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.

This review is for Dr. Aller. I've been seeing him for over seven years, and I don't mind traveling…read moreall the way to San Francisco because I know it's worth it. From my very first visit, he identified that I have dry eyes and provided helpful tips to manage and improve them. He always takes his time during exams and is thorough in evaluating my eye health. Dr. Aller is a caring and dedicated doctor who truly prioritizes his patients' well-being. Rocio, his receptionist, is super friendly, and everyone in the office is always helpful and welcoming. I highly recommend this practice.

Dr. Yang is awesome, but his appointments are rarely on time. Unless your appointments are the…read morefirst ones right when it opens or right after lunch break, expect your waiting time to be around an hour. If you can't see that many patients, then don't schedule so many. You expect your patients to be on time, so your patients would expect the same from you. If it weren't for his professionalism, it would've been 1 star. Update - it turns out that a walk-in went in before me. And at least one patient who has their appointment after mine went in too. Really really disappointed.

It is my first time seeing Dr. Yang. I used to see Dr. Yee who is my opthomologist in the past 11…read moreyears. I was very please to see Dr. Yang today. He is a wonderful opthomologist, taking his time to examine my eyes and listening to my concern about my eyes. He has very gentile manner with his patient which is very difficult to get from a doctor nowadays. I will recommend his practice to my family members and friends. If you are looking for a good opthomologist in San Francisco. You must go to see him. Besides, him the front office staff are very friendly and courteous. The downside is that you may have to wait a little longer in the waiting area.

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!

It's too bad they're the only game in town. They are…read moreextremely persistent in reminding you that you're overdue for a follow-up. But, it's nearly impossible to make an appointment. You're greeted by a recording, and asked to leave a message. Then, If you don't have all day to play telephone tag, you're of out of luck, and then give up in frustration.

I'm sitting for nearly an hour now past my appointment start time still waiting for things too get…read morerolling. The medical services might be good (not sure) but their organization of the schedule makes never want to come back.

Great care. Super clear on the process with lots of experience. Front desk and doctor were amazing…read moreand kind.

I got my PRK done at LaserVue in January of 2025 and am very happy with my experience and my new…read more20/15 vision! It felt like I had an entire team taking care of me through the process-- from Francisco to Moe to Dr. Walsh to Dr. Bansal. They encouraged me to ask all the questions I wanted (I had a lot) and were all friendly and knowledgeable. Communication was prompt and scheduling was easy -- they were even able to get me in the next day for a checkup after I emailed them asking for one a few months after the procedure. Thank you, LaserVue team!

Starting with Dr. Pickering's CV you can tell that she has an amazing list of universities that she…read moregraduated from with honors. Her training is second to none. Next, she has the best reviews on websites from her patients. As far as dealing with her as a patient: she is so nice, she has such a sweet personality. Finally, she's a great diagnostician who explains everything going on in an easy to understand manner. Dr. Pickering is a professional in every aspect. Highly recommend !

Dr Pickering is an experienced and excellent Ophthalmologist who successfully provided me with…read morecorrective laser surgery for a dangerous condition that I needed in a timely manner. She also has excellent staff and together they help take patients through the process of treatment with a feeling of being cared for and heard.

Excellent care!great bedside manner! He is the best doctor. Saved my sight! I have been seeing…read morehim over ten years. The greatest!!!!

What a wonderful doctor! He is caring and thorough. He took the time to explain to me everything…read morehe was doing and the results of what he was seeing concerning my eye exam. I was totally blown away with his kind and gentle manner. An absolutely wonderful experience with a wonderful doctor!! We need more caring professionals like him. Thank you so much Dr. Cruciger!

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

I had cataract surgeries on both eyes, one week apart, in November 2023. The lenses I chose are…read moreLALs (light-adjustable lenses), so the actual procedure was just the start of what was ultimately a six-week process of adjusting my prescription. The cataract removal/lens insertion procedures themselves were brief and painless. I was awake, and Dr. Liu talked me through both of them. The light adjustment sessions began a couple of weeks later, and ended just a few days before Christmas. It helped that I chose the time of year with the least daylight for my procedures and follow-up treatments. Dr. Liu, Dr. Chang, and all the medical assistants who tested my lenses and helped administer my light treatments were patient and informative, and everyone worked really hard to get my prescription locked in by the end of the year. I wasn't excited about having to wear UV-blocking glasses throughout those six weeks, but the payoff has been nothing short of incredible. Even now, when I try to describe how it feels to go from severe nearsightedness and astigmatism to nearly perfect vision, words fail me. I had worn glasses since childhood and custom contact lenses since age 14 - and then suddenly, at age 57, I could see. It's been life-changing. I think of Dr. Liu every time I notice that I can easily read a street sign while driving at night, see a text message in a TV show, or pick up saturation changes in the design side of my work. Good vision is the simplest, most essential thing, and now I have it. I feel like I won the lottery. Heartfelt thanks to everyone at SF Eye Institute. My life is better thanks to you!

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!

I've been going to San Francisco eye specialists for 20 years and have been seen by Dr Swift. He's…read morevery friendly, gentle and thorough and I really liked having him as my ophthalmologist. I'm 75 and it was time to have my cataracts removed, so he referred me to Dr. Aguilar who did both eyes, two weeks apart. I am very happy with the results, and would it do it over in a second. Bonus, all the people that work in the office are super friendly.

Although Dr. Aguilar seems amiable enough, l was completely stunned by the lack of cleanliness and…read moresanitary hygiene during my visit! Although we are no longer in pandemic mode, COVID is still circulating as is RSV. l have lung disease and am in a high risk group for complications should l catch either virus. Suffice it to say, the eyes are a great entryway for viruses to infect individuals. l had to ask Dr. Aguilar to please wash his hands before examining my eyes and he got a bit put off by that. Who knows where his hands had been! The worst part, however, was when he stated that he was going to put an antibiotic ointment in my eye. Prior to applying the ointment, he asked me if l had received a COVID booster? l thought this was a strange question until much to my horror l saw him take out an almost empty small tube of ointment from his dirty lab coat pocket. Again, l had to ask him to clean his hands as he had been using the computer to make notes after reluctantly washing his hands initially. If l develop COVID in the next few days, l will know exactly where it came from...an unhygienic doctor who regularly puts his unwashed hands on the tube tip and the proceeds to place unsanitary ointment in his patients eyes. l couldn't wait to get out of there and flush my eyes! Now l just have to pray that l don't contract COVID or RSV. The worst part is that Dr. Aguilar clearly realizes the risk he is subjecting his patients as he wants to ensure that you are COVID boosted before possibly contaminating your eyes with the virus. If you do have a stye and visit Dr. Aguilar, please just refuse the eye ointment for your own safety!