my guess is at the very least, she is not as good as she thinks she is ;O). There is something out of whack at the core of this practice and I think that goes right to Dr. Mosaddegh herself. I walk away not only feeling like I did not get a standard practice of care, but actually felt traumatized by my experience. Take this for what it is worth.

    Photos
    Lillie A. Mosaddegh, MD - Our Cataract testing room with the newest technology like itrace

    Our Cataract testing room with the newest technology like itrace

    Lillie A. Mosaddegh, MD - Our Waiting room/lobby area

    Our Waiting room/lobby area

    Lillie A. Mosaddegh, MD - Large selection of unique frames

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    Large selection of unique frames

    Samuel Gelbart, MD - Meet the friendly doctors and staff at EyeCare Associates of SF!

    Samuel Gelbart, MD

    4.2(12 reviews)
    0.8 miUnion Square

    Two generations of vision care - done gently and thoroughly…read more As a MD myself - i first went to Dr. Gelbart based on his reputation in the medical community. His careful, methodical evaluations have kept my vision (astigmatism, the obligatory asymmetrical myopia) and intermittent IOP elevation - well corrected, now for well over 3 decades. I brought my father here for his care, too. As a hypertensive diabetic gent with bilateral cataracts - my father's care was a bit more complicated. Surgical timing and careful watching with photography kept us all reassured that the care of one problem wouldn't interfere with the other. And my dad - who HATED going to doctors actually enjoyed seeing Dr. Gelbart. I think it was his gentle, familiar manner that made Dad feel comfortable and reassured. He saw Dr. G for 3 decades too, until he passed at 92. Now my partner sees Dr. Tam who found something i had missed on retinal exam at his first exam (well they have better equipment...) and is following him carefully as well. i strongly recommend Samuel Gelbart for your eyes. They'll be in good hands. His partners, too!

    I went to the best of the best in San Diego; Dr. Kent Blade, and Dr. Mark Smith, for treatment of…read morethe idiopathic eye disease Pars Planitus. I had treatment for my eye disorder for 4 years with steroid drops and injections. Nothing was working, so I decided to take it a whole new level... I had decided to get a Vitrectomy on both my eyes that was performed by Dr. Mark Smith. It gave my normal eyesight back which was great! So now to Eyecare Associates.. My eye was extremely watery, hurt like hell, and I thought it was my eye disorder; and or an issue from the surgery that I had over 5 years ago.....? Heidi the office manager understood what could of been the problem and did not hesitate to get me in right away, and I mean RIGHT AWAY! I got to see the owner Dr. Gelbart who has by far one of the best bedside manners a physician can have! It turns out I had a scratched cornea and that it wasn't anything serious except for the horrible intense sandpaper feeling it had when I blinked. He hooked me up with pharmaceutical eye drop samples so I wouldn't have to wait at the pharmacy, and put me on a regiment that really worked to heal my eye. A + to Dr. Gelbart, Heidi, and his Staff!

    Photos
    Samuel Gelbart, MD

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    David S. Yee - Love this Doctor!

    David S. Yee

    2.9(8 reviews)
    0.9 miChinatown

    In a state of panic because my left eye had blurred vision, Dr. Yee was the first in-network…read moreopthamologist who had an appointment available on the same day. (I should have known! oh well - shoulda, woulda, coulda). Brave yourself to his office in Chinatown. Not the nicest of doctor's office, but when one of your eyes is blurry, you can't really see anyways. When his assistant took my eye-pressure, she took out this pen-looking thing and was poking my eye. I really wanted to cry out to my mom at that time. It was the worst 3 minutes I've ever experienced in my life. What happend to that neat-o machine that bursts some air into your eye to measure eye-pressure? Then she took me into the examination room. When Dr. Yee came in, he just finished lunch and was still chewing and gulping. When it was time for the slit-lamp exam (the one where you put your chin on the rest and a light is shined to your eye), he was closely examining my eye then... "BURRRP"!. HE BURPED! And he didn't even say excuse me! My experience from that point on went down hill. I tried my best not to inhale because I didn't want to know what he had for lunch. The rest of my office visit was a blur (pun intended!), but I'm sure as heck NOT going back. Dr. Yee may be a good and knowledgeable doctor, but he is definitely not for me.

    Dr Yee is an old-school ophthalmologist: knowledgeable AND a nice person. How often these days…read moredoes a doctor take time to listen carefully to your concerns? How often does a doctor say "really, call me if you have any problems or questions"? Dr. Yee scores on both counts. Two other pluses: he's in-network for Aetna, and I was able to get an appointment in the same week. Two small FYIs: - His Chinatown office isn't posh. It's actually a leetle grungy on the outside. But if you work or live downtown it's super-convenient - If you're getting your eyes dilated, bring sunglasses. I didn't and they gave me a disposable pair ... but I would have looked a lot less dorky with my own

    Photos
    David S. Yee - Waiting area

    Waiting area

    David S. Yee - Top of the top.

    Top of the top.

    David S. Yee

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    San Francisco Eye Institute

    San Francisco Eye Institute

    3.3(26 reviews)
    0.3 miFillmore, Western Addition

    Had an appointment at 11am, showed up at least 20 mins earlier. Waited an hour, no doctor. No one…read moreacknowledged, no apologies, no information provided. Ended up canceling. You are clearly a customer to them not a patient. if I have to guess, they are most likely overbooking patients to avoid cancellations, maximize their profit. On your expense! John can wait who cares!

    Avoid Dr. Steven Cohen…read more I visited this clinic to obtain a prescription for new glasses. When booking the appointment, I asked for an estimate and did not request any additional exams. However, an extra exam was added without explanation or consent, and no results or documentation were provided afterward. After receiving the prescription, I did not proceed with making glasses. When I tested the prescription at an eyeglasses store using trial lenses, it was immediately clear that the prescription was excessively strong and caused significant eye strain. I returned to the clinic to request a recheck. During the follow-up visit, Dr. Cohen spoke to me in a raised and dismissive manner, stated that I was wasting his time, and refused to re-evaluate the prescription using trial lenses. Despite my repeated explanation that I needed reading glasses, this concern was dismissed. I left the visit feeling unheard and disrespected. Patients seeking a basic glasses prescription should be aware of this experience.

    Photos
    San Francisco Eye Institute
    San Francisco Eye Institute - 711 Van Ness,  SF

    711 Van Ness, SF

    San Francisco Eye Institute - Dr. Margaret Liu and Dr. Helena Cheng 
(Pre-COVID!)

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    Dr. Margaret Liu and Dr. Helena Cheng (Pre-COVID!)

    Pacific Vision Institute - optometrists - Updated July 2026

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