Dr. Bryan and his surgical team performed cataract surgery on my eyes some years ago. They were…read morekind, extremely knowledgeable, very professional and genuinely concerned and friendly! I highly recommend them!!

I've been a patient at Carolina Ophthalmology for the last several years (see my separate review of…read moretheir office). And I've been a glasses-wearer since, well, third grade. Growing up, I stubbornly refused to sport them and would only put them on when trying to read the clock -- or the chalkboard. (It's a wonder I graduated, really.) I was finally able to get contacts in high school (oh, happy day that was). But the worry of losing one in gym or remembering to pack eye solution for vacation and so on was always an annoyance. I wanted to have LASIK but it just really wasn't a financial reality until recently. Even better, the office was running a special that came to $1,000 off or so. I know you may be thinking: discount eye surgery? Eep! I've always been a patient of Dr. Scroggs and so when I had my initial consultation, it was my first meeting with Dr. Bryan -- the LASIK surgeon. I felt like I was in very good hands the whole time. Pam first talked to me about the procedure and then showed me a video. I had my eyes examined and a cornea scan done, plus a sit-down Q&A with the doctor, and was declared a good candidate for the procedure. The worst part of the whole thing has to be a tie between being forced to wear my old-prescription eye glasses for a month leading up to the surgery (not a vanity thing, but a practical thing -- I haven't kickboxed since March!) and having slips of paper put in my eyes for five minutes to test tear reaction. Yes, it's as uncomfortable as it sounds. Anyway, the good news is since :that's: the worst part -- the day-of is really easy, breezy! Be ready for some final eye scans, a shower cap and some Valium. Yes, you'll be awake in the OR (but it's only 40 seconds each eye. And was basically painless. Dr. Bryan talked to me the entire time, let me know what was coming next and encouraged me through the parts that might have been a little scary otherwise. Plus they give you a stuffed animal to squeeze! -- I remember in my valium-ed state being very disappointed that I didn't get to keep that 'gator). But I did get thorough post-op instructions and a travel kit full of eye drops. The doctor called me at 5pm the same day to check on how I was doing. And though it's only been 24 hours since, I can see better than I ever have. Had a follow-up today, and still no stuffed gator, but I did get a tee that reads: Guess what I'm not wearing? How cute -- and dare I say... yelpy. ps) I have some $200 coupons for LASIK that are good through the end of June. PM me if you're interested. If you've ever thought about having the surgery done, I swear, you won't be disappointed!

Dr. Tesser was great. I really appreciated her advice and thoughtful approach. She really put my…read moremind at ease. The facility is very nice and the staff were all helpful.

Care is always efficient and professional. I never have to wait at appointments. Dr. Tesser is…read morepersonable and kind. She's good with dry eyes and glaucoma care.

I scheduled my appointment the month before then received a call 2 weeks before to remind me of the…read moreappointment. I called back and said yes I will be there. A few days before my appointment I got another call to remind me so I called to confirm again and the girl said she had no record of any appointment for me and I explained that was odd seeing as how I already called and confirmed the week before and she said I do not see it and I said a have the voice messages confirming the date and time she said some girl didn't move my account info over because I had not been there in a few years. The doctor and the assistant were extremely nice and did a great job but my issue with this location is the check-in people. There was a younger and older lady (at a computer that said Shannon) who works in check-in. The older lady acted extremely rude did all the talking when I came in the office. Neither greeted me but acted like what do you want, pissed someone came in to their empty office space. Both rolled their eyes when I said I submitted my intake forms online (per their website request to do so prior to my appointment ) and submitted copies of my insurance cards because I did not have physical copies yet of my cards. The office was empty so it's not like they were busy. She said "just let me see your cards" and I said I cannot because I do not have them yet but did pull the virtual cards up for her to see and enter. Apparently one specific employee was not there and they could not access anything sent online to the email. Both displayed a nonchalant attitude the entire time as I was checking in. Then told me to go across the hall to wait. I waited in another empty room. The exam with both the assistant and MD were great both were personable and friendly. When it was time to check out, and I carried my document and folder over and went to hand it to the older lady . She snatched it out of my hand rudely and when I asked about the free eyewipes samples if it was OK if I could take one she said "yeah whatever" in a very rude tone. There was never any hello, or hi from the front staff, no nice greetings just cringed,annoyed facial expressions and disgruntled attitudes. If you don't like your job that much quit find a new career because the first impression you get from a business is when you walk in the door and the people that you meet in the front office. This woman needs to be replaced. It's not hard to say Hi how can I help you with a smile it goes along way and NEVER yank anything out of patients hand when they are just trying to hand it to you. The front office is going to lose business for this practice if they do nothing to fix it.

I was not happy with Mark Scroggs' manner in 2014 and did not return to the practice. When I simply…read moredidn't call back to make a follow-up appointment, I got a remarkable letter, which said in part: "This letter will confirm my decision to withdraw from your care as your ophthalmologist. It does not appear that we can maintain the quality of relationship that is vital to your medical care and treatment. "I have stressed the importance of compliance to achieve a favorable outcome for your medical treatment especially (sic) keeping scheduled appointments. However, it has become apparent that you have not followed my recommendations. As our medical care is considered specialized, it ends with the receipt of this letter ..." The only reason I kept this letter for so long is because I just couldn't believe how weird and rude it was! I didn't do anything other than simply not make another appointment! Sadly, from what I've read here, I don't see much of a difference in recent reviews. :(

I went to Christopher Thaxton, the optician here for new lenses in two frames. He checked them out…read moreand told me that there was no need to do so as the new prescription I brought in matched the lenses. I'm so very grateful to him for being such an ethical person and saving me a lot of money.

I was way overdue for a full eye exam and it was getting harder and harder for me to see at night…read more I did not have an eye doctor here so I made an appt with Dr. Wood, a referral from a co worker. I was very happy with the entire process. The staff was friendly, and Dr. Wood was very thorough. The people in the glasses section were great in helping me find glasses that were stylish and looked good. While I was there I saw a Botox special, I went to a dermatologist the first time and had it done by a tech, and it was less expensive here by a doctor. I made an appt for a couple weeks out and am overjoyed with the Botox results!! It was really quick and relatively painless.

Terrible! Dr. Wood was condescending, dismissive, and downright cold. He got irritated to explain…read moremy condition or answer questions. Staff was also rude, rough with the eyes during testing and the visit felt uncomfortable from start to finish. I left without clear answers. Complete waste of time and money. Go elsewhere if you want respectful care and basic communication.

When my last optometrist dropped the insurance I carry, I was not looking forward to having to try…read moreto establish care somewhere else but this place made it seamless and easy. They take more insurance plans than most places in this area and their provide exceptional care It took a few weeks to get in but the exam and fittings are a well-oiled machine with the doctor doing all the testing and exam instead of a tech which was nice. Dr. Sykes is very personable and attentive. He was able to find the right type of contact lens for reading and distance so I don't have to wear my wear my readers on the top of my head anymore. My husband goes here as well and they were very patient with teaching him how to use contact lenses. I like that it's smaller and patient-focused-not like the huge doc in a box places. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a place for all your eye care needs.

My vision in my right eye started declining. We t to Chapel Hill Eye. I got new glasses. However…read moreafter a month or so they weren't working. Went back, did a bunch of tests, and was diagnosed w virtuous detachment. Told it would go away in a month. And to come back and get a new prescription. Went back. Still had it. Told to come back. Long story short I went back 4 times, paying $300 a visit, only to be told it wasn't done yet. Vision declining. Talked to a Duke eye dr friend. She told me to go see an ophthalmologist at Duke. He ran some tests. Said yes I have vitreous detachment, but the problem is that I have cataracts!! So basically I wasted a year, and lost about $1200. So either they are incompetent or corrupt.

The Doctor and Everyone there were all Very Kind and Very Helpful! And they got me in immediately…read moreto resolve my eye problem!

$650 for glasses . I asked to be dilated because I didn't want to pay extra for the machine scan…read moreand the staff ignored my request and ran the machine scan anyway. The eye doctor was fine. The real kicker was the $650+ for the glasses and that was after insurance paid some ($200ish). Next time I'll go to Costco or Sam's club.

He is the very best!! I had been to two optometrists prior to seeing Dr. Costabile. I was given…read moreprescriptions for glasses which I had made, but they were not correct based on the examinations. I was referred to Dr. Costabile, and could not be happier with the experience. He spent a lot of time with me, and way beyond what either of the two prior optometrists had. He sincerely wanted to make sure that he prescribed the correct lens. I would never go anywhere else, and I can not recommend him highly enough.

Doctor Costable was very pleasant, knowledgeable, and helpful with my insurance. Great service…read moreprovider.

I had a great appointment with Michael Mendsen, OD. He gave me the most thorough eye exam I've…read moreexperienced, dating back to my earliest eye doctor appointment that I can remember, circa 1992. Dr. Mendsen was highly recommended to me by my wife who also works in eye and vision care. It was hard to get an appointment with this guy! He, and I believe UNC Kittner Eye Center in general, is very busy. Dr. Mendsen told me he sees 17 patients a day, nine in the morning and eight in the afternoon. As a new patient, the earliest I could see him was seven weeks out. Based on my wife's strong recommendation and Dr. Mendsen's stellar reviews online, I thought the wait would be worth it - and it was. So, if you'd like to see Dr. Mendsen as a new patient, be prepared to wait at least several weeks, if not, months. If you can afford to wait, I think it's worth it. Once you're in, though, I think it gets easier to schedule an appointment with him. I went in for a routine eye exam, to get current prescriptions for glasses and contacts, and I wanted a good check of my eye health because I'm higher-risk for glaucoma due to my myopia (nearsightedness) and family history. As a new patient who was getting to know Dr. Mendsen for the first time, my entire visit lasted almost two hours. This time included my check-in time, time with the ophthalmic technician Megan, time with Dr. Mendsen, time alone while the dilating eye drops took effect, and time with Kelly Atkins, the contact lens lady. All staff I interacted with, from the COVID-19 protocols lady at the entrance to Dr. Mendsen's team, were terrific. I was seen promptly by Megan at my 1:00pm appointment time. I was told that 1:00pm is a good appointment time to get because it's the first appointment of the afternoon. However, I'm actually not sure that I'll book this appointment slot again because of how badly my vision was affected from the dilation. When I returned home from my appointment, I couldn't work. I couldn't read my phone screen and I really struggled to read the text on my computer screens. I ended up having to take the rest of my workday off sick, which fortunately wasn't a big deal. For my next appointment, I'll probably ask to book the last or a later appointment in the day so my workday is less affected. I was told that Kittner does a "full" dilation. I don't know exactly what that means, but I know I've never been affected from a dilation as much as the one I got from here. Not only were screens super blurry for me, but I was also quite light-sensitive. I really hadn't experienced that until now. In fact, Dr. Mendsen put some roll-up sunglasses underneath my regular glasses before I left so I could leave the office and drive home safely. When I got home, I had to close the blinds in my office, which I normally have wide open. That's how much light was affecting me. I even left the roll-up sunglasses on while I attempted to work on the computer. The blurriness left me feeling a bit nauseated. I think most of the dilation had subsided by around 6:00-7:00pm. I was mostly back to normal by then. Dr. Mendsen used two sets of eye drops to dilate me. The first set of drops burned. The second set of drops did not. He also used another set of drops on me for a different purpose: to see my tear dispersion / how dry my eyes were. This set of drops was a yellow dye. If I recall correctly, after these drops, he looked closely at my eyes as I blinked to see how fast my tears dispersed. My tears had a dispersion time of about five seconds when normally it should be 10. Therefore, I had dry eye. Dr. Mendsen was the first eye doctor to ever tell me this. Maybe it's a recent development. I hadn't noticed my eyes being dry. I understood Dr. Mendsen telling me that my dry eye condition wasn't a big problem and that we could treat the symptoms with lubricating eye drops. My wife regularly uses drops for her dry eye, but I still haven't found the need to use them (my eyes feel fine). Along with the usual reading letters off a screen through different lenses ("one or two?"), sticking my face in at least a couple different pieces of equipment, looking in pretty much every single direction and having lights shined into every part of my eyeballs, Dr. Mendsen also carefully inspected both sets of my upper and lower inner eyelids. When he flipped open the uppers, it was uncomfortable. I think my small eyelids are harder to work with. By the time it was all over, not gonna lie, my eyes felt beaten-up and fatigued. However, I really appreciated Dr. Mendsen's thoroughness and I'm happy to do it every year for my long-term eye health and vision preservation. Thank you, Dr. Mendsen! I also have to mention that before Dr. Mendsen saw me, Megan read my eye pressure, a.k.a. interocular pressure (IOP), with a device that looked like a gun. It was way better than what I was used to - those big, clunky, air-puff machines. I was told the new IOP measuring devices are significantly better.

DO NOT GO THERE!!!!! I went for an exam. A tech did the exam. Dr. Soleimani came in after…read moreeverything was done and said, "OK, This looks good, any questions?" THAT was the extent of his concern. I left feeling uneasy about the visit. In early April, I went to the Duke Eye Denter and to my surprise, found out I have significant cataracts in both eyes and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Both of these would have been apparent 5 years ago, much less 2 years ago when I saw this doctor. This was the first time I'd heard about either one. The Duke Eye Center tested me for my first visit on no less than 5 machines and did a thorough and comprehensive eye exam. I was there for 1 hour and 45 minutes and had the best treatment and care. My cataract surgeries will be in mid-May and mid-June. Stay away from Kittner: The front desk staff is abysmal and nonchalant, and I simply have no words for the medical staff there that I can print on this review. Now you know.