RUN from Uptown Eye Specialists. Scammers!
I am beyond disappointed and angry with the experience we had there. From the moment we walked in, the waiting rooms were packed and the entire process felt more like a sales operation than patient care.
My partner went in for cataract surgery consultations covered by OHIP. After the first round of testing, we were moved into another room where an employee barely explained anything medically and instead focused almost entirely on upselling expensive out-of-pocket lenses for astigmatism. We were told he had "moderate to severe" astigmatism and that special lenses were strongly recommended.
I asked for a quote to send to our insurance company. We were told we had to come back at the NEXT appointment.
So we returned. More testing. Still no real explanation of the surgery or tests - just more upselling. Again, we asked for an estimate. Again, we were told we had to come back for measurements.
We returned AGAIN. More testing. More upselling. Still no estimate. Finally, they told us they would only provide the estimate AFTER booking the surgery date. So we booked the surgery just to finally get the paperwork for insurance.
Then came the final straw. After already being told twice that measurements were being done, they tried to make us come back AGAIN for measurements because they had not done any! At that point, I refused. I said we were not wasting another day of work and that this entire process felt like nothing but a constant push to sell upgraded lenses, and I EXPECTED the measurements to be done that day. They reluctantly agreed. It was not a pleasant situation.
Something didn't sit right with me, so before submitting the insurance claim, I called my partner's optometrist to ask why they had never mentioned his astigmatism before. The answer shocked us.
His optometrist said the astigmatism was so minor it was barely worth mentioning -- around 0.25 and 0.5. Meanwhile, Uptown was claiming it was 2.0 and 3.0 and pushing expensive specialty lenses because of it.
We immediately cancelled the surgery because we no longer trusted them. We went to another very reputable clinic instead, and the difference was night and day. Everything was professional, transparent, explained properly, and completed in only TWO appointments. No pressure. No games.
Patients deserve honesty, transparency, and proper medical explanations -- not endless appointments and constant upselling. read more
