Yesterday I had a bit of an eye emergency. I've been dealing with a stye since last week and it got worse over the weekend (it grossed me out). My eye was swollen, my vision started to become blurry, and it was uncomfortable. I called Atlantic Eye Institute to see if they could fit me in for a same day appointment. I was NOT holding out hope, but when I called I was pleasantly surprised they had something open that afternoon. When I arrived I filled out virtual paperwork, and then waited in the lobby until my name was called. I can't remember the nurse I had, but she was pleasant, asked a bunch of questions regarding the state of my eye, did some observations, and then walked me to an open room. Dr. Diaz came in happy as a clam. Greeted me with a nurse. I told her I was sorry that my eye looked disgusting and she smiled and said these are interesting to us. So that made me feel somewhat better. After looking at my eye, she decided to drain the stye, due to the size, the discomfort I was having. It didn't hurt, she prescribed me a steroid antibiotic cream, and made me a follow up appointment and I was on my way. I was happy and grateful they could fit me in on the same day, because I was miserable before I came in. read more

I had to have PRK surgery to correct a prior Vivity lens surgery I had performed at another doctor's office. Dr. Diaz and her team, especially Andrea, were very informative and detailed. Unfortunately, the outcome of the procedure has not resulted in the benefits I had hoped for. read more

I saw Dr. Diaz in May 2025 She said I needed cataract surgery to schedule with Mary the surgery coordinator. Mary asked what lens I wanted and confused. As I really did not know.That said I should have asked the Dr. a lot more question I didn't. June 2025 First cataract surgery.next day saw Diaz and told her it felt like I had sand in my eye she said it'll go away. 2 wks later 2nd cat surgery. The day after I put a light on and was immediately blinded, shooting lights, and floaters. I called office and was seen right away Dr. Diaz said it happens use eye drops. I have dry eye. I did not have any problems with my eyes at all before surgeries. I have never worn prescription eye glasses. Knowing eventually I would need the surgeries. My eyes have never gotten better. I have extreme sensitivity to bright lights, sun, jumpy eyes. I was then told by Diaz to see Pabon who prescribed more eye drops then back to Diaz. keep using drops. I was seen every 2 wks for 7 months. Months later Diaz preformed a YAG on me. No change. For 8 months I was seen by Diaz and Pabon and I am no better. I had another appt in February to see Pabon and I cancelled the appt because at this point I felt they did not know what was wrong and just kept jerking me around. They always seemed rushed when they saw me . They can not tell me what went wrong because they do not know. 2 wks after I cancelled my Feb app Andrea called me to see if I was any better. I told her no. She told me she would speak to Dr. Diaz and get back to me..She never did. So now I live a in a dark house due to bright sunlight , They left me with no quality of life and just left me hanging. Due your due diligence and ask many many questions before you have any surgery done at this clinic!!! read more

The Drs, care and office experience is great. What really earns them a mediocre rating is the optician area where they fill prescriptions. There is only one person working there and she stated when working with another customer to come back as waiting would be a while. Mind you, they do not take appointments therefore coming back later will result in the same situation. In essence it's not organized or customer friendly. If you have to take time out of work to visit the optician, it's now a crap shoot as you may not get waited on. It's ironic there is a dedicated wing in this office just for glasses but only has one person minding the store. Either she needs to take appointments like the other part of the office does or hire more help. In the end, I went elsewhere for my glasses. I don't have time for games like this. read more

Dr. Vance diagnosed me with a eye condition that usually hits people much older then I am. I was concerned and spoke to my Primary Doctor regarding this matter, and we agreed that I should have some genetic diagnostic testing done to confirm the MD diagnosis. These tests can only be ordered by an ophthalmologist. I have been informed by Dana, Dr. Vance assistant, this morning that they "DO NOT" have genetic testing for MD, and since I was already given a diagnosis by Dr. Vans, I should just follow up every year with an eye exam. I then informed her that I would call her back with the name of the genetic testing and the lab given to me by my primary doctor, but I needed my ophthalmologist to order the test. I called back with the information and was informed Dana spoke to Dr. Vance, and she "Does not and Would Not" order these tests. I was shocked by her reply and again I asked her to confirm "That Dr. Vans refuses to order these cheek swab genetic test for any reason. Dana confirmed again Dr. Vance refusal. It's concerning that any doctor that is given the opportunity to advance there knowledge in any area of there practices would not even explore this avenue for her patients. It's very sad that any doctor would deny a simple request that would reveal a history for not only the patient and her entire family. Shame on you. read more

Excellent service, Dr. Diaz was amazing. Everyone from the institute was always very attentive to my wife's and my needs as we both got LASIK done. life changing experience! read more

Dr Landcaster and Schmunes are excellent! My family and I have been patients for at least 10 years, mostly at the beach but Bennett road is a good alternate site. read more

I came to Atlantic Eye Institute to obtain my prescription sunglasses. This place was recommended by a coworker whose glasses have great workmanship compared to the last optical shop that I have bee to. I was immediately taken care of as soon as I got in by Catherine. She gave me all the time in the world to make my selections and gave me great advices e.g. Plastic lenses are better for driving motorcycles as glass will shatter on impact and could hurt the eyes and White frames can get stained my make-up. She then took the time to show me inventory online for a brand and model that I was interested in. I wasn't rushed and just had a good time picking out a couple of pairs. I was promised 7-10 business days and will be updating my review as soon as I get my order in. This place has great parking both in the front and back of the office building. Remember which side you parked and be conscious of which side you enter and exit the building. I almost thought my car got stolen when I couldn't find it until I realized I was on the wrong side HAHA! read more

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DR. CALLEGARI is simply amazing. She makes sure that you are comfortable and she is very thorough. The best eye doctor my family ever had.

My experience at Atlantic was good, almost great except for the frame selection experience. This is my 3rd year with Atlantic. The first year was a bit rocky which I chalked up to building the relationship. Year 2 was great at the new location. Quick, efficient and delightful. The doctor was great (fresh clean breath..:). I was pleased. Year 3 ( last week) was also great - good examination, the doctor was delightful and fun. Then came the frame selection experience. Maybe she was new and inexperienced but was of no help. I could not see to read the prices and she was not about to willingly help. This marred an otherwise great experience. I the final analysis, Atlantic is really good and I have no hesitation in recommending them. read more

AEI has been one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. I am so happy I made the decision to get lasik this year! Sooo you will love Dr. Duss because he's hot! Hahaha, But in all honesty he is a great doctor and I trusted him to perform my Lasik after going to different locations all over the city for consultations. He's very professional, kind and thorough. The support staff is knowledgeable and polite and most of them have a great sense of humor! I love them all and you will too. :) read more

Atlantic Eye Institute - St. Augustine - Beach bound! No glasses!! - Optometrists Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

A few years ago Dr. Steve Lancaster gave me his cell number and told me that if I ever needed to speak directly to him I should call. When I was having difficult with my new lens recently, I hesitated but then texted him with my problem. I expected he would have the office call me to find out my problem BUT instead he called me on his lunch hour to discuss my issue, that in it's self was a big surprise... but an even bigger one was when he went on to say he would drop by my office on his way home and provide me with a different lens!!!! Are you kidding me?? A doc who makes "office/house calls, so amazing in these times!! You MUST call him when you have eye issues!! Steve Lancaster is THE BEST!!! read more

I was a patient of Dr Diaz for treatment of a persistent stye. A steroid injection provided temporary relief but did not cure the stye. She was supposed to refer me to a an eyelid specialist but I never heard back from their office and they don't answer the phone. Back to square one read more

Dr Lancaster is great but the wait times are ridiculous. Plan at least 2 hours past your appointment time (often closer to 3). If you need a procedure or have a problem it's worth it but if you need something routine, go somewhere else. read more

Routine eye exam & everything was better than I expected. The staff was very friendly. I did not have to wait long at all. I most definitely recommend them. read more

when I made an appointment with Atlantic Eye Care I made it clear I had Medicare, that I had a spot on my cornea to watch and I needed a regular eye exam and I would pay a contact lens fitting out of pocket which I did. These people did the exam knowing that I had a free eye exam at another place that I had gone to previously and assured me that my medicare would cover the exam. One year later, with no bills in between I got a collection letter for $235 which is supposedly what Medicare did not covered is a routine exam because some idiot here did not code it properly. I am furious, disappointed and I'm cautioning you who read this to know that no matter what they tell you, don't believe it. How I could go from a zero exam at other eye care centers to $235 is unbelievable. and I made it clear to them that I was fine going to my local Walmart or other eye care center for my free exam if there was any question at all. And they told me that there was no problem. I give them zero stars for handling this so deviously. the doctor gave as good an exam as I got from the optometrist last time at Walmart for free. No problem with her. The problem is all staff and billing. Incompetent. I left a message asking them to take care of this immediately and I've had no call back. I will remove these posts when they correct the problem and apologize. read more

As always the staff were all friendly and professional, Dr.Felver was very thorough and took his time explaining his findings in layman's terms. I highly recommend AEI to folks in the Northeast Florida area. read more

A great experience from when I walked in for my appointment to exam to seeing the doctor.

The whole experience was fast, helpful, and pleasant. The doctor was very kind and thoroughly explained and treated my ailment. The staff was very friendly and kind. read more

Trying to get the services and products you're wanting to pay for from these people are absolutely impossible. My first appt with them back in October I wrote down my contact information with them three separate times as well as my email. Ordered contacts and glasses and beard nothing back from them for two weeks. When I finally went in I found out my things had been waiting for me for a week and a half. They had miswrote my phone number and never bothered to send an email with a heads up that my things were there (I checked my spam folder to be sure). I gave them my correct number and left. My Dr. Had insisted on me switching to daily contacts from my two week brand that I've been using without a problem for a decade. It took me six months to get through a three month script because they were so uncomfortable. When looking online to reorder the cost of these were $300+ a box (two different scripts for both eyes) which is twice as much as I would pay for the weekly brand. Trying to switch back to a weekly brand has been just as much of a headache. No call backs, finding out that they again didn't change my phone number, telling me the dr is out to lunch every time or that I'll have to have a lens fitting rather than just finding a week long brand that will compare to what I have now. This place really is all about the money, up charging or pushing product that is the most expensive route. My next yearly appointment will be made with a different office entirely because I'm tired of working with these people. Stay away from this place! read more

I had a very good first experience with Dr. Lancaster. He was very Smart and Knowledgeable. I went in with very little night vision and left with what feels like a new pair of eyes. I can see so much better and am now looking into LASIK with them because of how successful my appointment was. read more

I had PRK eye surgery performed on both of my eyes in January, 2016 and chose this practice after rave reviews from a friend who had the same surgery in 2014. This surgery had been on my radar for years and I finally pulled the trigger when I could no longer tolerate contact lenses for more then an hour negatively impacting diving and other recreation. From the start the employees at Atlantic Eye Institute have been exceptional. I called about a consult and Samantha was able to schedule me within the week. Dr. Duss was able to answer all my questions, recommending LASIK but understanding my preference for PRK. The following week I was on the operating table at the University location, which only took 15 minutes, then was home with my full regiment of eye drops. Thankfully my family was able to drive me to and from my post-op appointments, the soonest I would have been able to safely drive was 6 days after the surgery. I go tomorrow for another post-op follow-up and am currently seeing 20/20. Scheduling my frequent post-ops was easy, I could be seen at either location depending on my schedule. The only eye drops I use now are artificial tears at work, every other day, to prevent dryness. I couldn't be happier with the surgery, Dr. Duss and the services at Atlantic Eye Institute! read more

After dealing unsuccessfully with two other ophthalmology practices, I decided to try Dr. Shmunes. I am extremely glad that I did. From the moment I was called back, everyone was obviously engaged with me, attentive to what I was saying, asking clarifying questions. And that was prior to meeting Dr. Neil. He was detailed, caring and conversational, and understood my frustration at my prior experiences at the other two practices. His motto is "Don't fix what is not broken," coupled with "Do what the patient needs, even if it is not convenient." He gave me insight on my issues and clarified simple treatments to ensure my continued wellness. read more

This place is awful! Everything from making my appointment to ordering contacts was messed up. Tried talking to someone in charge and unbelievably their own staff was commenting on how the place is complete chaos and people in charge are idiots. You know it's a bad place to go when the staff hates their jobs and has no respect for management. My parents use to go here for years and have also stopped going due to terrible customer service. If you live at the beach and need an eye doctor go to Florida Eye Specialist. They are professional and dependable. read more

Everyone went good for my first visit... setting my appointment for my follow up visit I specifically asked the lady on the phone was there a charge for my follow up, and she said no. I went in for my follow up appointment and was charged and was told that every time I see the dr. I would be charged disregarding everything I was told on the phone. Completely blindsided as they lied and said they never said there would be no charge. Follow up was less than 2 minute. read more

Everyone was nice and professional. I arrived at the office and then realized I was at the wrong location (gps takes you to the main location for some reason). They were able to reschedule my appointment to an hour later so I had enough time to get there. The second office was also clean, organized, and everyone was professional. I will recommend them to others. read more

I had my first scheduled appointment for 10am and arrived 7 minutes early. 10:45am rolled around and I was STILL in the waiting room. I have zero tolerance for extensive wait times, especially for a routine eye exam...it is unprofessional and disrespectful of the patients time. I walked out and told them that Im taking my business elsewhere. read more

Dr. Samara is very professional and made me feel at ease with his expertise and easy going personality. Also, I like that he is a board certified Internal Medicine doctor as well as an Ophthalmologist He took his time with me and explained everything about my eye condition even showed me actual enlarged pictures of the inside of my eyes on a computer screen, allowing me to see in detail what Doctors see when they are looking into someone's eyes I had always wondered what they could see . Atlantic Eye has the most impressive high tech computerized equipment ,they are ahead of the game in that area . I highly recommend Dr. Samara and Atlantic Eye Institute. read more

I went to AEI with my son - after a referral from another eye doctor. My son was complaining of limited peripheral vision, migraine headaches, and eye strain. We had already conducted an eye exam and received a MILD prescription for reading glasses and some astigmatism - but the doctor said we should go to Atlantic Eye Institute for specialized diagnosis/treatment about his limited peripheral vision because they had more advanced testing equipment there, as well as doctors who specialize in eye problems in children. My son is 15. The initial portion of the appointment and exam went fine, conducted by staff or nurses or whoever the patients see before the "Doctor in the White Coat" shows up. This doctor we happened to see was Dr. Charles V. Duss. He briefly looked at my son's chart and then started grilling him on WHY he was wearing the glasses the previous doctor had prescribed - and if he could see ok without them. He had my son take off his glasses and then put them back on, asking if there was a big difference in vision between the glasses being ON and being OFF. My son said there wasn't a big difference (they were MILD reading glasses - which Dr. Duss already knew) and Dr. Duss asked "why are you wearing them, then?" During this process, I got several cocky looks from the Doctor - as if either I were stupid to have provided the glasses for my son, or I personally enjoyed spending $500 on glasses for my son to wear if he didn't need them. To me, the answer as to why my son was wearing the glasses was obvious and twofold. 1) Because ANOTHER smart, lab-coated doctor - just like HIM - had written a prescription after examining my son's eyes and 2) because they alleviate the symptoms of headache and eye strain during reading and computer use. DUH. Why else would he be wearing them? The appointment quickly transitioned from an environment of diagnosis and helping a new patient identify or treat a problem of peripheral vision to one of lecturing us about how, apparently the TWO doctors we had seen previously who HAD felt that my son would benefit from the prescription were wrong and how HE wouldn't have written the prescription at all. So, instead of performing the vision field test (the PRIMARY and ONLY reason we were there) he spent a few moments waving his fingers around, holding up one, two, and 4 fingers here and there and asking my son if he could see those fingers, depending upon where in his field of vision he placed those fingers - but not at the edges of vision, nor anywhere near where it would e necessary to test PERIPHERAL vision. In fact, he angered my son to the degree that he shut down and wouldn't even answer him anymore. So now - after coming to them for HELP, AFTER seeing 2 other eye doctors - we have 3 differing opinions and still no answer on my son's peripheral vision other than the doctor's off-the-cuff answer that he didn't need to perform any more detailed testing. What we DO know at this point is that the glasses that the OTHER doctor prescribed DO make my son feel better and alleviate his eye strain and headaches, that Dr. Duss would NOT have given us that prescription and apparently feels that it would have been a waste of time, and that Dr. Duss apparently derives great pleasure in trying to make his new patients feel as stupid as possible. I will say that from a systemic perspective - at least the very nice lady who collected payment was efficient at trying to schedule our next "annual" exam. FAT CHANCE. read more

The Eye Guys" are a competent, caring and compassionate group of doctors. And their staff is courteous and well trained in patient service. I would recommend them to anyone. I recently had a severe eye infection and was absolutely amazed by their level of care and service. Love these guys read more

Great staff and doctors. Dr. Lancaster is the best. I have been a patient for 7 years.

No joke hands down best at the beaches. Beautiful facility. We had to come in as new patients asap they had us in by 9:30am. They didn't charge all kinds of extra for the short notice. Love love love read more

I initially went in for a new eyeglass exam and my exam had been scheduled with Dr Diaz, but upon mentioning an interest in contact lenses was changed to Dr Lancaster. I was long overdue for an eye exam. I also had a small pimple like bump in my eyelash line that did not bother me physically, certainly bothered me from a vanity and using eye make up point of view. Dr Lancaster took care of it immediately and without pain by plucking the eyelash and piercing the pimple and applying antibiotics so it didn't get further infected. I was so happy to be rid of it, I'd had it for months and have had no repercussions since with this issue! Dr Lancaster is very thorough, and takes a keen interest in making sure you are happy with your RX. He advised me that my previous glasses prescription was far too strong for my needs and it was over-correcting my vision. I had no idea because I could see fine with my glasses, but have gotten to the point where they are great for distance, but I have to remove them to be able to see up close. I do not yet need glasses to read or be on my computer. I do however need a little assistance with seeing fine print like that which is on a prescription bottle or small boxes with instructions etc. For that I had purchased an OTC pair of glasses from a pharmacy in a +1.00 which I felt was too strong for me, but was the lowest power I can buy OTC. Dr Lancaster agreed that power is too strong for me as well. Dr Lancaster provided me with quite a few different options when it came to lenses to gauge my tolerances. He has suggested that I wear only one lens in one eye for distance and allow my other eye to be for my close up vision. This process takes time to get used to. I tried the Acuvue products and used the 1 Day Oasys which I thought was excellent, but it is a single vision lens. He also provided me with the 1 Day Multifocal with a low add and a medium add to try. I felt like this lens gave me a little more depth and ultimately preferred the lens with the low add for my needs. Interestingly enough, during the course of my contact lens fitting and finalization of the prescription, my vision improved allowing Dr Lancaster to change my powers to a lower refraction and as such, it now allows me to be able to wear the same lens in both eyes if I choose to, which gives me a nice crisp distance vision and am still able to read a book, my phone or computer up close. Whilst the vision is not 100% perfect at all levels, it is at a great improvement and I love the freedom from wearing glasses every day and being able to see adequately. I visited the office 3 times over the course of a month to ensure that I was satisfied with my options and for Dr Lancaster to finalize my prescription, at which time he also wrote an RX for eyeglasses and has opted to give me a prescription for a progressive lens to cater to all my needs. I am yet to have glasses made up, but I look forward to getting updated lenses that will address all of my needs. Dr Lancaster was happy to spend quite a lot of time discussing and trying options and rechecking my vision to ensure I was satisfied with the RX. At all times the staff are very gracious and friendly and efficient. Dr Lancaster and his assistant are stellar, so much so that now my husband wants his eye exam done by Dr Lancaster as well, we were both very impressed. I spent quite a bit of time with Optician, Catherine, and she has made some great suggestions for when I get my glasses RX updated. I will say this, even though I always had appointments, there does appear to be a bit of a wait time, so allow for that when you visit. It is also a little difficult to schedule an appointment that is not well in advance. I guess this is testament to how popular this business is and how well they look after their patients! I did get erroneously billed for the visit, but I bought this up when I returned to the office for a 2nd review of the RX and upon checking up their documentation they realized they had submitted incorrect information to my insurance company. This was promptly resolved and I've not heard anything since about it. Overall the whole experience was very pleasing and I would definitely recommend them if you are searching for a good eye doctor and staff that are friendly and efficient. read more

Dr. Neil Shmunes is the best in the business! From top to bottom the doctors and staff at AEI are true professionals. Don't be fooled by going for a knock off special by a Lasik wholesaler. If you want someone to provide you with excellent care that is worth the money, this is where you need to go. This is the only place I would trust to handle something as important as my own vision. I am 1 year removed from the procedure and have had no issues whatsoever and am seeing 20/15. Don't overthink it, go to Atlantic Eye Institute and see Dr. Neil Shmunes! read more

I scheduled an eye appointment earlier this year due to one of my eyelids starting to droop. I was seen by Dr. Callegari. She was very friendly and listened to my concerns. As a result, she told me to get Botox to fix my eye. I don't agree with Botox so I never got it. 6 months go by and my eye is drooping more then usual. I went to get a second opinion and was told I have Ptosis. I was told if I would of agreed to Botox it would of done the opposite of what we need to do to fix my eyelid. read more

I started therewith Dr Lancaster who is knowledgeable, competent and nice. He suggested that I have PRK with Dr Duss to even out my vision which had slipped in one eye. The result is amazing and Dr Duss is also nice and competent. He also takes the time to explain everything and to followup. The staff there is wonderful including the opticians out front. read more

A patient since 2016 I have been very pleased with the care I have received from Atlantic Eye Institute. Their skilled medical professionals diagnosed and repaired a torn retina in 2016 and monitored a viscous tear later that year. This year Dr Duss performed LASIK to correct both distance a near vision. The improvement has exceeded my expectations and the post LASIK care I received was phenomenal. Changing to Atlantic Eye Institute was one of the best decisions I could have made. read more

I am 34 years old and finally decided to have Lasik surgery. I went to the Atlantic Eye Institute and Dr. Shmunes was awesome! He has years of experience and now I have 20/15 vision every morning when I wake up! The only side effect is slight dryness of the eyes at times, which is supposed to go away with time. I'm not going to lie, it was a bit scary for me. They do give you something to calm you but I was still anxious! Right afterward the vision will be a little blurry for the first few hours. However, after I got over the initial nerves I could tell that I made one of the best investments! I am very happy with my results! read more

Today I had my second restore eye surgery. If I could give dr samara a 10 I would. He is such a caring person. Fast and knows what he is doing. If you are going to trust your eyes to someone make sure it is Dr Samara. Might take some time to get to see him but it will be well worth it. read more

Every time I have ever went to AEI, I have had my entire day tied up, due to the excruciatingly long wait times. Last time I waited 2 hours doses my appointment time, asked one of the ladies at the desk when I'd be seen and suddenly it was my turn. From what I could see there were lots of pharmaceutical reps tying the doctors up causing late appointments. When they finally saw me, the doctor quickly looked at my eye and told me to return AGAIN, in two days. They then proceeded to charge me a co-pay for a whole 5 min of the doctors time, meanwhile I have hours tied up in this. At the end of everything, I owed them a $60 balance. I was aware of this, when one of their office cashiers called me to collect, they told my I owed $28, I asked if she was sure that would pay off the entire balance as I thought it was higher and she assured me it would. 2 months later they're calling again to collect the reminding $32. When I explained that I was told I had paid my balance off, they still wanted me to pay. I told them I'm not paying for their cashiers mistake. They said okay they'd take care of it. Now I have a $32 account sent to collections over this. Couldn't get a hold of anyone at Atlantic Eye institute to emery's. So I disputed with the credit unions and they took it off. AVOID THIS PLACE! Unless you like wasting time and money. These doctors only care about money. read more