I traveled from Rancho Mirage, CA to San Diego, CA to have Dr Robbins surgically treat my eye condition (Diplopia). Doctors here in the Coachella Valley were unable to do so. I am so glad I did. Dr Robbins was very thorough and assuring throughout all the stages of my treatment, which did require eye surgery. Cutting into your eyeball, clipping and stitching muscles therein is not a pleasant thought. Dr Robbins completely fixed my double vision problem with one surgical procedure. I had no problems at any point during the treatment. I could see correctly immediately after the surgery was performed. I highly recommend Dr Robbins, her staff, the Ratner Children's Eye Center and the entire UCSD Shiley Eye Institute for any Adult Eye Re-alignment Surgery you may be contemplating in the future. Joe D read more

Life-changing, simply life-changing!!! At 56 years old and after 6 years of progressively worsening double-vision, to the point it was unsafe to drive, I was referred to Dr. Robbins for strabismus surgery and the results were phenomenal. Aside from the expected and immediate single-vision after the surgery, I found myself feeling less confused and less tired overall. The double-vision had me questioning everything around me and I had no idea of the brain energy I was being taxed to process and try to pull together the double-vision (even with prisms). It is no wonder that Dr. Robbins is a leading expert in this field, her skills are extraordinary for a delicate surgery such as this one. I found Dr. Robbins to be extremely kind, empathetic, and patient with my questions and concerns throughout the whole process. Her confidence and honest feedback was comforting. Every morning I wake up and am so thankful for the near perfect vision I now have, I could not be more blessed. Thank you! read more

Dr Robbins is fantastic! I seldom ever give online reviews but want to share my story to spread awareness of the life changing surgery that is out there for patients like me with Strabismus. I developed Strabismus in my mid-40s and over 1.5 years it got exponentially worse. I had double vision and had resorted to driving with one eye closed. I went to my optometrist repeatedly for renewed contact lens and glasses prescriptions to correct the issue, but none worked effectively to align my eyes. My optometrist finally referred me to the Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego. I made an appointment with Dr Robbins, who was kind, caring, and very thorough in explaining my condition and that there is a corrective surgery treatment for it. I had no idea! She was also patient with my questions and answered them all. She ordered an MRI to ensure there were no issues noted in my brain or eye orbitals that could be causing my vision issues. Once that was done and was normal, I scheduled my surgery. While I was nervous about having the surgery, I am so happy that I went through with it. I had surgery on both eyes and Dr Robbins did an excellent job. She is a great physician who also really cares about her patients. She personally called my husband after surgery to tell him how it went, and also spoke to him by my bed side when he came to fetch me. The day after my surgery, I could see PERFECTLY! No double vision whatsoever. It truly felt like a miracle. I wasn't sure that I would ever see totally properly again, but she fixed my eye alignment 100%. It's really amazing. I am very grateful to Dr Robbins. read more

I was referred to Dr Robbins by Dr Lozier because my left eye was weak and wandering. And I was having vision problems. Dr. Robbins performed surgery to align my eye. The surgery was a complete success! There were no complications and my eye healed right on schedule. I am so happy with the results! read more

When I was 18 I lost my left eye sight do to a automobile accident I was afraid to look directly at any camera or person since I had a lazy eye for 16 years. When I found out that Dr. Robbins was going to help me with my eye surgery I was happy. The result are wonderful the beat Dr. I feel and look better since she operated on me. Thank you Dr. Robbins read more

I'm 75 and have suffered from double vision for over 15 years with more prism correction needed as the years passed. Recently, a friend told me about the strabismus surgery she had just had and it corrected her double vision completely. I asked several folks about referrals and was pointed to the Ratner Eye Center at UCSD and in particular to Dr Shira Robbins. The process went very smoothly with an initial exam to evaluate my situation and I was impressed with and liked Dr Robbins very much. When I decided I wanted to go forward with the surgery, i was able to get it scheduled within 60 days, and had a pre-op appt with Dr Robbins to take necessary measurements , had a pre-op appt via phone with the UCSD anesthesiology folks (since the surgery requires general anesthesia), prescriptions and general pre-op information and post-op procedures were provided, and finally had the surgery at the Shiley Eye Center surgery area on 25 Oct. I was must impressed with the thoughtfulness and professionalism of everyone I dealt with. From check-in to check-out, it was about 5 hours - 1 hr prior to the surgery, 90 minutes in surgery, and rest in post-op/recovery before being released to return home. I was expecting nausea and eye soreness, but had neither, and my vision was essentially "single" but not steady. I followed the post op-procedures, taking required pill and eye drops, and iced repeatedly for the evening after the surgery and next day to reduce swelling (had very little) and noticed that my vision appeared quite good the next morning but my brain wasn't fully locked-in, however, on the second morning after the surgery, my brain locked in - no more double vision and glasses with huge prisms. Probably the worst part of the entire process was that the eye drops stung a bit for a few days and you had to take it easy for 2 weeks before going full out with physical activities. In closing, if you have double visions (which will likely only get worse), really consider the strabismus surgery, IT WORKS, IS LOW RISK, and the results were amazing and if you are in the San Diego area, I most strongly recommend Dr Shira Robbins at the Ratner Eye Center at UCSD. read more

Dr Shira Robbins at Ratner Eye Center has changed my life. My window to the world was closing, I was uncomfortable driving seeing at least six stop lights without closing one eye. I had given up driving at night and suffered from serious headaches. After I met with Dr. Robbins and experienced her caring healing personality I was convinced my life could be improved. As a prerequisite to the surgery, an MRI indicated a subdural hematoma which was frightening. After an ER visit and several neurologist and neurosurgeon appointments, I was cleared to have my eye surgery. Dr. Robbins assured me that this is not a surgery just for children, that a large percentage of her patients for surgery are in my age group, over 70. She assured me that I would be very happy after the surgery. I didn't know what that meant until I could see with both guys working together immediately after the surgery. The recovery was painless and the care and attention prior to surgery was totally reassuring. Dr. Robbins and this surgery have been life-changing for me for which I will always be grateful. read more

I was referred to Dr. Robbins because Dr Granet was not taking new patients. I took my 11 month old all the way in the rain from OC only to meet a doctor who was rude/didnt give out any information clearly and scared me even more. She is incredibly condescending and i did not appreciate her scolding me like I'm a child. I'm a physician too and i have never met a worse doctor anywhere. I'm having a hard time understanding the good reviews. She came an hour late and my daughter was screaming so she barely examined her for 5 minutes. The tech who appeared to not know what he was doing, did the Tellers visual acuity which the doctor did not explain properly to the end and scolded me saying I was coming back in circles when I asked. The way she presented the information was terrible. Later, I found that the test should never have been done monocular and only binocular and it was a user error. It appeared that she did not know anything about this. Its shocking to me that she's professor of ophthalmology at UCSD. She needs to learn to be a kind, empathetic human being and treat patients and families with respect first. read more

I can deal with the fact that you now have to pay for parking or the fact that you now have to show your ID & insurance card before every visit like you're a common criminal or the waiting time. But, what I will not tolerate is asking a question about my son's eyesight because it was never properly explained to me in my previous two visits and getting that smug look like I'm a complete idiot. When I told her that I had never heard this information, her response was...well, you were sitting right here during the visits. So, if you're looking for a doctor that is completely void of any warmth and believes in the transfer of information through osmosis...then, this is most certainly the doctor for you! read more

My daughters have been seeing Dr. Robbins since they were born 10 weeks early and were in the NICU. We are so grateful to Dr. Robbins for catching ROP in my daughter then completing a successful laser photocoagulation in both eyes. My daughter is now 13 months old and is showing no signs of ROP or the need for glasses. She has a serious demeanor and talks to you like the professional she is. She saw my daughter on a Friday morning, determined the need for surgery, and scheduled it for the next morning. I appreciate her dedication. Dr. Robbins is the best you can get. read more

Last year I was in a bad accident that ended with severe double vision. Nothing I had ever experienced was more challenging and frustrating than dealing with my vision after the accident. I had countless physicians recommend that I have a consultation with Dr. Robbins. After my initial visit, Dr. Robbins thoroughly explained the importance of being patient and waiting at least a year after my trauma to allow for full healing. From the very beginning I was confident that Dr. Robbins was the right physician for what would be a life changing procedure for me. She always took the time to answer mine and my wife's questions as she could tell we were both nervous and excited. Finally, once we determined my vision was stable and it was safe to proceed I scheduled the surgery. Long story short, I feel like Dr. Robbins gave me back the gift of sight and it has completely changed my life. The results of the procedure have far exceeded what anybody had told me would even be possible. I am beyond grateful for Dr. Robbins and her team. Dr. Robbins truly is the very best at what she does. read more

I will preface this with saying that I typically do not make reviews online (I don't think finding a doctor on yelp or any online site is the most credible way to find reliable care), but I felt it necessary to do so after my experience with Dr. Robbins. My husband and I were referred to Dr. Robbins by our daughters pediatrician after it appeared that her blocked tear duct was not relieving itself. She was 14 months old at the time of our initial appointment. I was very apprehensive about the procedure she would be receiving (and I will just put it out there - I hate hospitals/doctors offices in general). I consider myself to be not easily impressed by health care these days and difficult to please, especially when it comes to the care my daughter receives. From our initial consultation and every appointment thereafter (pre and post operation) and follow up, I found myself thinking how grateful I was that I was referred to see Dr. Robbins. Not only did she explain every bit of information I could ever want to know about the diagnosis, cause and cure for my daughters blocked tear duct - but she took her time with us, reviewing the procedure and answering the many questions we had. We went ahead with the surgery (I was a nervous wreck despite it being such a short surgery - I am a mom after all), and Dr. Robbins was sure to see us before, and immediately after she finished the surgery. At all times, I never questioned Dr. Robbins and knew we were in good hands. We just followed up on Tuesday and she is cured. Everything went just perfectly. I read through the reviews below and was pretty shocked by what I read. I feel like I need to say something about these reviews: 1) Everyone has bad days, reviewers and doctors alike, so that should always be taken into account. 2) THIS IS OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. Doctors have a lot of patients, there are typically long waits - and you should be prepared for that. I brought (to our initial appointment that we were TOLD was going to be 3-4 hours long an entire bag of toys, food, water, milk... etc). I also knew that the time I was scheduled was going to go into my daughters nap time. So I prepared myself for a cranky baby. 3) During each of my visits, I payed attention to the information being told to me and retained that information. I read the materials that were given to me and I did my research online. I seldom needed information repeated because I put my emotions on the shelf and LISTENED. -end rant- Overall, Dr. Robbins was professional, extremely intelligent/knowledgeable, and courteous. As an added bonus, she was always so sweet to my daughter (she has children of her own so she is a natural!). I really could not have asked for more - except maybe that the procedure and visits be paid for! Thanks for everything! read more

My son has been going to Dr. Robbins for 14 years for his vision. Dr.Robbins is an outstanding eye doctor, a caring person and one who will do the very best to help your child. Working at Shiley/Ratner Eye Center at UCSD Health, an outstanding facility, one of the best in the country, reinforces that one is getting the best treatment in medical technology. My sister had an eye operation done by Dr. Robbins and was so happy with her results. I highly recommend Dr. Robbins and I know we are in the best of hands. read more

OMG! and I dislike using this Initialisms. I have read some of your reviews and I totally disagree with all the negative ones. But if there were more Mother's like Dana P., the world would function a whole lot calmer. (Just Saying!) read more

I had a very bad experience with this doctor, she was not helpful with my concern to my little son, we have a very bad communication between her and my husband, that was for the first time I saw her. second time I had an appointment and I wait for 1hr to see her, the staff was very nice but I can not say the same thing about her, because when I open the door to see if somebody was coming to talk to me, she was outside and she told me ¨can I help u¨ and close the door in my face !! I was soo mad, and then she finally open the door and say If I have a problem, I told her I was waiting for long time and she said ¨you are not the only patient, I have a lot of patients ¨ EXCUSE ME LADY I had an appointment I am not at the ET to just come in and wait like an idiot, if you want a professional Doctor, don't count with her. I cancel all my appointments because I don't want to see her again, and see another doctor no recomiendo a esta doctora en lo absoluto, si buscan a una persona professional esta dra no es la correcta, muy indignante la forma como me trato la primera vez , pero la gota que derramo el vaso fue la segunda y ultima vez que la vi pues espere alrededor de la hora en su consultorio ( teniendo cita con ella ) y cuando sali a buscar a alguien, estaba fuera y me pregunta si puede ayudarme y me cierra la puerta en la cara, despues que entro me pregunta si hay algun problema a lo que le dije de la espera y me sale con que esta muy ocupada, entonces para que te dan CITAS. cancele mis citas con ella por lo anti professional de esta sra. no la recomiendo read more

Dr. Shira Robbins is so incredibly condescending. The only reason we started to see her a few years ago is because Dr. Granet was so difficult to schedule with, and once there, had to wait 4 hours for a 10 minute exam. Given wait times with Dr. Robbins has gotten just as bad, and she is incredibly rude and doesn't explain anything when she delivers bad news, we will have to follow up with either Dr. Granet or leave Ratner Eye Center all together. I am just baffled at how she thinks she can treat patients the way she does. During our appointment she continued to refer to my son as "your son" vs. using his name, and she never talked to him directly....as if he wasn't even there. read more

Dr. Robbins is am amazing doctor. My son at age 7 was diagnosed with refractive amblyopia and it's usually found earlier. I felt horrible, like I should have known, but Dr. Robbins was so kind and she kept reassuring me that we could work together and help my son. She is very thorough and explains what she is doing and is so kind to my child and myself. I would recommend Dr. Robbins to my family, friends and even strangers. Because of her experience and knowledge and the plan of action she has taken regarding my child's eyes, I feel like he has a chance at a normal life and his eyes are getting better and better. read more

Well, 4 reviews, two 5 star, and 2 1 star. Well, let me weigh in with 5 stars. I am an adult patient who had re-alighment surgery. Shiley Eye Center isn't the easiest place to go to, with pay parking and ID each time. But that's the bureaucracy. Dr. Robbins is not part of it, but must work within it. Sometimes the waits are long. Frustrating, until you realize that once you are with Dr. Robbins, she treats you as you are the only person in the world. See looks you in the eye, no pun intended, and doesn't stare at computer screen with your medical records, and she takes the time to answer all your questions. In summary, she practices "slow medicine". Oh yes, the results of my surgery could not have been better. read more