I'm updating my review because these negative reviews are year's old and should be disregarded. I've gone to Dr. Palmer for almost 40 years (he was young when I started!), and he's given excellent care all of these years. I've had laser surgery on a hole in my retina and two cataract surgeries. Highly recommended! read more

My doc referred me to Dr. Palmer about an ongoing dry eye condition. The appointment started badly from the beginning. First, Dr. Palmer was running an hour behind on appointments, and the front desk didn't even have the courtesy to tell me when I checked in, only when I asked 45 minutes past my appointment time. Next I met with members of Dr. Palmer's staff. All of whom were very friendly and informative. They are the ones that get the 2 stars. They conveyed my situation to Dr. Palmer who told me it wasn't as bad as it could be (true but it still sucks when your eyes feel constantly irritated) and then offered to write me a prescription. Several other doctors had specifically advised against the drug because of side effects so I asked Dr. Palmer why he thought it was a good idea. His only response, I like it and think it works. This is how Dr. Palmer was with most of the questions I asked that were a little more specific. I know doctors are busy, and I know patients can be annoying, but I didn't like that I felt badly for asking questions. read more

Dr. Palmer, you can say what you want to try to save face, but the fact remains that I tried to clarify information with you office before, during AND after the appointment and you STILL got the information incorrect. You don't listen well enough to your patients and no degree of discussing your self-importance and supposed professionalism will change my opinion of your borderline malpractice ways. read more

I am a one-time patient of Dr. Palmer's. I was referred to Dr. Palmer after visiting Dr. Chopra at For Eyes on Madison Avenue. To really appreciate my frustration the entire story is necessary. I wouldn't normally visit a For Eyes. For years I went to Dr. DaLee in the Rookery building on LaSalle, Dr. DaLee is great. When my insurance provider changed, I had to find a new eye doctor to renew my contact lens prescription. I was trying to save some money and time and selected the For Eyes down the street from my office. From the second I went in, I should had run right back out the door. Long story short, I did a field vision test in a very noisy, retail environment and understandably, didn't do well. Dr, Chopra from For Eyes referred me to Dr. Palmer, because I did poorly. When a doctor refers you to a specialist, you get concerned and you follow doctor's orders. So I went to Dr. Palmer. Dr. Palmer performed a very extensive field vision test and I did fine on that, nothing to be alarmed about. He asked if I was having headaches, dizziness, hormone problems, etc. I answered no to everything. He requested my field vision test results from Dr. DaLee and saw that I did ok on those tests. He then contacted my general doctor and "strongly recommended" that I have an MRI or CT Scan to check for an enlarged pituitary gland. Despite having no other symptoms and telling Dr. Palmer that I was distracted during the field vision exam, he still "strongly recommended" this. I met with my general doctor and she did a thorough exam and found me to be in perfect health. She went ahead with Dr. Palmer's orders and put in the request for the MRI. I had the MRI last night. But first, I had blood work done, an IV put in my arm, and some kind of dye shot through the IV to do additional brain imaging. The MRI lasted 40 minutes and it is not fun at all. Not to mention the emotional stress that having a potential (doctor's words) "brain tumor" puts on you. The good news is that my MRI results are completely clear. The bad news is that this test is going to cost me about $3K, after insurance pays their portion. I really wish that Dr. Palmer had taken more time to do another field vision test or take into consideration that the "failed" vision test was likely a result of a very distracting environment before "strongly recommending" an MRI. You should be able to trust doctors, especially ones that have studied at Harvard. Lesson learned. read more

As I am asking Dr. Palmer a question toward the end of my visit his cell phone starts to ring. He answers and says, "No this isn't a bad time." And thus ended our appointment, my questions left unanswered. He was very nice. But he seemed somewhat uninterested in my case. He prescribed eye drops that I know can have harmful effects in the long run. I took them anyway because I didn't think there was another option. The next time I went to him. I asked him if there was another medication that I could use that will not do damage to my eyes. He prescribed a different drop. I used it for about a week and then I did some research and found out that that drop is only supposed to be used for 4 days and that it too could have some harmful side effects if overused. I'm glad I looked into it myself because this information was not provided to me by Dr. Palmer. He is a nice doctor, and I'm sure he has some specialty at which he excels. However, my experiences with him were not favorable. I got the sense that he didn't care about my problem and that he was not very knowledgeable about my specific condition. He even said to me at one point, "You've read all the same material I have." read more

At first i was waiting for appt for a month.Then day before the appt.i was switched for later time,when i finally came to the office,the office was crowed with patients,no free chairs.I waited one hour then cancelled my apt.Very poor organized office. read more

I've been a patient of Dr. Palmer's for at least 25 years, and I've always received what I consider to be the highest quality care. On occasions when he thought his own diagnosis should be reviewed by someone else (a retinal specialist, for example), he hasn't hesitated to send me on to them. Just under a week ago, Dr. Palmer removed a cataract from one of my eyes and implanted a lens. He was careful to explain why my own surgery would be a little more complicated than others, but it went well and I was home within a couple of hours afterward. I was surprised to receive a phone call from Dr. Palmer that evening. He asked how I was doing, and I said that I was doing well. I saw him the next morning, when he checked my eye thoroughly, and again today (five days after surgery) to check on the healing process, which is going well. Just two days before the surgery, I had a question about a medication that I take before most surgical procedures; I had forgotten to ask the doctor earlier, so I called his office. He wasn't at the Chicago office that day, but in Glenview. His Chicago staff contacted him, though, relayed my question, and I had an answer from Glenview within an hour. When I first needed to consult an ophthalmologist back in the 1980s or so, my internist at the time recommended Dr. Palmer. I've always been glad to have made that first appointment. read more

I was referred here my my PCP due to floaters. I was told he is supposedly one of the better doctors..... So like KS, I had a very long wait before I was called back. I forget exactly how long, but it was definitely more than an hour after my appointment time. Heres the kicker - I was called that day and was asked if they can bump my appointment 30 min early! When I was finally called back I was seen by one his assistants. We talked about my whole situation, my vision and other eye tests were performed. After that, I had drops put in and had to wait another 50 minutes in a small "holding cell" where I, along with other patients were waiting impatiently. I was put back into an exam room and sat there for about 10 minutes before I was asked to move into another exam room due to the need to use certain equipment or something. The assistant apologized for the inconvenience, while Dr. Palmer practically ran me over trying to get into the room with the other patient. When Dr. Palmer finally came in, he apologized for the long wait and says something like he just can't help these situations. Umm...yes you can. You can schedule LESS patients. But of course that means less $$....so I'm sure that is a no-go. Literally 2 minutes later, the phone rings in the room and he stops our exam to speak to another doctor. I sat there in the chair just waiting about 10 minutes for him to finish his conversation about another patient. (Isn't there some sort of law against that?) It was just ridiculous! When he gets off the phone, he takes a quick look at my eyes and tells me he doesn't see anything but he wants me to see a retina specialist!!!!!!! I mean, come on! Not only am I upset the my PCP referred me to some jack@ss, now I had to see someone who specializes in floaters or whatever! This was the WORST doctors visit ever. I can't see how he is any better than any other eye doctors I've seen.....although it's hard to say when my actual time with him was about 3 minutes. Not only did I waste over 3 hours of my day, it was a waste of my $20 co-pay. I definitely don't ever seeing myself coming back. read more

Dr. Palmer and his staff are exceptional care givers and good down to earth people. I have been a patient for over 15 years with an unpredictable business schedule. Dr. Palmer and his team have always provided the best quality of service in the most expeditious manner. I now have family members that are patients of doctor Palmer. I highly recommend Dr. Palmer. A.L. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Palmer for nearly 20 years. He is kind, professional and highly respected. At nearly every visit, his waiting room is filled with appreciative patients. If there is an emergency, his staff will either find a place in his schedule or refer to a colleague when he is out of town. I highly recommend Dr. Palmer. read more

This is the first time I have ever had problems with this office. I called and left a message regarding problems I still had with my eye. I requested to see the doctor who initially saw me as a second opinion to the previous doctor. The receptionist stated that turn around time for getting back to me was 24 hrs. Tried to be patient and 4 days later I still had not heard from anyone. When I called they told me I needed to make an appointment!? Why didn't they let me know in the first place instead of telling me the doctor would get back to me? I have been walking around with a weepy eye and runny nose! Auuuuggggh read more

Just had cataract surgery done by Dr Palmer on both my eyes. I call him my miracle doctor. From having to put my nose up to the computer screen to see (and not that well) to now NOT having to wear glasses to read is a miracle in my book. Had the surgery on one eye, went home and that night a follow up call from Dr. Palmer to see how I was feeling. Same thing happened 2 weeks later with the other eye. I found Dr. Palmer to be highly competent and did the absolute best to fit me correctly with my new lenses. Very pleased with the total package of him and his office staff. read more

I was referred to Dr Palmer for a chalezium (basically a stye that wouldn't go away) and he removed it for me. I was very nervous about the procedure but both he and his assistant were very helpful and reassuring and they did a wonderful job. I would highly recommend their expertise and professionalism! read more

I was referred to Dr. Palmer by my regular doctor for an eye emergency. I have never written a review on this website before, but did so at the urging of a friend when I told him about my experience there. First, I should say that he correctly diagnosed the problem and I felt better within a couple of days. So in that sense, I am a satisfied customer. However I found him to be rather rude and condescending, not only to me but also to his staff. He was very busy, so maybe he was just having a rough day, but I was surprised at his chair side manner. I asked him a few questions about my condition and how I may have gotten it and he said in an exasperated tone "I don't know what you want me to tell you, it just happens." He also snapped at one of his nurses which made me really uncomfortable. And then, as we were finishing up the appointment he took a call about a different patient and I had to sit there for 10 minutes waiting for him to get off the phone, just for him to say "Ok, I think we're all set here." I think we were all set 10 minutes ago before you took that call! I understand that doctors get busy, especially the good ones. But if you are so busy that you can't take the time to discuss a patients condition, or you start snapping at people and being rude, then it may be time to make a change. There were good things about my visit too. He did properly treat my eye condition, the office was clean and comfortable, and the staff was friendly and seemed knowledgeable. I just think some doctors need to remember that it doesn't matter how many awards and certificates you have, if you don't treat people well- you will have no business. This is a big city, with a lot of eye doctors! read more