I drive over an hour to see Dr. Chum and Dr. Tran. They are the best. Dr. Chum is knowledable and patient. She is willing to take her time to explain every little detail of the eye exam and my eye conditions. I have been a patient at San Carlos Eye Care for over almost 15 years. I love the selection of glasses and the friendliness of the staff. They always have a smile on their face. They have a new service I tried out for the first time today. The radiofrequency treatment was fantastic. It is designed to make my skin look younger and also as a bonus helps improve dry eyes. What impressed me the most is that it does not require using any injections, like Botox. I love that it allows the body to generate its own collagen over time. I have my second session scheduled in 1 month. I'm looking forward to how relaxing the treatment is. I highly recommend this facility and Dr. Chum. read more

Everyone and everything- top quality, service and expertise . Office staff was wonderful, able to see me emergently. Dr. Tran gave superb care and reassurance read more

Terrible, awful experience here. My dad came here for help with glaucoma, and we're (hoping) there is no permanent damage from visiting Ninh Tran. Given other positive experiences people have had, I wish I could help out a local business and ophthalmologist, but we want to tell people to AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE. Dr. Tran seemed to provide self-serving treatment (maybe a kickback / commission was involved) and did NOT show any interest in following up and digging into issues when the seemingly **new and experimental** treatment went awry and massive side effects appeared. I should have known better when none of my ophthalmologist and optometrist friends had even heard of Dr. Tran. The good doctors they recommended are extremely tough to get into, but after this experience, they are worth the wait. Maybe Ninh Tran is okay with normal treatments, but he seems to be completely out of his element with anything else, especially my dad's condition. My dad came in for glaucoma treatment, and Dr. Tran recommended a non-surgical option which sounded great. He proceeded to recommend eye drops that cost $500 each course (one course only lasted a couple of weeks). He insisted we keep mentioning his name to everyone involved, even to the pharmacist when picking up the medication. That should have been a clear sign something was odd given how much he was pushing this particular type of medication. We find out later the medicine is very new and was not covered by insurance. I know, shame on us for trusting this quack doctor. However, this isn't even the worst part. My dad started experiencing massive side effects. He did not feel well, his eyes became very red and swollen (a massive red, puffy ring appeared outside each of his eyes as well), he couldn't sleep, had no appetite (to the point where he lost nearly 10 pounds), and his vision deteriorated rapidly. Throughout all of this, Dr. Tran either didn't care of was completely incompetent and didn't know what to do. Both of these scenarios are frightening. He didn't seem to have any interest helping my dad, following up, etc. All he wanted to do was to keep pushing this medication without much follow up or diagnosis. I know it's tough to find an ophthalmologist and get an appointment. However, after experiencing this, trust me when I say it is worth doing your research and waiting for an appointment with a good doctor. My dad has subsequently seen another ophthalmologist for a couple of months now. This new ophthalmologist has taken a lot of time, care, and attention to my dad who is fortunately doing much better now. The day and night difference between a doctor who is willing to invest the time vs. someone who is in it for a quick treatment and what seems like some commissions or kickbacks is massive. Do yourself a favor. Avoid Ninh Tran and go see a real ophthalmologist and doctor who cares and will take the time with their patients. read more

I am not qualified to evaluate Dr. Tran's medical/ophthalmologist skills but I am qualified to know/appreciate when I am treated with kindness, consideration, and very professional care. I recently had my second cataract procedure done by Dr. Tran. (Dr. Tran did my first eye four years ago) Great experience and wonderful results. Dr. Tran encourages his patients to ask questions, the more questions the better. Marjorie is the office/surgery scheduling person and does a host of other duties and is very professional, very experienced and is wonderful to work with. Your search is over if you are looking for an eye doctor on the peninsula. I highly recommend Dr. Ninh Tran. read more

Best in the Bay. Everyone is so committed, detailed, patient, welcoming and compassionate. We've gotten all of our eye care needs met here for 10+ years now. All of us wear glasses and contacts. I've had other eye care needs related to injury and I'm deeply grateful for the expert doctors (Dr. Chum & Dr. Tran). Everyone is truly awesome from front desk to frame selection. I get compliments on my glasses from all over, and I have to say that the props go to the talented crew at San Carlos Eye Care! read more

Should have listened to reviews here about the front desk staff. Background: I scheduled an appointment for 4 of my developmentally disabled patients. The gentleman who assisted me in scheduling helped me and we were able to schedule the 4 patients for different dates spread across about a month. At that time, I requested for paperworks (if there are any) to be sent to me so they can be filled out ahead of schedule. None was sent. So day comes for patient 1's appointment and my staff (I didn't go with the patient) calls me because front desk did not want to see my other patients because my staff is not very articulate in English and needed me to talk to the front desk to verify my patient's information. I was then told by front desk staff that "we can only take so much of people living in care homes" or something along that line. Something very discriminatory for the intellectually disabled population I serve. But she said she'll still have patient 1 be seen. I asked if we can keep the appointments for patients 2-4 and she said there are paperworks that needs to be filled out prior to the appointment. I said I would gladly fill them out so I can keep the dates. I gave my fax number and nothing was sent. So here comes patient 2 for her appointment and then again this Karen says patient 2's appointment has been canceled because I did not send any paperwork. So stupid. First, nothing was sent. I have an e-fax, so receiving fax is within my fingertips. Second, if they had been expecting me to send this paperwork to be sent over, they should have given me a courtesy call to either follow up or let me know the appointment is being cancelled for not submitting the required documents. Everyone is busy so life happens and things can grt missed out on both ends. She's the rudest person I've talked to. Talks over you (she will probably argue that I talk over her but this lady will not let you talk.). The doctors are nice according to my staff. I think they banned my patients from going there. If you serve people in carehomes and they only have Medi-cal, take them to Dr. Michael Hee in Daly City instead. Only pleasant experience with them. read more

We are extremely disturbed and disappointed that Dr. Tran and his front desk personnel (Karen) have the audacity to yell at a 70 year old patient for arriving a little early to his appointment and sitting quietly in the waiting room. We should have read the bad reviews and stayed far far away from this place. Karen's behavior is appalling and should be reported as harassment. I hope this review saves others from a traumatic experience. read more

Front office staff needs improvement. I called and explained my situation but the first receptionist misunderstood, then placed me on a long hold. A different person picked up and I had to repeat the details. read more

So friendly! So helpful! It's so easy to get an exam with so many helpful staff and such a nice comfortable environment. Everything is clean, inviting, and not at all difficult to ask questions or talk to anyone here! I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a comfortable and friendly place for eye care! read more

Everyone here was amazing! Quick and easy! Dr. Chung was amazing as well. They knew what the problem was right away and had me in and out in the blink of an eye read more

Been going here for years, they are always so helpful and caring! The front desk is accommodating and organized and the doctors are so knowledgeable, definitely recommend! read more

Amazing eyecare facility love the attention they pay to the patients and the staff is super helpful and understanding. Really enjoyed my time at the office, even with the therapy dog Paisley she is so sweet and friendly! Can't wait to go back next year! read more

Do not come here if you need anything after they take your money and do your business with them . Super rude and unprofessional front desk staff , I believe one of them was marissa and Karen that were very rude and not helpful at all. I called to get my prescription from them and the lady who answered the phone said she doesn't take on demand request from people to email to stuff over and apparently her computer doesn't send out emails. She said in 10-15 mins other office Staff will email it over . 2 hours later no email I call again the lady at the front desk said they are really busy and she will try to send me an email with my prescription. Still no email hours later I show up in person to the office and I hear just giggling and laughing at the front desk and clearly they had time to socialize and and not do their job and take care of their clients . I asked for my prescription and they gave it to me in person I asked why they couldn't email me which takes 2 minutes but she said they were busy but not busy enough to socialize while behind the desk . Don't come here rude Staff and definitely not service you expect from a San Carlos business. read more

Dr. Tran performed surgery on my eye today to remove a cataract. I was seeing better before I even left the hospital. He's calm and professional in the hospital setting, a marked contrast to his funny, personable, and outgoing style in his office environment. He's a pro in both environments, but I found it interesting that he really makes an effort to give all he has to his patients when it counts most, in a surgical setting. I've been seeing him for my annual exams for many years now, he's smart, kind, highly skilled (and has a great sense of humor). I trust him, have nothing but good things to say about him, and I am delighted to recommend him to you here. read more

Ninh H Tran, MD - Patient Rick Reed just reviewed Dr. Tran's practice here on Yelp. - Ophthalmologists Near Me - San Carlos, California

I was using a dremel while grinding a metal plate and a piece of metal flew into my eye. I blinked a few times and my eye felt fine. The best day my eye was really bothering me. I went to an urgent care near my home (didn't want to go to the ER cuz of all the Covid cases. The urgent care told me there's a piece of metal in my iris. They tried to take it out but couldn't. They sent me to the ER. Went to the ER. They tried to get the metal out for an hour with no luck. They recommended I go see Dr Tran. First thing next morning I called Dr Trans office and they told me to come in right away. They took me in right when I arrived and Dr Tran got the metal out of my eye in minutes. Very professional, clean office. Dr Tran had super steady hands and had me feeling better in no time. Highly recommend. read more

Dr Tran is great. Had a eye emergency late on a Friday afternoon. He was able to help and set up emergency appointment for a specialist on the next Monday. Seemed to go the extra mile. Thank you Dr Tran. read more

Dr Tran is always a pleasure to see. He's warm, unassuming, and soft-spoken. Aside from being thorough in his exams, I appreciate how helpful he is an answering whatever questions I throw his way. His office provides helpful assistance in selecting frames and options. Frames and options do seem to be a bit pricey though I've found other places to be equally pricey. Having seen several eye doctors in the Peninsula, Dr Tran and his staff offer the best experience. read more

Dr. Chum is friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. She was very detailed in examining my eyes, has carefully adjusted and fine-tuned my glasses lens prescription. Compared to my previous prescriptions from the other doctors, the new one is perfect -- I don't have any side effects and happily wearing my glasses all day long. I cannot say enough good things about my experience at Dr. Chum's office! Also, the entire office staff is friendly and efficient. I am very grateful for my experience. read more

Extremely rude doctor, and makes potential patient scared of coming. Even after apologizing vigorously for making mistake, this doctor keeps on speaking with condescending tone. Only come here if there's no other place. read more

I maintain a list of enemies to exact revenge upon and recently had to add my eyes to the list, they really turned on me once I hit a certain age range. The most recent act of rebellion was extreme sensitivity to light and super red eyes. The eye doc I've been going to couldn't figure out the cause of inflammation and recommended that I get a corneal evaluation. Dr. Tran's office was able to fit me in the same day I called and I'm so thankful. He was able to evaluate my eyes and recommend a steroid drop which has significantly reduced the inflammation and hyper sensitivity. I'm not out of the woods yet but he's scheduled follow ups to make sure the health of my eye is on track. Dr. Tran is warm, knowledgeable and funny. I feel so comfortable trusting my eye care to him that I'm probably going to transition my annual exams to him. read more

I got two of the girls to help me. They were really thorough on explaining my new lenses. I like that, because I'm thorough in my own business. I love my glasses, just perfect. Also, they were fighting for who would help drive one of the elder customers back home. I'm glad it's in my own town and they beat the other place down the road in price and service. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Tran for many years. He has taken excellent care of me and he, and other specialists, have kept what vision I retain in one eye stable. He and his staff treat me with respect and friendliness in a professional manner. Perhaps some reviewers may expect the warm Southern hospitality of the U. S., be called "honey" and offered a piece of pie. I recognize their cultural background is different, but it doesn't affect their sincerity. I also appreciate the dry sense of humor that Dr. Tran has. I have never had a bad experience with him since my first visit at the San Carlos Avenue office. read more

Scheduling appointments and insurance verification has been a breeze with the front desk staff: Courteous, efficient and accommodating. They handle patients with professionalism and provide a pleasant experience from check-in to check-out. My daughter and I recently saw Dr. Chum for our annual checkup and we were processed in parallel to make the visit as brief as possible. Dr. Chum is very knowledgeable, explains various treatment options well and takes the time to answer any question - such as explaining the modern equipment they just received. My daughter and I both felt respected and well taken care off. I can recommend anyone this place regardless of their age. Dr Chum and her staff are ready to go out of their way to make their patients feel well taken care off. read more

Dr. Tran saw me on a Saturday because my own Doc was not on call. After the cool gal who took me into the room Dr. Tran was absolutely wonderful. He took tremendous time with me and diagnosed my problem right away. Sadly I may need surgery again but he was simply wonderful and I would see him again in a minute! read more

I am not qualified to evaluate Dr. Tran's surgical work but I am qualified to know when I have been treated professionally, compassionately and efficiently. I went to Dr. Tran's office as a referral from my former ophthalmologist that has semi retired. Marjorie is the office manager. What a wonderful person Marjorie is; professional, excellent communicator and very personable. Dr. Tran is very easy to talk with, encouraged me to ask questions and did a masterful job of determining my underlying issue which was cataracts. Surgery scheduled, surgery completed and I am doing great. Thank you Marjorie and Dr. Tran. read more

Unlike many people here, I found this place to be extremely awesome. The Staff is nice and the Doctors are great. I had a scratch on my eye on a weekend and couldn't get a single doctor to see me. Doctor Tran was kind enough to meet me at his clinic and see me. He took his time and answered all my questions and off I went. Came back here for the same problems a couple of times but the immediate attention was much appreciated (my eye keeps getting scratched by my lashes). Decided to get contacts here and Dr. Chum was really patient with all the fittings and followups as my eyes required contacts that catered to astigmatisms. And to those who says the reception is cold... must have been a Monday. read more

Dr. Tran is the best. Good at his job, very professional and he's never tried to sell me anything I didn't need, which in my experience with other eye doctors is rare. If you're looking for a good eye doctor with no bs I'd highly recommend him. read more

For someone with a concern for eye care in the long term, this is a good place to be. It took a little while to get on the calendar here because of the popularity of the practice, but I'd been told it was worth the wait. I was informed correctly. The staff was courteous and friendly, and Dr. Chum was a tenacious and knowledgeable model of professionalism. On my several visits to the office, I've felt as if I were a member of the family, and the results of Dr. Chum's diagnosis and recommendations have transformed how I see the world. You'll be in good hands here. read more

Worked with Dr. Chum over the past couple of years and she is professional and seemed to really know her stuff. Knows insurance plans also and works in your best interest to do what makes sense and not constantly trying to sell you something, which in my case tends to make me stay in-house with their offerings. read more

Took my 11 year old daughter to see Dr Tran on a weekend when he was covering for our pediatric ophthalmologist. Wish I had not gone. Terrible bedside manner, poor communication, absolutely terrified my daughter. Even as an adult I would not want to be treated like that. Please do not take your child here. read more

Had an eye exam about a month ago and was not given a prescription for new glasses. I have since called the office three times to no avail. I have just now asked for Dr. Tran to return my call. I may get a call back but will never return to that office as I am not impressed with staff or office. Think patients deserve better than that. read more

Dr. Tran quizzed me on what I knew about my stye. It was refreshing because I ended up learning about my eye and more! Not the doc for those that want/need the emotional support or hand holding. He is smart, to the point and transparent, I'll continue to go to him for my eye care. read more

Did not enjoy my visit to San Carlos Eye Care. The reception staff of three was not welcoming. I was put off by having all three of them stare at me silently when I came up to the desk. Only after some time and me saying why I was there did I barely receive some acknowledgment from then. Even then, they were still useless and not helpful. Would not recommend. They should invest in new staff. read more

Horrible!!! Dr. Tran did my eye exam and it was wrong.....glasses were made and I couldn't see. Opticians don't care about finding the right frame for your face nor the fit that needs to be correct for your face. Find another Eye MD and save a lot of time!!! read more

Dr. Tran has been my Mom's & Sister's optometrist. Always a pleasure see him. Very down to earth.

All of the staff is great, however, Erica is especially amazing and has an incredible memory! I've had really great experiences at San Carlos Eye Care, you can tell that the staff and doctors genuinely care about the health or your eyes and your overall satisfaction with the service. Keep up the great work! read more

I agree with the other reviewer about the cold reception. Yesterday I had what felt like a piece of sand stuck in my eye, and, try as I might, it would not dislodge. I called around and was referred to this place because they take my Blue Shield PPO coverage, and this incident would need to be claimed as a eye health emergency. They did manage to fit me in at very short notice which I appreciated. The cold reception was a little disturbing because I had an appointment and all the other optometrists I've ever dealt with had have particularly warm receptionists. Dr. Tran's reception was even icier than his receptionist's. He didn't greet me, shake my hand, do any type of rapport building. He cut to straight to the chase of what's wrong with you. Although his accent precluded me from understanding what he was saying at times, I understood when he insisted that I have allergies (I've never had allergies in my life) particularly hay fever. He did manage to remove the piece of sand or Styrofoam or whatever that was caught in my upper eyelid and verify that I hadn't scratched my cornea. Then he insisted that I should know what the thing is or where I got it. I literally was just sitting at my desk in my office when the irritation started. Apparently, this was not a satisfactory explanation. When he was finished looking at my eyes, we went to the front where he turned his body away from me when he shook my hand and :"I don't know what that was. Have some eye drops." The business itself has been there for many decades, according to the slightly friendlier check-out receptionist, but Dr. Tran has only been in practice 4 years. He saw me under tight time constraints, but his bedside manner was atrocious. I did notice quite a selection of cute frames at this place, but I won't be returning for my yearly eye exam. To the other reviewer: I've got some eye drops if you want them. read more

What a terrible experience! Since Dr. Tran took over things have gone downhill. Overpriced, unfriendly & a waste of time. After 3 visits I'm still trying to get fitted for contacts! Should have known better & not gone back (read prior experience below). But, thought I'd give him another chance this year. Things at the office have gone from bad to worse. 1 receptionist is nice, the other unfriendly & the office manager awful! This time around Dr. Tran performed one exam and then had some new Dr. perform another, for an additional $65. Suddenly, Dr. Tran was only doing glasses & the other Dr. was doing contacts. Dr. Tran was his normal aloof, distant self - but the new Dr. was completely condescending. My husband was with me because my eyes had to be dilated & while the new Dr. explained why I should switch contact brands and try a different type of contact. I'm nearsighted and the new contacts were going to make it possible for me to see far (driving) and read without having to take out my contacts. Sounded great. I'd have to come back to get fitted for contacts as my eyes were still dilated. I asked the new Dr. if I was going to have to pay for the additional visit. She became very defensive & said it was part of the $65 charge. Mind you the $65 was a new charge & came out of the blue. The second appt. took a really long time & at the end I was told they didn't actually have a pair with the right Rx, so I'd have to come back again when a pair came in. As I was leaving the office manager YELLED from behind her desk, "I understand you had a problem with paying the exam fee." I was shocked. She was clearly trying to embarrass me in front of the other patients. I said I didn't have a problem paying I was just surprised with the new fee. She then proceeded to tell me that it wasn't a new fee and that I paid it "each and every time" I saw Dr. Tran. Well, that just wasn't true. Dr. Tran's exam fees have always been covered by my insurance, I had NEVER had to pay an additional $65 for a contact exam and fitting. I have picked glasses that my insurance didn't cover completely, but not for a contact exam. Should have stayed away then, but I'd paid for the exam & fitting and thought I'll just get the contacts. The wait to get a trial pair was supposed to be 2 weeks. Almost 8 weeks later they finally arrived. When I asked why the delay I was told they'd been leaving me messages. This was an outright lie. Just wanting to get the contacts I decided to let it slide again. What a mistake! The next appt. (the third) the new Dr. had me try on the contacts. Once again there was a problem with the Rx. When I asked why I couldn't read with the contacts in she told me the contacts didn't allow you to see far & read. NOT WHAT SHE SAID WHEN SHE SOLD ME ON THE IDEA OF MULTI-VISION CONTACTS. Then she said it was my fault because of my age. That was out of nowhere. I was only 8 weeks older from the last visit. But suddenly my eyes were the problem not the Rx. My age had not been an issue when she was trying to sell me on the new lenses and wanted my money. But after paying for the exam, my eyes were the problem not the fact that the Rx was incorrect. So, 3 visits later still no contacts that actually work. The trial pair I left with give me double vision and are useless at distance AND reading. Basically, everything is blurry. Not planning on going back for anything except my Rx so I can go elsewhere to get what I need. PRIOR EXPERIENCE - 2 years ago I went in for an exam & to buy glasses. The exam was ok, but when the glasses arrived the prescription seemed off. An asst. said my eyes needed time to adjust to the new Rx. After wearing the glasses for a week I realized I was still getting really bad headaches. Went to another Dr to have him check my Rx against the glasses. The glasses were the wrong Rx and not even close to what I should be wearing. Mind you I had spent close to $500 on the frames and lenses out of pocket ( I was splurging on a designer name). I called and spoke to the asst. who had fitted me and he said that there was nothing to do but live with it. Furious I wrote Dr. Tran a lengthy letter explaining my frustration. He told me the asst. had been fired and agreed to re-order my glasses with the correct Rx. After getting the glasses I didn't go back until this year. BAD IDEA! read more

Did we see the same doctor? The reviews on this site so far make no sense to me. Dr. Tran is tremendous. He is an absolute expert, particularly in contact lens fittings, and his staff could not have been friendlier, more helpful, or more considerate. I am not sure we are talking about the same guy. I've been seeing him for seven years, and he is absolutely the best. He has a very quick, precise way of speaking, which, given his line of work, makes sense. This could, I guess, be misinterpreted by someone who's ultra-sensitive, or just having a bad day, as rude or disinterested when in fact it's the exact opposite. He is passionately committed to the welfare of his patents (at least in my experience) and he very badly wants to get to the root of whatever the issue is. I have serious eye problems, and have been to see dozens of different opthalmologists, and Dr. Tran is one of the very best. Highly recommended. read more

My wife and I have seen Dr Tran. For me it was an emergency 4 years ago and Dr Tran correctly diagnosed the problem that another doctor missed. This week, my wife had an irritation in her eye that persisted for a few days. She finally went to see Dr Tran who found the s particle that was stuck in her upper eye lid and used forceps to remove it in seconds with his steady hands. Dr Tran is great, and I would highly recommend him for any eye related problems. read more