I've had cataract surgery, laser surgery and dry eye examination all with great results. One doctor did the cataract surgery, the other my laser surgery and dry eye examination. Always, what I consider quality care for my eyes. The staff at the front desk have always been nice and helpful. Thomas read more

Great service! Dr. Kovach is the best! I was treated exactly at my appointment time. Staff is very kind and friendly. Explained everything clearly! read more

It is now five years since my original cataract surgery. After over five more surgeries, i still am not able to see clearly. I had planned many things for myself for the last five years, all have been abandined because i had to have all these subsequent surgeries to try to get my vision back. This is what I spent iver $15,000 for ....to have blurry vision for the rest of my life. I so regret ever visiting this doctor. read more

Started off well enough but went downhill fast First they tried to upsale me saying $17000 after insurance then they wanted me to go for appointment in Elmhurst procedure to be done in Itasca. Now they want me to go to Barrington for follow ups after eye surgery I'm done with them and would not recommend at all read more

" INSURANCE FRAUD " This clinic is not honest as I paid for my 89 year old mother light therapy treatment of retina, because I was told that it wasn't covered by insurance companies; however a few months later she received her medicare summary notice which showed the clinic was paid by the insurance company. I spoke to Anu who then lied and started that I paid because she didn't meet her deductible, " thank God I have receipt, bank statements, and recorded all conversations". This type of behavior is called DOUBLE BILLING which is a healthcare FRAUD to increase reimbursement. I can only imagine how many other seniors this happened to that paid out of pocket and didn't look at their insurance summary. IF THIS HAPPENED TO YOU PLEASE CONTACT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE. read more

No respect for patient time! I showed up at 9:10am for my 9:15am appointment and the wait ensued. I gave up waiting at 10am - its unacceptable to wait that long. Go elsewhere for your care - there are competent eye surgeons elsewhere who respect your time! read more

The staff at the Elmhurst location was great, however Dr. Kovach's bedside manner was lacking. He came in the room & immediately went to my chart without even acknowledging my presence - no greeting. He and the medical assistant reviewed my chart, spoke amongst themselves, asked me a few questions, made notes, all with his back turned away from me, then sat down. Once he sat down, he then introduced himself (still no apology or acknowledgment of my presence) and told me that I'd have to see a retina specialist for the rest of my life without providing a clear explanation of my diagnosis. He then looked at my eye, prescribed medication, told me to schedule a follow-up and left. I left with no discharge paperwork/instructions/etc. I met with my primary the following day and explained my experience; she was shocked. She was able to pull my chart & give me a more thorough explanation. I'm thankful to my primary for getting an answer, but this was not her job. It's the disregard for me as a patient and the failure to even acknowledge me being in the room that makes me not trust this place. I'm currently looking elsewhere for my eye health needs. read more

Phenomenal ... every staff member, every technician & every doctor (and we've seen almost all). They care ,,, they are knowledgeable plus they each know exactly what type of care your eyes need! read more

Office and doctor pushed laser surgery for cataracts not covered by insurance. Made my wife and I uncomfortable and scared. I had a different consult today and a completely difference experience with Duly doctor. read more

Buyer beware. Avoid if possible. Had and issue with severe dry eye and for the most part they never tell you what they are going to do at your appointment. One of them involved a procedure called Amniatic Membrane, which was simply putting some drops in your eye. Did not think much about it at the time. They simply put maybe 5 drops in your eye and rub the eye with the eyelid closed. Did this maybe 5 times, so we are talking around 30 drops. Next month I get a bill, $2,500.00 for these drops. I would figure it was around .05 of an ounce of liquid. If it was gold, the weight would come to around $260.00. How in the world can this cost $2,500.00? It took around 3 minutes to put them in. So even I figure 1 hour of labor at $200.00 an hour, this still should not come close to $2,500.00. The wife and I could fly to Mexico for a week for less. So I called to see if maybe this was a mistake and they said no. I asked if they could give me a cash price and not run through insurance, they said no, it is what it is. And on top of it, I personally don't believe these drops helped at all. Had I been told up front these drops were going to cost me a mortgage payment, I never would have agreed to this procedure. So if you are stuck going to them, I would at least ask for pricing up front. read more

very poorly run office/surgery center. appointment times mean nothing. whether surgery or follow up appts, you wait for hours. plan on at least 4 hours regardless of what the purpose of the visit is for. cataract surgery was requires 2 times in each eye and a lense repositioning. with all the pre and post visits it was a the most frustrating experience ever. if we had to do it all over again would go somewhere else. read more

Our appointment was at 3pm we got here 15 minutes early, the whole waiting area was full and no chairs were available. We waited until 5:30pm to see the doctor who brushed us off and was in the room for less than 5 minutes. Horrible experience and time management. read more

I experienced an abrupt staff member while making an appointment for my husband, she was talking extremely fast and I asked her to slow down. After reading many negative reviews from all sources, I was not pleased. I canceled my appointment. I need to feel comfortable and want to recieved professional treatment from the front desk staff to the doctors. I will travel to Chicago to seek care. I hope this facility will improve for future patients, and have training classes for their staff. This is not a free service, and as patients we should be treated in a professional manner. Our health is important!!!! read more

This was my first visit and I never got to see the dr. When I arrived, they knew the dr had an emergency and was not available until a much later time but they did not tell me this. They had me fill out all of the paperwork and took my license and insurance cards for scanning. I was waiting a half an hour and past my appt time, when they called me up only to tell me the doctor wasn't there and would I like to wait or reschedule. I can't understand why they didn't tell me that when I walked in. I have no idea what the doctors are like but the staff was so ridiculously idiotic and inept, I don't want to find out. I will be looking for another eye specialist that is not Kovach Eye Institute! read more

Dr was patronizing. Tried to sell me a procedure that is much less expensive elsewhere - but free financing for 20 months! I only went there because it is very hard to get an appointment anywhere for cataracts. I backed out of the follow-up and found another practice read more

I booked a last-minute appointment for my mom at this place because her eyes were watery, red, and itchy. The doctor diagnosed her with dry eyes and informed us that the insurance company would contact me about her eye drops. The following Monday, the company said my insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO) didn't approve the order and that they would find alternative drops covered by my plan. I called multiple times, but no one helped. Last Thursday, I received a call from a nurse saying the drops were ready to pick up. However, when I went to the pharmacy, there was nothing there. I'm extremely frustrated because every time I call, no one helps, and my mom's eyes are even worse now. This was a terrible experience, and it seems like the staff doesn't care about their patients at all. Update on my review: Dec 9/2025 The service here is absolutely terrible. Although the owner responded to my review and asked me to contact the Director of Operations, I did so, but no one answered me! I left messages, yet no one called me back (it has been a week already). The lab that makes the drops for my mom eventually called me, informing me that the cost is $300 per month. I was hoping for a prescription that would be covered by my insurance--after all, that's the point of having insurance. It seems to be this is more like a business to get money between the doctor and the lab. This place is HORRIBLE! Please stay away from them. read more

When my 2024 VA eye exam showed that new glasses would no longer solve my growing cataract issue I turned to Dr. Kevin Kovach for next steps in cataract removal. My wife had successful vision correction by him a decade ago. That was last August. I've had both lenses replaced and I cannot believe the vast improvement in my vision and living without glasses for the first time in 30 years. The lense replacement process started within 10 days of my first appointment and was scheduled around my personal calendar. I could not believe how easy it was. I highly recommend Dr. Kovach and his staff for their professional approach to cataract replacement and thorough explanation of each upcoming step through the process and continuing with later follow up check ups. read more

We sat in the waiting area for almost 40 mins after our appt time. When the doc came in he didnt even want to look at my husband prev records from other specialists. Literally looked in his eyes for 5 mins if that - said he had the start of cataracts in both eyes and that he could put implants in and he would never have to wear glasses or contacts again. Didnt even address the issue on why we were there. Talked to me and his assistant the whole time and not to my husband who was the patient. Prescribed some $1000 eye drops (which were not covered by ins) and said come back in 6 wks. Needless to say I did not make a f/up appt nor did i fill the rx. We saw another eye spec - who said my husband DID NOT cataracts and not to take those eye drops cause it would make his eyes worse (they were for a different eye condition which my husband did not have). This was the worst experience we have ever had and I WOULD NEVER recommend this group to anyone read more

As others said, BEWARE and consider yourself warned. This place is nothing but a cattle call money grab. The only reason I went there was that it was the only place in my insurance network. For starters, you'll wait hours to see Dr. Kovach. The front office staff is atrocious. They gossip about other employees, talk about how drunk they got over the weekend, and about the people they slept with. Dr. Kovach is condescending and patronizing. I told him I was a nurse practitioner, and he still spoke to me and my husband as if we were morons. He convinced me to get the multifocal lenses, which were fine; I knew the standard lenses wouldn't correct my near vision. However, my out-of-pocket expense was $14,000 to be financed over 20 months (because we all have that to spend, right?). I found out after the fact that it was just for physician charges. You'll also pay for the surgery center fee and the anesthesiologist. Tack on a few thousand more. The surgery itself was terrifying and painful. He pushes so many people through at once, you'd never believe it. You wait forever to go back and then get put in a bed or chair with probably 25 other people, like it's an overcrowded ER. They whip people in and out for the surgery like it's a race. I was super anxious, granted, but the atmosphere made it that much worse. The procedure hurt, and I could feel every bit of the needle going into my eye, and then the medication being pushed through it. I was told that I needed the maximum amount of sedation, as if I were being scolded for being an alcoholic drug addict. For the record, I am neither of those. So tack on another few thousand more for that nightmare. Of course, then, I had secondary cataracts. His charge on that was free, but not the surgery center's, once again. Afterward, my vision sucked. I couldn't see to drive at night at all. I have halos, starbursts, and glare that I never had before the surgery. He said to wait for the corrections. It could be a year or more until my brain and eyes adjusted, and that was something called neu-ro-plas-ti-ci-ty (as if I didn't already know what he was talking about). I could get a correction that I was initially told was free, but no. Somehow, that's going to be another 5k. Dr. Kovach suggests that I get glasses, which would help. Wasn't that supposed to be a benefit of surgery, especially since I paid for the more expensive lenses? I also received the same line from him that others mentioned, telling me that if he did make corrections, my close-up vision could be worse than it already is. So I visit the optometrist, who informs me that I now have astigmatism in both eyes, a condition I had never had before surgery, and that I'll need corrective lenses for both my near and far vision. AND I still have glare, halos, and starbursts even with the glasses. In summary, expect ridiculous wait times, to be treated like an animal shoved into line, painful procedures, patronizing, flippant visits with Kovach, who gives you the vibe that you are a pain in the a-- and is bothered by your mere presence, all while he spends a whole 30 seconds with you, unprofessional front office staff, and your vision will be worse than you started with. I regret ever setting foot in this place. Run far and run fast. read more

I've seen 2 doctors and both times neither doctor washed their hands or wore gloves before handling my face and eyes. They both spoke to me in a condescending tone and treated me like a child. I am an adult woman and I do not plan on going back. They diagnosed me with dry eye disease without any testing or asking me questions about my habits. Regardless, they lack curiosity and I'm getting referred elsewhere. read more

Cataract consultation Went to Kovach Eye Institute for a cataract consultation. It was clear from the beginning it was NOT going to end well. I arrived at the appointment and was given a stack of new patient paperwork by receptionist. She did not even look up from the desk, she could not tell you if I was 15 or 95. Then after clearly indicating insurance info on form and handing her my insurance card she inquired if this was (Self Pay) transaction. Things got a little better for a while. The health care professionals were efficient and the imaging equipment was clearly the state of the art. After the exam, I sat through a 30 minute commercial on Cataract Options. At the end of the commercial it was clear Kovach Eye Institute was upselling a procedure covered by Medicare, to a $8000 out of pocket adventure. When I FINALLY got to discuss it with Kevin. It was clear that was EXACTLY what was going on. When I inquired as to WHY the upcharge, the good doctor disappeared faster than a snowflake on a hot griddle. It was clear Kovach Eye Institute in a Cataract Mill. I can't comment on the Doctors expertise, I had the surgery done elsewhere. But the lack of professionalism and concern for his patients is disturbing. The Cataract surgery was successfully performed elsewhere, I was told by that surgeon after surgery , I DON"T need glasses. Just readers for fine print. Choose your doctors well my friends Thomas Update Thank you for the reply Kevin. You may notice that Kevin writes the EXACT same reply to all his reviews. This just reinforces my original assessment. His patients do even get the respect of a personal response. His lack of respect for his patients and complete lack of professionalism are clearly evident. NUF said ! Careful out there my friends. read more

I was very glad that the Kovach Eye Institute was able to work me into their busy schedule for an emergency type visit. The front desk and prep people were very helpful and professional. Dr. Schaw did a thorough examination and took his time to explain the condition to me. He even used graphics to help me to understand. I appreciate the great care that they gave me on that day. Thank you! I would definitely recommend this clinic. read more

Horrible experience. I hope no one goes to this eye specialist. My son had an appointment. The moment we walked in, the receptionist was in an awful mood. her name is Tatiana and she is at the Lincolnwood location. She was blasting rap music when we walked up to her desk. My son and I heard her throwing F bombs around and talking about how she can "pack her stuff and just get up and leave." She didn't want to be there; which was apparent as her mood was horrible. Then we went to get my sons eye exam photos- right before my son finished the same receptionist came running into the room saying "stop, stop what you're doing. we don't have the insurance on file. Don't do anything else". Mind you, I called that morning to confirm my insurance and they said they had updated everything and we were good to go. I told her I spoke to someone and she replied with a HUGE attitude "who did you talk to?" like she thought I was lying. Anyway, we had to go back to the front and wait. It was 45 min of waiting around in the waiting room and then she started gossiping about people. There is a really nice guy that takes the photos and works in the front and she kept gossiping to him and asking him to tell her things- and I could tell that he wanted no part in it. Then we finally got called back to a room. We were in the office for over an hour and a doctor didn't see us yet. I had to go out in the hallway and ask if my son would be seen soon. Then a nurse came in and said " is this John?" and I replied no, my son's name is _____. Then a different person came in to look up my son's eye photos, and realized they had been deleted and not uploaded to the computer. They literally deleted my sons photos bc of them not doing their part in properly inputting the insurance . Then they took my son back to get photos AGAIN. The doctor finally came in, asked the nurse to pull up information. Nothing was ready, he left, we waited, then came back again. It was the worst experience I've ever had- and the worst experience my son has ever had. He asked me to never make him go back there again. I highly recommend finding a different eye specialist because I've heard from different people that they will never come back to that place again. They told me my son was due back in one year and I told them he wouldn't be back. My son and I were leaving and that very same receptionist said in the most sarcastic tone "byyyeeeeeee" while dragging the word on like a child. My son couldn't believe it. Mind you, he's a teenager, and he said she was extremely unprofessional. I asked her for her name and the way she was sarcastic again was unprofessional. I never write reviews, but I really felt the need to write a review for this place so people can avoid it. That simple eye exam took almost TWO hours. They are the most unprofessional, incompetent, unprepared Drs office I have ever seen. read more

The staff and doctors are friendly, but I arrived on time for every appointment and spent over 5 total hours in the waiting room for 3 appointments. They need to fix something with the way they schedule because waiting over an hour after you arrive on time for your appointment time to be seen should not be the norm. The smile procedure was more painful than expected, and I definitely could not go to work or do anything the next day as suggested. They admittedly sent an unnecessary prescription to the pharmacy, which resulted in me wasting money. Again, the people who work here seem like nice people, but there are serious organizational and administrative issues that give the impression they don't value their patients. I paid extra compared to LASIK because I thought this would be better, but now I'm regretting my decision. My eyes are definitely not 20/20, I could see significantly clearer with my glasses or contacts before the surgery. Really wish I had just done LASIK. read more

Terrible service. No respect for patients time. Left in a room for over an hour without anyone even checking in, I finally just left.

I was nervous going in but the staff and doctor made me feel very comfortable. They had impressive equipment and were always lively and helpful from start to finish. Dr.Mateen was my surgeon and made the experience painless and straightforward. I am very happy with the results of my cataract surgery with premium implants. I read the reviews on the wait time however it was never that bad. If you want a quality team and doctor it's well worth the short wait. read more

This place over schedules a ridiculous number of patients; there were at least 30 people in the lobby area. Then you are shuttled around for various tests and wait in between ( the appointment was 2.5-3 hours). When I finally saw the doctor it was for barely a minute. He said I needed cataract surgery and promptly walked out. I was skeptical since I golf and have no problem seeing. I went to a different ophthalmologist who said I do not require cataract surgery now. Shame on Kovach Eye. They are just a money making machine and have little regard for their patients. Do NOT go there! read more

The wait time for an appointment is 100% unacceptable. When inquiring about my 1 hour 40 min wait time for my appointment the Dr. Responded that's not bad it's unusually 3 hours. The bright spot is Brittni Finlay patient experience focused person who finally got me into the room with the Dr. If the practice adopted Brittni's patient focused approach it would be 5 stars. read more

This is by far the most unprofessional, inefficient, uncompassionate office I have ever been to. I have many chronic condiitons and just went to see a top notch pain specialist in the city that is renowed in the country. I also see an orthopedic doctor who treats Bulls patients. They spend 15-20 minutes with me for each appointment and the staff and doctors treat me with respect and kindness. Prepare to spend 2 hours plus for any appointment at Kovach Eye Institute even for a simple follow up. From the time I am greeted by the rude staff members and the doctors spend maybe a few minutes with you the entire experience is extremly frutrating. I spoke on the phone with the director of operations to express my concerns a few weeks again. My last follow up was on 9am on Saturday morning so first appointment of the day to hopefully alleviate the long waiting times that I have experienced for the 7 plus years at this office. I was brought back at 9:15 so good sign and then was checked briefly. Went to the waiting room in the back and was told it would be a long wait because the doctor has not yet arrived and no clue when he would show up. I couldn't believe it. Why would you bother to bring me back and once again I am in the same position. I had a PT appointment and needed to leave by 10am. I was told the appointment would not last longer than that. The doctor finally showed up annoyed about my frustration and his advice was much different than the last doctor that saw me. Dr. Kovach and his associate doctors only care about money and fititng in as many patients as possible. This is a clear scheduling issue that has happend for way to long. They make these elderly patients wait for hours in an uncomfortable wating room that is freezing half the time. It's one excuse after another why the doctor or wait time is so long. I am never returning to this place and highly suggest you find care somewhere else. read more

I am always there for 1 1/2 to 2 hours for each visit during which time I see the Doctor for less than 2 minutes. Yesterday I waited 1 hour and 7 minutes in the first waiting room and finally just left to NEVER to return. My time is valuable too. read more

No regard for patients time. I waited over 1.5 hours to see the doctor for 4 minutes. Ridiculous time and patient management. No respect for the human factor just a $$$ making machine!!! Kovach DOES NOT CARE BUT ONLY TO MAKE $$$ TO PAY HIS CAPITAL INVESTMENT!! Go somewhere else!!! read more

0 stars if it were possible! If you're looking for professional healthcare service for your parents you're better off going elsewhere. Nothing against Dr. Kovach, this review is regarding the front desk personnel, and overall practice operations at his Elmhurst location it is AWFUL. Once you've signed the paperwork and begin the surgical process, be prepared for the quality of service from this practice/location to decline. First follow up visit post first eye surgery, we were delayed by 10 minutes in the parking lot. When we arrived we were informed my mother (patient) would not be seen. Second followup post first eye surgery, she arrived 30 minutes early. Numerous other patients were called before her. She waited for over an hour to be seen. This shows a lack of consistency in their operations. I called and expressed this complaint and concern a week ago, a manager was supposed to return my call, they never did. Today, again we arrived 30 minutes early. I asked to speak with the Elmhurst practice manager and Tatiana at the front desk gave me the run around. She finally gave me a business card and a manager's name (Courtney). When I called the number I left a message for an operations manager named Christine. Shortly after, Tatiana (reception) came to tell me that Courtney would speak with me. I choose to wait for Christine's call, perhaps she will call back. Hispanic people's dollars hold the same value as any other patient's. Regardless of who you may be, If you're looking for professional healthcare service for your parents you're better off going elsewhere. read more

Dr Kovach is an arrogant ass of a doctor. I went in after being diagnosed with glaucoma at the Wheaton eye clinic. Kovach preformed laser eye surgery on one of my eyes. He told me that I wouldn't feel anything but I did. I ended up having a panic attack so the procedure had to stop. Afterwards, he explained to my girlfriend & myself that we had only gotten through half of the procedure & if I were to get anything else done, I would have to be sedated. He also went on to say that he didn't want to do any of that so we would stick with the eye drops. This was on 12/10/2019. Fast forward to the end of January 2020, I received a bill for the amount of $391. I did not agree with this bill since he billed my insurance for 100% of the procedure despite being told we had only gotten half way through. A month later, I get another bill saying I owe $411. I kept asking why the bill went up & how it was that the insurance responsibility went down $20 while my responsibility went up $20. It was finally explained to me that they bill their customers before the explanation of benefits was received. How can you bill a customer before knowing what they even owe??!! This went on over the last couple of months. I requested to have Dr Kovach return my call 3 times to which he did not do. Then today, I received this letter stating I am being dropped. DURING A PANDEMIC!!! WHO DOES THAT!?!?!? I'll tell you who. A crappy Dr who operates with a lack of good business ethics. I will gladly take my insurance & business elsewhere. read more

Kovach Eye Institute - Laser Eye Surgery/Lasik Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Get rid of your front desk personnel or give them better training on costumer service please. The Hispanic lady is always so condescending and does not speak to you with respect. read more

Please stay away from Kovach Eye Institute if you value your eyesight health, time and money! Upon the recommendation of my optometrist, I went for a consultation to Kovach Eye Institute in regards to an issue I had with the retina in my right eye. They ran some tests and determined I had macular edema in the right eye. Dr. Yavitz prescribed Difluprednate and Dorzolamide eye drops for the right eye. Several months later, the intraocular pressure in my right eye had increased to 28, glaucoma level pressure, and the vision in my right eye had worsened. It was then recommended that I see Dr. Saad at the Naperville location for a fluorescein angio/optical coherence tomography. He determined that I did not have macular edema, but I needed an epiretinal membrane peel and cataract surgery and tried rushing me into scheduling surgery. I was shocked. My ability to see was still clear and I still achieved 20/20 vision with corrective eyewear. I decided to get a second opinion at the Wheaton Eye Clinic and learned that the epiretinal membrane peel and cataract surgery was not recommended at this time, however, observation of the retina was highly advocated. I advise to always, always get a second opinion before having any surgery and always, always read the reviews before entering any doctor's office! read more

all they need it is your money bad experience waiting long time and not accept most insurance

They took good care of my daughter. We were in and out within an hour. The surgery was a success.

I came here two times with red eye issues after seeing two general practice doctors. Both times I was greeted 15-30 minutes after my appointment scheduled time. My first visit was awful, it was a basic check up but yet the whole process took 2 hours and involved moving me to different rooms to distract me from having to wait so long. When I was seen by the doctor he spoke so fast and in so many complicated terms that I wasn't even able to comprehend what was wrong with me. The doctor was very nice and seemed to know what he was doing, it just doesn't help when I have no clue why I'm taking certain medicines and for what. Given the long wait times and fast pace of the doctor, it seems like this office only cares about getting in as many people as possible. My second experience didn't take AS long but still not great. After going there two times my eye issues are still not fixed so I will be trying another doctor somewhere else. Everyone was super friendly here, but that is not enough. They need to prioritize patient care and stop treating this practice like an assembly line. read more

Warning - if this office tells you that you need surgery, get a second opinion. I underwent laser surgery for treatment of "glaucoma" at this office, then was rushed into scheduling surgery for newly found 'cataracts". Decided to get a second opinion and learned that not only did I NOT have cataracts, it was highly doubtful that I had needed any surgery for glaucoma. Just be careful if you deal with this physician. read more

As far as my eyes go the care has been excellent. The problem is this office over books every single time. The average appointment is over 2 hours. I find this rather rude. When you finally get in a room they always say the doctor will be with you soon. I guess soon in their eyes is an hour. read more