Reported worsening vision. Was told to wait -- or go somewhere else.
I have keratoconus, a progressive eye disease that can remain stable for long periods and then suddenly worsen. Recently, I noticed a significant drop in visual clarity in my right eye and contacted NVISION because I wanted to determine whether my condition was actively changing.
I was not asking for special treatment. I told them I was completely flexible with dates and times, willing to travel to any of their three East Bay locations, and willing to pay for a full appointment if necessary. Despite that flexibility, I was told they could not accommodate me for 2-3 weeks and that I would need to wait for my routine follow-up appointment scheduled for August 18th -- an appointment I had originally booked six months earlier.
For someone reporting a new change in vision from a progressive eye disease, being told to wait weeks was extremely concerning. It made me feel like I was being treated as a scheduling problem rather than a patient with a legitimate medical concern.
When I escalated my concerns to management, Executive Director Susie Silva responded by explaining their policies and ultimately stated that, because I had already found an outside eye doctor, it "may be best" for me to continue my care there. She did mention placing me on a priority cancellation list, but after receiving a response that felt more focused on defending the clinic's process than addressing my concerns, my trust in the organization was lost. I will include a screenshot of that portion of the email so people can read it and judge for themselves.
What makes this experience even more disappointing is that I was seriously considering NVISION for a corneal cross-linking procedure, a major decision involving my long-term vision. Eye procedures require patients to have confidence that their concerns will be taken seriously if something changes. After my experience trying to report a decline in my vision and feeling dismissed, I no longer felt comfortable moving forward with a procedure at an organization where I had lost trust in the communication and patient support process.
This was also not my first frustrating experience. During a previous visit, I underwent a full refraction and was told I needed new glasses, but I was unable to obtain a finalized prescription during that visit and had to seek care elsewhere. The outside provider was able to evaluate me and help within 24-72 hours, which made it difficult to understand why a multi-location specialty practice could not find a way to accommodate a patient reporting a change in vision.
I also had concerns with billing. I was told at the front desk that my co-payment had been fully handled, only to later receive an additional unexpected bill. After reading other reviews, I found that I was not the only patient describing similar frustrations with billing and administrative issues.
Dr. Patel may be a knowledgeable physician, but my experience with the administrative side of NVISION left me feeling that policies and procedures were prioritized over timely patient communication and support.
When it comes to your eyesight, trust matters. If you are considering treatment here, especially anything involving a major eye procedure, I would strongly encourage you to make sure you are comfortable with how the organization handles patients when concerns arise. read more
