Doesn't get better than MarinEyes! I had a YAG capsulotemy, not a trivial procedure, when I was in between health insurance plans. I was super impressed with the professionalism in the office, but most of all by the treatment I got from Dr. Kim. The day following the procedure I was able to see with my right eye as I did when I was a 30-year old! Because I had no health insurance at the time, the doctor gave me a significant discount for which I was most grateful. read more

Very frustrating experience. They seem far more interested in selling (contacts/glasses/lasik) than patient experience. I was there for a very specific single reason - referred by my optometrist to have Dr Kim look at a stye to assess if it needed treatment. Instead I was made to complete numerous pages of unrelated paperwork by the front desk (despite all my data in the system being current)...& then pushed to have a full vision exam/assessment (despite not being there for that purpose and just recently having had one by my outside optometrist). The assistant attempting to proceed with the latter was very irritated when I refused & stormed off. Dr Kim, who has zero bedside manner & mandates you wear a mask to see him, completed his analysis of my 8 week long stye in about 30 seconds with no advice. I will not be back. read more

My son and I had our first appointment at Marin Eyes yesterday with Dr. Kim. I was impressed by the efficiency of the staff, the state of the art equipment and the entire place. I read through the comments before going and was a bit concerned with the negativity. But, I had to try because my other Ophthalmologist (who will remain unnamed) who I had seen for 10 years had opted out of my insurance. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of professionalism at Marin Eyes. while some of the comments are about them being "unfriendly", both my adult son and I just saw as efficient. Their facility is very clean and their equipment is so modern, not like my other Opthamalogist. Lilly was great with us and setting up our info and doing my son's refraction, I will go back for that. We both found Dr. Kim to be very pleasant and professional, gave me answers right away on my eye concerns and put my mind at ease. I really don't understand the reviews about his bedside manner. He is a Dr., a professional, I am not looking for a friend in my eye doctor. He was very pleasant and we talked a bit about growing up in Southern California, that was enough for me. They also have a full stock of nice designer glasses there if you want to get glasses there. And they took my insurance! I highly recommend Marin Eyes. We will be back next year! read more

I had my annual exam yesterday. Austen did a thorough job of examining my eyes, dialing in my old prescription, trying varying alternate correction strengths, measuring pressure for glaucoma. He was cordial and explained things very well. Dr. Kim was upbeat and congenial, and answered my questions. The optician took time to explain my options for a new prescription. I'll be back. read more

I had a very bad experience with OD, Dr. Cunningham. what started out as a simple stye appointment turned out to be a painful experience. Dr. Cunningham did not numb me with topical & proceeded to try to open oil duct which she said was clogged. it was very painful. I made a grievance to my insurance company. they followed up on it, but she misrepresented the procedure she did & lied about numbing the area. I will never go back there again. she left a red scar on my inner eye lid. This office doesn't deserve even one star. read more

Dr. Kim seems bored with his job. His practice isn't busy - I got in to see him the day after I called. There must be a reason for that. You're better off with an ophthalmologist at CPMC in Corte Madera or San Francisco. On the positive side, the office manager in Novato is good and the optometrists can do a refraction for glasses. read more

This duplicates the review I previously posted about one of the partners at this vision care practice under the name of the doctor himself, Christian K. Kim It is as follows: I have deferred commenting on the subpar vision care I rec'd from Dr. Kim at Marin Eyes until I got over being so mad. I began seeing Dr. Kim some years ago as having annual dilated eye exams was recommended to me by my endocrinologist to keep track of any diabetic retinopathy. Although my first years of having the annual eye exams with Dr. Kim had always been satisfactory (I thought) until he performed a routine cataract removal surgery. When I lost vision following that procedure, he referred me to a Retina Specialist in San Rafael. That doctor gave me a very complete eye exam and diagnosed Macular Degeneration in both eyes. I was astonished that this very common disease among older patients had never been mentioned to me by Dr. Kim. After the briefest exams, he routinely commented: "No retinopathy. See you next year." I thereafter got an appt to talk over with Dr. Kim (1) hisfailure to diagnose MD and (2) why I lost binocular vision following his removal of the cataract in one eye. Rather than listen to my questions, he responded: "You're just looking for someone to blame," and abruptly left the room leaving me in tears. I was there for INFORMATION, not accusation. Needless to say, I have since been referred to a different opthomologist for future care. Dr. KIm's usual breezy approach quickly turned to anger. He failed the top duty of any medical practitioner, namely, the requirement that a doctor care about his patients and treat them courteouly and respecfully. Dr. Kim failed me on all these standard of care read more

I had been going to Marin Eyes for over 20 years and, as I aged, my distance eye sight got worse and worse. Every year, I continued to complain how I couldn't even see highway signs (even dangerous as I was not even 60 yrs old yet). I was constantly told, "your cataracts aren't ripe enough." I didn't know what that meant and was so fearful of driving that my primary doc sent me to another eye doc who had my cataracts removed in the next two months. Now I can see everything crystal clear! Please steer clear of Marin Eyes! read more

I called to request a good technician with a receptionist name Hadassa. (She spelled her name for me.) I told her what to write a note on the computer for a good technician who is a nice person as I have many times had issues with the technicians. Last time the technician I believe was named Laura and I was very upset with her after leaving. Hadassa said she wrote the note as I requested, and I could barely hear her. Either after that she hung up or we had phone issues. I got to my appointment and told receptionist Sheri I requested a technician who was nice and good, and she didn't say anything. In a fairly incompetent, uncaring fashion she asked for insurance card. Before I could finish filling out the paperwork, technician Ashley came to bring me to a room. She asked questions and said she would test my vision. She was testing my vision differently than in the past and finally I told her I didn't want to do that. She tested my eyes separately, but not together. And there was some confusion as the Dr. said to consider getting distance glasses for driving. I was at the DMV several months ago and my eyes were tested separately and together I believe, and they didn't say anything about distance glasses for driving. Ashley looked in my eyes with a light. She shouldn't be testing me with the light. The Dr. tested me with the light. And at the point that horrible Ashley asked me to look up when she had the light looking in my eyes, I had had enough. Be wary when having an eye exam if you are asked to look up or in one direction. And later in the day after the appointment I was noticing side effects from the way the horrible Ashley had put the drops in my eyes. I told the Dr. a few things about a couple of the girls, and he said would keep it in mind. The exam with the Dr. went fine and he answered some of my questions, but I feel like I need to stay on top of what he said and make sure it is correct. He did give me some brochures to read to stay on top of my health and return if necessary. read more

I'd give a 0 if I could. Poor quality of care and they cut corners on exams. There seems to be more importance on getting an exam done fast rather than complete and thorough. Definitely go elsewhere! read more

I had my first visit to Marin Eyes on 6/7/24. It was really fantastic! Corina at the front desk was very helpful and friendly. She processed me immediately and had me take a seat in the waiting room. Since I was early, I was happy to have the technician Leann, come for me 10 minutes early! She did a great pre-exam with pupil measurement, Glaucoma test and eye dilation. She was very thorough. Dr. Shin was great. Knowledgeable, efficient and kind. He also invited me to contact them for any emergency care now that I was part of the practice. I'm to return in a year and will report back, then! read more

As I look at my postcard notice to schedule my eye exam appointment today I am hesitant. I used to receive top notch service from Marin Eyes except for my last appointment. I was rushed through and every question was a rushed answer of "I'm so sorry you'll have to reschedule for anything else with Dr. Shin." No help with dry eye questions or vision issues? I'm so sad as I won't be going back. It's a shame because I loved my eye doctor and made it a point to schedule with her while recommending her to all my friends. Not sure what changed as she seemed so stressed this time to rush rush rush and not help. read more

the people at marin eyes are very accommodating- special shout out to Caleb and Karen. thank you.

I talked my husband into coming along for an eye exam, I've been a patient of Marin Eyes for years. We spent more time at reception discussing the payment, making the payment and whether or not insurance will pay, etc. than we spent getting care. It seemed like a racket, take you into a room, move you to another, Doctor comes in, looks at computer screen - end of visit. I could probably deal with this but my husband developed an eye infection (pink eye) a few days after visit. When he called to discuss his swollen, red, painful eye he was told it's most likely viral and wait a few days, use eye drops, cold compress. Do we think he caught it at office? Yes. Can we prove it? No, but we won't be going back. They will call you repeatedly to get you in for appointments but seems that's all part of the racket. read more

5 stars for Dr Shin!! 0 for receptionists Dr. Shin is one of the most personable doctors I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. He's absolutely great!! Unfortunately the front office-reception staff at BOTH San Rafael and Novato offices have HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS. Dismissive, rude and consistently acting like every patient is a bother. read more

I had been going to Marin Eyes for over 10 years for mostly routine exams and glasses. It seemed as many others have expressed that all the work was done by the technicians and Dr.'s Shin or Dr. Kim came in for 1 or 2 minutes, hardly said a word, and then left. Recently however, my vision had deteriorated and I was also concerned with double vision in both eyes. I made a couple of appointments but with totally unsatisfactory results. They just didn't care and in fact in my last appointment when I complained about the double vision, Dr. Shin abruptly said, I don't deal with double vision and walked out. Well that was my last appointment with Marin Eyes. Since then I made an appointment with Eyewish Optometry ( Dr. Matt Sui) and after a more extensive examination, he referred me to North Bay Eye Associates for a cataract evaluation. I had my exam yesterday with Dr. Saidel and what a difference! This is a first class operation and I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes and a stigmatism in my left eye. We will be doing surgery next year. Why didn't Marin Eyes reach this same conclusion? In summary, I think Marin Eyes has become both complacent and somewhat irresponsible. You may want to look elsewhere. read more

Reasonable but not comprehensive exam. Dr was perfunctory in manner. Like the entire office, obsessed with forms that have little to with care. The office staff are barely competent, which is good, but get a "2" on a scale of "10" for pleasantness. The best thing about this joint is the parking, which isn't saying much. I will not go back. For sure. read more

Contrary to the negative reviews, our experience with Marin Eyes in Novato, CA today was impressive. My son had an eyelash stuck in the corner of his eye and it was extremely irritating with the concern it could cause an infection. We called on a Monday morning and were able to get a same day appointment. Sure, there was a bit of a wait, yet we also understood we were fit into a busy schedule. Dr. Shin was personable and helpful to my son and was able to remove the eyelash stuck in my son's eye. We had tried eye drops, emergency eye wash, etc. and could not dislodge it on our own. We are grateful to Dr. Shin and his team for getting us in on such short notice and relieving my son of his eye aliment. Naturally, reviews are based on what the services a particular patient received and their expectations of the service and quality of the same. Therefore, we can only review our personal experience with Dr. Shin and Marin Eyes and are happy to report we were very satisfied and indeed grateful for the quality of care and service received. read more

Front desk staff was superb. I went there to get a second opinion on my kaiser dr. telling me i had a detached retina. Dr kim was rude to me, he seemed to have a cold or something, then he told me i absolutely did not have a detached retina. Well, thank god for my opthalmologist at kaiser who said she can take pictures of the retina, showing a detachment. I could have gone blind in that eye, had i gone with dr kim. I let his office know, and he never got back to me. Boo to you, dr Kim. read more

after arriving from my appointment, I was put into an antiquated examination room. Somebody came in and gave me a basic eye exam and told me the doctor would be in shortly. After 40 minutes of waiting, I finally left. No one ever followed up with me. read more

I am extremely pleased with the care, attention & results of my cataract surgery performed by Dr. Shin of Marin Eyes. I had worn glasses/contacts for nearly 60 years. Yup folks, I had really bad eyesight with strong astigmatism in both eyes. Now that I'm older cataracts appeared & it was finally time for surgery. Off to Marin Eyes I go after recommendations from friends & my primary care physician. The result? 20/20 vision, cataract cloudiness gone, no glasses/contacts necessary. At night, no haze, glare or difficulty seeing traffic signs or house numbers. Everyone working here every step of the way was courteous, informative, helpful & professional. During the pre-op exam where measurements are done, they were very eager to understand my vision goals. They were also very honest & explanatory about the lens choices that would meet my goals given my specific vision situation. All instructions were explained in detail & backed up with info you take home & can refer to throughout the process.The required pre-op physical exam is also appreciated. Four months later, my vision is excellent & I will continue to see them for eye exams. read more

Terrible! The nurse hurried me through a bare minimum of tests. The I waited and waited. I finally decided, enough is enough and was ready to walk out. Dr Shin hurried in, spent 2 minutes telling me that nothing was wrong and was gone. How can they get away with that? My Kaiser examination 3 years ago showed AMD. That doctor was much more thorough. What a waste of time! I won't go back. read more

Their hours are so restricted, and their phone number always goes to a voice message, especially for laser surgery appointments. You cannot ask simple questions or make a basic appointment without putting lots of efforts on our side. read more

Just had cataract surgery--I rarely write reviews but need to share with everyone that Dr. Shin of Marin Eyes is an amazing doctor. He really is the best in the county and probably further. His staff is also amazing and efficient. To compare, a friend of mine recently had cataract surgery elsewhere. She texted pictures of her eyes all patched up for days and wondered why mine were uncovered. She had to wear plastic cups over her eyes when sleeping, for days. Well, I asked Dr. Shin why I wasn't all patched up as well and learned that Dr. Shin stopped using her doctor's techniques over 20 years ago--he uses tiny instruments and makes tiny incisions that don't require extra cuts. Wow. Dr. Shin is using 21st Century technology and is especially skilled because he's been doing it for so long. So glad Dr. Shin is my doctor! Thanks Doc and Marin Eyes staff!! LMS read more

Robot like support staff that kept angling to book more more comprehensive appointment than I requested. It was as if it was mandatory and she was the person doing the prescribing (and would not listen to what I kept insisting I wanted). I just needed a new eye glass rx. Then, it took me a while to get the rx filled because I was in the middle of major life events (moving etc). When I got my new glasses back, my rx was off. When I called to see if I could get them to check it the receptionist coldly said it's been over 3 months so we will have to charge you again. When I tried to explain extenuating circumstances she reacted with a complete robot-like lack of compassion and completely read the script about policy. Policy that was not part of original session briefing. Dr. Kim is super nice but likes to chat more about life than about the eye appointment. And Dr. Shin did not have time or interest in my questions. I'll be finding another office. read more

I feel like I need to adjust my rating to reflect my very positive experience with Dr Shin, who is a most accomplished surgeon with a pleasant and professional demeanor. read more

This is about the front desk staff. There was some confusion about my vision coverage as I just got added to my husband's health coverage at his work. I formerly had VSP and had full coverage. However, I wasn't sure if my new health plan covered my visit. So, I paid in full and asked for a statement to submit to insurance. They said they would have to send me a statement in a week. They insisted on payment upfront but I have to wait a week in order to submit an itemized statement? I've been coming to this office for at least 5 years and the front desk staff service has really deteriorated. read more

I recently had cataract surgery. Dr. Shin and his support staff, including Angie Arrington, his Surgery Coordinator, provided excellent care and surgical expertise. Highly recommended. read more

I had the cataract surgery this week and I'm very pleased with the whole process & the way that I was treated. I want to complement Dr Shin & his staff (Cynthia, Tyler & Kay) for taking such good care of me and making me feel so comfortable. Top notch facility, professional staff made this a very pleasant experience. Thank you Dr Shin! read more

This review is for Dr Shin. I find Dr Shin excellent and very personable. The staff is very helpful. Highly recommend

Buyer beware! I liked the ophthalmologist and have no reason to doubt the competence, however Marin Eyes was misleading about their charges, and the salesperson in the eyeglass department used aggressive sales techniques and ordered glasses for me that I had not approved! Truly a disappointment. read more

I had Lasik eye surgery with MarinEyes. Surgery went well but had multiple horrible experiences with their office. On my follow up visit I waited 45 for my appointment. When I asked the receptionist what was going on she was very rude and told me that my appointment was actually half an hour after the actual time that they had scheduled me. A year later when one of my eyes started to become blurry again I called them up to schedule an appointment and never even got a call back. Truly unprofessional, rude, I will NEVER EVER go there again. read more

I was having pain behind my eyes. My physician refered me to them. She thought I should see an Ophthalmologist instead of my Optometrist. Two assistants came in before Dr. Kim. I told the first assistant I have never had my eyes dilated as my Optometrist has a instrument that measures the eye without it. She told me she didn't think they would need to do it but I would be told if it was needed. Second assistant did a set of tests, eye chart, putting lenses in front of my eyes which is clearer etc. Then he put something in my eyes and said Dr. Kim would be in soon. I had closed my eyes while waiting as the lights were bothering my eyes. He came in with an assistant I didn't look at and said some measurements to the assistant and said the pain isn't from my eyes, probably my sinuses and left. He was there a maybe 2 minutes. Made me feel stupid for making an appt! I went to the waiting room to pay and the asst. left off some code so I was asked to wait until she realized it would take too long and said she would bill me. I went outside I was blinded by the light, I went back in, asked if my eyes were dialated, she look at my chart and said yes. I told her what I told the first asst. and she she was sorry they didn't tell me. I told her I would have had my husband drive me, he offered but I didn't want him to have to wait for me. Again she apologized. I didn't have sunglasses in my car so I drove home with one eye closed and squinting! I called the office when I got home I was so mad, asked for the office manager, told her the whole story and guess what she said "we have disposable sunglasses by the door, didn't someone tell you?" What a waste of time, money and luckily not my life!!!! read more

I recently moved to Marin and developed an acute eye issue over the holidays. Dr. Tang and the team at Marin Eyes facilitated a same day appointment, provided excellent care, were professional and friendly. I highly recommend Marin Eyes for anyone. They have a full staff of Opthamologists and Optometrists, plus a convenient parking lot with ample spaces. Thank you Dr. Tang and staff. read more

I am very disappointed with this company. I went to them originally because I was having double vision. They sold me glasses for $1000. Within a week, I was blind in one eye. I was found to have Macular Degeneration which they never caught. I went back and wanted my money back on the glasses, as they were going to do me no good now. They told me I could only get a 'credit' on further glasses purchases? I needed more than glasses! In any case, I finally got my money back when I threatened them with a law suit. I have since found that, two people I know had cataract surgery with Macular Degeneration that was not caught by this firm before the surgery. A MD scan is usually the procedure before this type of surgery with any reputable firm. I was told by my optician that he wouldn't send his dog to that place as it was nothing but a 'mill' any more. Joanne Gotelli read more

Dr. Kim lacks personality, compassion, knowledge, and empathy to his patients. First time ever writing a review and would not recommend this physician. read more

I work at a computer and needed my first prescription and glasses. Prescription process was fine. But when it came to the glasses, they up-sold me progressive lenses, which one does not need if you are looking at a computer screen all day, especially a large screen. I didn't know, got the progressive lenses, and discovered they are horrible when working on a large computer screen as you have to turn your head all the time to avoid seeing blurred text. Basically the cheap $15 readers are better. So I returned them and got non-progressive lenses, which cost over $100 less than the progressive lenses. I asked for some $ back and of course the answer was no. This was a clear case of not listening to the customer and selling the product that was twice as expensive as what i needed. Basic profit over the customer's best interest and needs. Will not buy anything from them again and will not recommend them. read more

I will change my review if they correct their mishandling. Right now, I am so disappointed. Had cataract surgery with corrective lense in one eye 4 weeks ago. After surgery next thing I know I'm sitting in the hallway, blinded in the operation eye and in awful discomfort. But they called my ride and sent me home. No one asked me if I could see or if I could open my eye. Nothing. Next day the surgeon looked at it and told me it was scratched during surgery. You'd think they would have warned me before sending me home. The scratch has healed but my eyesight has been very poor since. Yesterday I went back for follow up (so I thought) but instead they wrote a stong prescription for eyeglasses, which tells me they don't expect it to get any better. After this torturous experience and financial cost, I have to find another eye surgeon for a re-do. read more

A number of years ago Dr. Kim took the time to answer questions. And now, As others have said, Dr. Kim always is in a hurry. He examines and basically leaves. maybe they are good surgeons, I don't know, but he says nothing. I have no idea if my cataracts are progressing, he leaves so quickly I have no time to ask. Concern about dry eyes and prescription for that, he says to just use lubricating eye drops. His assistant says he doesn't seem to want to prescribe the prescription product. whatever the case, After being a patient for over five years, i will not return. I have found another Opthamologist read more

Around April of this year I started getting very concerned about my vision as it was getting worse and worse. I researched Ophthalmologists and thankfully found Dr. John Shin and Marin Eyes in San Rafael. Dr. Shin told me that I had cataracts in both eyes and that surgery could help improve my eyesight. He didn't push the surgery at all and also gave me a new prescription in case I just wanted to update my glasses. He was very friendly and informative and we discussed the retinal tears in one of my eyes, and he said that he would want me to get a checkup with a retinal specialist before the surgery if I elected to move forward with it. Long story short, I recently had cataract surgery on both eyes and could not be happier with the results. Amazingly enough I can now drive without glasses. Marin Eyes was wonderful to work with. Gretchen Schmitt sent me the surgery packet and went over the options, pre-surgery appointments, dates, and what to expect. I was very nervous about the surgery, but starting with check-in, everyone was so nice that I started to relax. In fact, I could hardly wait to get the second eye done a week later. Dr. Shin called the evening of both surgeries to see if everything was going OK, another nice and reassuring touch. I very highly recommend Dr. Shin and everyone at Marin Eyes. read more