Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

Highly recommend this place! I had my lasik procedure here and it has been one of the best decisions that I’ve made.
The staff members have great communication between doctors, nurses and receptionists. Everyone is extremely accommodating, quick and efficient at what they do. Everyone made sure I was comfortable and were clear with instructions for aftercare. The staff members were extremely accommodating. Even the waiting room was uniquely comfortable, the chairs turn into recliners.
My surgeon was Sonia Yoo. She did the actual lasik in about 10 minutes, way quicker than the paper work I had to fill out. She walked me through the procedure as she was preforming it. There wasn’t any pain during or after the surgery. The next day I didn’t have red eyes and went into work quicker than expected.
They even give you a small medical kit with your eye shields (which you must leave on for the 24 hours and when you sleep), medication (antibiotic eye drops) and a pair of shades (to protect your eyes from the sun).
This place has exceeded my expectations, if only all hospitals were as great as this one.

I went for the first time today and saw Dr. Natalie Townsend. I believe the name of the technician that saw me was Enelda but I’m not certain. My appointment was at 1:45 and I arrived at 1. I checked in quickly, was called in to see the technician within about 20 minutes (possibly even before my scheduled appt time.) She had to dilate my eyes so after I finished with her it was only about another 15 – 20 min until I saw the doctor. The doctor spent time with me, was thorough, caring, and answered all of my questions. When I first arrived, a very nice patient access representative (Lina) came to check on me and explain how everything works. I knew ahead of time that the duration of appointments can be long so I packed a lunch and brought my laptop to be safe. As a UM employee I am truly satisfied with my visit today. From the security guard at the front desk, the check in team, the technician, and the doctor, my appointment was smooth and I really felt like a patient and not a number. That’s exactly what UHealth is supposed to be all about. I think I was only there for a total of two hours and never felt like I had been forgotten about.

This is for the Emergency Room only. The waiting area is cramped and dirty. It also doubles as waiting area for people with appointments, and after a certain hour, it gets so crowded that it becomes standing room only.
At your first visit, they have you sign a number of consent forms that you are unable to read before signing. The person at the desk tells you «Now you are going to sign [insert name of form here]» and tells you to put your signature on a tiny electronic signature pad, sight unseen. How can anyone give informed consent if they can’t see what they’re signing? Granted, most people don’t read those forms anyway, but that should be the patient’s prerogative and not a right that is effectively taken away by the healthcare facility.
They dilate your pupils regardless of your symptoms and before you get to see a doctor. I later saw an experienced ophthalmologist elsewhere who was able to order an effective course of treatment and did not dilate my pupils. Additionally, they do not provide protective eyeglasses upon exit or tell the patient to take any precautions. This could pose a problem for people who do not know what to expect, whether it is the excessive glare of daytime or the all but hallucinogenic light show that you will witness at night when you go out with your pupils dilated and check out other cars’ headlights, traffic lights, etc. It can be a unique experience in someone else is driving you, or it can be dangerous if you have to drive yourself, and the hospital does no issue any warnings.
As for the doctors, they seem inexperienced. They also love to flip your eyelids, which is especially unpleasant if your eye has almost been swollen shut for two days. Again, the non-​Bascom-​Palmer specialist whom I visited later did not need to do this. In contrast, the Bascom Palmer doctor at the E.R. said she was going to flip my eyelid and when I objected she continued to try to do it anyway, to the point that I had to raise my voice at her and say «No!» several times while her fingers were still pulling at my eyelashes. That showed poor respect for my wishes as a patient. If she thought it was absolutely necessary, an explanation was in order, and if and when I consented, a very gentle attempt.
Finally, you tell them everything about your symptoms and they check this and that, and in the end they give you a diagnosis and that’s it. A black box process where you provide the input and they the output and you haven’t the slightest idea how they reached their conclusion.
I would only go back if there were absolutely no other option.

My first time at Bascom Palmer! I have heard so many great things about the professionalism and care of the staff so decided to come as my first choice…
To the contrary from some negative experiences I heard from people, my appointment was at 8:15, got here at 8. Check in was immediate although there were 3 people in front of me. The process was smooth, fast and easy. I was then told after I signed in and paid etc. to go to another waiting area where before I could sit I was called in. I was checked in by John. He was very professional, thorough and explained and answered all my questions.
Overall great first time experience. I would recommend Bascom with 10 stars…

I came to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute because I hurt my left eye resulting in a corneal ulcer! The doctors and staff are the epitome of professionalism and courtesy. For my first visit, it was a Sunday and I went straight to the emergency room located on the 2^nd floor. There were 3 people ahead of me, but the wait was very minimal. Today, it is Wednesday and there are many patients, but their strategy for attending patients is superb! First, you register with reception making sure you are the person you say you are. After registering you are given a wrist bracelet with a bar code and your identifying info. Next, you are directed to their waiting area that accommodates about 25 people. Next, you will be called about 2 or 3 times by nurses that provide preliminary exams for your blood pressure and questions regarding your allergies and general health. The next nurse will call you to check on your eye condition. Finally, you will see the doctor that will confirm a condition and prescribe any medications. This all happened on the Sunday I came into the ER and today, Wednesday, for my follow up, I went through the exact same steps. I appreciate the people in this ER. They are a TEAM working for me! I will always go to Bascom Palmer for my eye care.

They have no respect for patients personal responsibilities and will not work with your schedule easily. They are constantly overbooked. It takes well over 3 hours for every visit, even when it’s just to follow up. This place is absolutely ridiculous. They may be the best as far as eye care is concerned, but I’m not even really sure if that’s true. I’ve seen a retinal specialist here, now on my 5^th visit, and he still can’t remember who I am. I swear, he actually said «nice to meet you» the most recent visit. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

Do not go here. I had a 2:15 PM appointment. Arrived 30 min. in advance as instructed. Was not seen by the ophthalmologist until 8:30 PM, a wait of over 6 hours. No explanation given, other than «Monday’s are crazy.» Doctor recommended cataract surgery. Said that another doctor would perform the surgery and I would get a call the next day to schedule. No call was ever received. Never have I seen patients treated with so much disrespect.

Love love this medical facility & I can’t believe it doesn’t have a five star rating. If you have serious eye conditions then this is the place that have some of the best eye specialist in the country.
Yes you may have to be here from 3 – 4 hours but if you want the best then that’s the sacrifice. Our son has been having Dr. Berracol & Dr. McKeon follow him for 4 years now & we wouldn’t dare let anyone else come near his eyes!

Still don’t understand how a place like Bascom Palmer that is supposed to be the best in the country is as ridiculous as it is. First time I came for neuro-​ophthalmology visit, I was here from 9:00am to 3:25pm. They took forever, messed up doctors orders for the exams I had to get done, dilated my eyes twice by «mistake», everyone is rude and are in need of major attitude adjustment. We aren’t forcing you to be here, you choose to work here. Why should we all pay for your bitterness. If it wasn’t because Dr. Schatz is the best doctor for my case, I would never come back. Sucks that the staff here is incompetent, uneducated and extremely rude.

Saw Dr. Erickson today! He’s great! My mom was here to see Dr. Tse for a follow up after having eye surgery. Dr. Erickson came in first. He explained everything, removed the temporary tube and went to get Dr. Tse. Dr. Tse is THE ocular plastic surgeon. He’s really good at what he does. I’m happy that my mom was able to have him as her surgeon.

This review if for the plantation office, however it also qualifies for the Jackson site as well.
This 2 star rating is more for then absurd wait time rather then the physicians performance.
While the doctors are excellent whoever is in charge of scheduling does a terrible job.
This 4 – 5 hour wait is ridiculous! There is no need for that!
You CAN NOT have an 8am appt and be seen at 11am. If you’re the first appt and your seen at that time either your doctors are showing up late or you are multi-​booking patients at the same time.
Obviously anyone can have a late start for whatever reason but this is the NORM for Bascom.

I am a patient of Dr Culbertson I have been going to Bascom Palmer for years and I must admit that the wait time to see my doctor is horrible but I have noticed that the last couple of times that I have been there the service has been better there has been a patient representative informing me, which is nice because I am NOT in a forgotten limbo for many hours and yes even though I do wait hours for Dr Culbertson he is every bit worth the wait. Although I wait for hours still it is nice that someone is actually caring and informing me and I was actually shivering of being cold and this patient representative offered me a blanket while I was in the waiting area which is very nice that never happened before.. Before I would just sit there for many hours without any type of information whatsoever and the first time that you get called in by an assistant of the doctor when I first get there even though I feel it has gone a little bit better they are still very unorganized because they are not ready for the patient when you get there so it makes it much worse after waiting for a little bit to start your process then you get in and this assistant sometimes takes forever to to initially help you or take your pressure whatever they do sometimes they even seem uninterested in seeing you just like in the front desk when I first get there to register sometimes I’m waiting there for quite a little bit but then you get a person who looks uninterested and distracted instead of paying attention in registering me so that I could go on to my visit.

Unless you are looking at this location for PEDIATRIC needs, then I would suggest going elsewhere, as there are a gazillion ophthalmologists you, as an adult, can choose from.
I booked this location, as there are only a few Pediatric Ophthalmologists in Miami. I read all the Unilocal reviews, but did not have a choice but to come here, after all, I had waited 2 months to get an appointment, and the other VERY FEW Ophthalmologists in Miami, were also booked for months to come.
–Two months to get an appt
–4 hour wait
–Paid parking
–repulsive staff/​food at cafeteria
Details:
Communication before appointment: GREAT. A letter arrived a few days prior, detailing what we were to expect (expected wait time, what documents would be needed, etc).
Day of appointment: The document sent to our home, explained that we must arrive 30 mins prior to appt, which we did. Found parking (across the street garage). And did all the paperwork for first time visit.
Scheduled appt time 10:45, seen at 11:15 — - not too bad of a wait, at first.
Jorge did my daughter’s eye exam, he was polite and sweet to my child. In addition to that, he explained what was going to happen during the visit to us parents. After that, Dr. Hilda Capo, went over all exams done by Jorge, they came to the conclusion that my daughters pupils needed to be dilated, which meant, more waiting. Pupils were dilated at 12pm
We were seen an hour later, (now 1:00pm), and Jorge said that all looked good, but Dr. Capo needed to also take a look. At around 1:15 we were seated outside again, to wait for Dr. Capo. We waited another 45 mins or so. We finally left the office at 2:20.
While I loved the service provided by Jorge and Dr Capo, the wait time in between was excessive!
From 10:15am to 2:20pm, that is a LONG time for a child to wait. They definitely need to work on scheduling better.
Due to timing, we ended up eating at the ²⁰⁄₂₀ cafeteria downstairs, which i also reviewed — -worst food ever. Had to throw it out.

Unless you have a really serious problem, you should avoid this place. Appointment times are a joke. Expect to wait 45 min for tech 1 to see you. Then it’s tech 2, wannabe doctor and finally the Dr.
I don’t understand why anyone would come here for a regular exam.

TERRIBLE! What a waste of time! My appointment was at 1:30pm, I was seen by one of the interns and then waited until 3pm. When I asked how much longer it would take, they had the audacity to ask me to wait another hour! When I asked about the ridiculous wait when it was just a routine eye check up, the front desk lady gave me the worst attitude. What an unprofessional woman! I got up and left.

Today my husband had a 2pm appointment on the 4^th floor with a glaucoma specialist He was entered into a room to see the doctor at 6pm; the total time face to face with the doctor was max 15 minutes. I know the doctors are very good but the wait time is an insult to the patient that pays premium dollars to wait 4 hours The least UM could do is to have more specialists available to carry the load of patients they want to handle in any given day.
This not the first time we have to wait long hours to be seen; it is the norm at Bascom Palmer. We were here a month ago and had the same experience We made the appointment in the afternoon hoping to have better luck this time, but it was worse. You pretty much waste an entire working day either way.
Everyone’s time is valuable.

My first experience with Bascom Palmer was 4 years ago. I was evaluated for Lasik, and my doctor answered my dozens of questions with patience, not rushing me along. Once I got the Lasik, the procedure went through without a hitch. My vision is not perfect, but it is pretty close. I do have a complaint about the scheduling, as they triple book appointments. I waited hours every time I was there. Also, when you go for your follow up (you need to go every couple of months for a year after Lasik), you are seen by an optometrist (not an MD) instead of an opthamologist. I felt that after paying $ 5,000 out of pocket for Lasik, a doctor could at least see me for the aftercare.
My next experience with Bascom Palmer was last night. I hit a cabinet door into my eye and was left with a big bloody spot in my eye. Although my vision was not affected, I was scared that I had damaged my eye. So I drove over the the BP emergency room, waited only about a half an hour, and was seen by a resident. I am fine with being cared for by a resident at BP since it is a competitive place to get a residency, and these folks are at the end of their medical training. After dilating my eyes, checking the pressure, and giving me a full eye exam, he told me that I just had a hemorrhage, which looked scary but was no big deal. The big red spot on my eye would dissipate over a couple of weeks. Getting in and out of the emergency room was a breeze, and although it turned out to be nothing, I am glad I went for peace of mind.
The bottom line is that these folks know what they are doing when it comes to your eyes. When you have a worrisome problem or want Lasik, go there. But for your annual eye exam, go elsewhere unless you want to wait for hours.

HORRIBLE!!! I honestly had heard many bias opinions about this place but, of course I had to give it a try regardless. The woman I had spoken to about the appointment said her name was ISABEL. First and foremost, the woman answered the phone with a negative tone of voice. I did not put too much mind to it because I assumed it’s a Friday afternoon and she must be tired and ready to go home. That assumption went out the door the second the woman started pretty much yelling at me and denying me the right to even let her know what my call was in reference to. This ISABEL refused to even help me with providing me with a number of someone else that could help me. All in all I haven’t even had the opportunity to personally experience the Institute myself and I’m afraid that after that horrible customer service to this number 305−243−2020 I may not even take the chance to.

I had my follow up appointment yesterday with Dr. Lee. I scheduled my appointment to 3:00PM and because they said that you should get ther at least 15 minutes before I rushed myself to get there at 2:45PM. When I registered the employee mentioned to me that the wait will be from 4 hours to 8 hours, I couldn’t believe what she mentioned! I asked her if I can come back later, and she said that I have to see the Technician’s first and after I can leave and come back.
The Technician called me around 4:00PM and she ended dilating my pupil, so I couldn’t leave the facility because I was unable to drive well! The Technician mentioned that Dr. Lee was moving fast and that they started to see the 2:00PM scheduled patients, so I was very happy thinking that I will be leaving around 6PM. Unfortunately, that was not true! At 7:04PM they finally call me to see Dr. Lee, I wait inside the office 30 minutes and finally a fellow came to check my eyes, after he finish he said that Dr. Lee will be in shortly. Dr. Lee finally came in the office at 8:04PM, YES ONE HOUR after! I told the doctor that I was waiting for 5 hours and expressed my disappointment to her, she was sorry and apologized!
But the worst part was me leaving the facility at 9:00PM and drive back home with my pupils dilatated, I almost had an accident in I95! Thank god I make it to my home, but I was very scared my eyes were very sensitive to the streets and car lights, it was a nightmare driving back home at night!
I confirmed today October 31^st 2014 that all the negative comments posted here absolutely TRUE! Unfortunately the BP inefficiency controlling the schedules affects the Doctors image, Dr. Lee is an excellent doctor she was with me around 25 minutes, I considered her a top level doctor and very knowledgeable. BUT making a patient wait over 5 hours is VERY DISRESPECTFUL AND UNACCEPTABLE. There is absolutely no respect for patients comfort or patient’s time at the Bascom Palmer Institute in Miami.

This is the absolute worst doctors office I have ever had the displeasure of visiting.
I called in June 2014 for an appointment and was offered their earliest appointment– August 14, 2014. I made my appointment for 1:30.
Parking is diagonally across the street and is $ 20, or $ 7 if you get your ticket validated. Why the parking lot for Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has a separate parking with flat rate instead of the by the half hour parking of the rest of the hospital is beyond me.
Upon entering the eye institute, we were greeted by an empty waiting room and lots of doctors and people in suits sitting and walking around on their cell phones. The woman who began my check-​in process was incredibly rude and condescending. She explained to me the long list of waivers I had to initial, but I read it myself and she failed to mention in her quick overview that STUDENTS would be looking and performing tasks on my eyes. What the hell?
After reading horror reviews on here about the 4 hour wait times, I decided to ask her if it was true. She responded with an attitude, telling me that it was a 4 – 5 hour wait as if it were obvious. I promise you there were no other patients in the lobby.
To top it off, the doctor I had originally scheduled my appointment with was not there and I was not informed beforehand. In fact, she told me that he is rarely ever there and it would be months to get an appointment with him and just a few less months to get a reschedule with another doctor.
I do not regret leaving this place. Id rather my cataract take over my eye and I turn into Storm from x-​men than have my eye even looked at by these people.