Ken Moadel, MD

I had PRK surgery done on my left eye here back in November 2015. I was determined to get rid of my contacts and glasses with LASIK, but had no idea where to go and was very, very nervous about messing with my eyes. My very cautious and excellent optometrist (Dr. Jacob Nachum) recommended Dr. Moadel for the job. It seemed expensive compared to some of the prices I saw advertised elsewhere, but I did some serious research on how those discount LASIK places run and very quickly decided I felt way, way safer with Dr, Moadel. Everything is included upfront — all follow-​up appointments are covered, with no mystery fees, no after-​the-​fact changes in charges, no other bills. Everything is checked and double-​checked before your surgery. I could have had LASIK, but was not an ideal candidate, so we went with PRK instead, and I greatly appreciated Dr. Moadel’s recommendation, based on vast experience, to take a cautious approach; I’m fairly certain I would have been haphazardly churned through LASIK surgery and left to deal with any possible complications on my own if I had gone elsewhere. I was definitely scared about having PRK, having read a few too many horror stories online detailing painful, long, recoveries with spotty results, but I was confident I was in very good hands here. I sincerely cannot recommend Dr. Moadel and his staff more highly. Every interaction is unexpectedly great. There are regular follow-​up appointments tracking your recovery. Every single time I have a question or need to contact this office for any reason, and I think it’s going to be a pain, the office staff are instead phenomenal — really friendly, incredibly efficient and helpful — I seriously can’t rave about them enough. The surgery itself was quick and painless. PRK has a much longer recovery time, but I was amazed that I could see Dr, Moadel clearly right off the operating table, the immediate aftermath was fine, and my distance vision is already better in my PRK eye than in my contact lens eye, despite not yet even being fully recovered. I can’t wait to get my other eye done. I’m very glad I went with Dr. Moadel.

UPDATE: After a frustrating experience on an emergency visit to the office, the manager called to follow up, set things right, and make apologies for the problem. His graciousness through the process was much more aligned with the caring style that drew me to Moadel’s practice in the first place more than a decade ago (and the second place, for a second lasik years later). I am changing my initial post to be a very positive one (from a 1-​star to this), because the manager (as well as the doctor I saw) handled the entire episode with the kind of professionalism, kindness, and accountability that is almost unheard of today. Dr. Moadel and his staff have proven again how outstanding their care is.

I truly recommend anyone interested in LASIK surgery to form their own opinions by doing thorough research. I personally had LASIK with Dr. Moadel in 2011 and truly had amazing results. I am so happy with my surgery I’ve recommended many of my friends and family. I found their staff to be welcoming and helpful. In terms of scheduling conflicts it’s really no fault of the practice how there hours are and can’t hold it against the staff who really try to offer a convenient appointment time for patients. While there may be an overflow of patients the staff really does their best to make the visit go as quick as possible. There are snacks available to enjoy and make you feel at home. Surgery days are long because they do a lot of exams to ensure the best results even though the procedure takes 5 minutes. I still recommend Dr. Moadel for LASIK surgery to anyone who’s interested because of my overall excellent experience.

Please see the review of Jenny O. as my experience is very similar. My first comment is that Dr. Moadel is a very good eye surgeon. His chairside manner was excellent and I liked him very much. I had mono vision (one eye) surgery that allowed me to see distance with one eye and read with the other. It worked well for 5 years or so. I started to get headaches, because of eye strain. I had to miss three days of work. I called the office for an apartment and the first thing they said was that because the surgery was a while ago, I would have to pay the $ 200 new patient fee. I said no problem. I then asked for an appointment and was told that the doctor only saw new patients on Wednesdays. I comment that I was not a new patient, but gave up on that. I asked for the latest appointment that they had, because I would have to come from work and could not leave until 5. I work close by. The receptionist said that the last appointment was only to 4:00 PM on Wednesdays and I asked if that could be extended for a patient that paid $ 3,500 for one eye and never complained. She said that was the rule. I ask when the next 4:00 PM appointment was and she said approximately 1 month away. I said that was unacceptable and asked to speak to the manager. The manager never picked up so I called back and left my number and asked the manager to call me. Three hours later I called again and the receptionist did not know why I was calling or that I requested to speak to the manager. I gave her my number again and did not hear back. I then sent an email via their website contact us. I called an hour later and was on hold for 5 minutes and finally told them that I needed the manager to call me back. I finally got an email from the «office manager» Andres Salcedo saying that the latest appointment is 3:00 PM (not 4:00 PM), but he would ask the doctor the following day. I did receive an email a day later saying «So, I just spoke to Dr. Moadel the latest I can offer you is either today at 4pm or tomorrow at 3pm. Wednesday’s we close by 5pm. Would you like to come in today at 4pm?». So there are appointments on Tuesdays and they close at 5:00 on Wednesdays, but cannot give me a later appointment.
The way this office is run is a joke. It is a shame because the doctor is good, but his office is run horribly. I have contacted other doctors for appointments.

I had PRK surgery many years ago on both eyes. Initially I was impressed that Dr. Moadel was not a mercenary type. However, after my eye surgery night halos became a terrible nuisance. I had hoped that my vision would have improved to ²⁰⁄₂₀ but it registered nearly ²⁰⁄₄₀ in my left eye and my right eye was corrected only to about ²⁰⁄₆₀. He even somehow managed to convince me to get my right eye corrected to monovision due to my age, so that I could read up close in later years. As I think back this was manipulative because I was paying him to attempt to correct both my eyes for distant vision. I could already read fine up close with both eyes. Before surgery I was made to sign an agreement not to sue him and so I could not take legal action about anything just in case I wasn’t satisfied with the results. Well, after surgery, I could see better but not nearly as well as I’d hoped. While I realize that no surgeon can guarantee perfect results, I paid a hefty price financially entrusting him with vision. Later on when I returned to him for a check-​up, his manner was dismissive and patronizing when I asked him about my eyes, and he even claimed that I had ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision. I couldn’t believe that a doctor would behave in this way and it made me seriously question his character and respect for the public. Do yourself a favor — go elsewhere for better results and respectful treatment.

One hour wait, 10 minute procedure, 14 hour nap, I woke up and I could see. Yes. Yes to LASIK. Yes to Dr. Moadel. Yes to being able to see clearly for the first time in 20 years. I just threw my glasses in the river, and it was awesome.
My whole experience with Dr. Model’s office was nothing but professional, comfortable, and efficient. The whole staff works really well together and is very friendly. I was a bit squeamish about the procedure, but someone actually held my hand throughout the whole thing. They made small talk throughout to help keep me relaxed, which I SO appreciated. They gave me valium and chocolate. These people know what they are doing.
I could have done the groupon deal at Lasik Vison Institute, but even one bad review from them an I was put off. Dr. Model is the best in NYC. I was happy to pay a little extra to have the whole experience be a little softer, friendlier, less factory-​like.
My whole fee was $ 3500 for both eyes, but put on the customer care card which is 0% interest for 2 years it comes out to a very manageable monthly payment for 24 months.
If you’re on the fence, this is me telling you to GO FOR IT. It will change your life. Worth every penny.

Please don’t base your decision to upgrade your vision solely on Unilocal reviews. Do your research. Meet with several doctors. Get multiple opinions.
For me after months of searching I landed here and Dr Moadel. His staff is very caring and most of them speak Spanish too.
Their office is beautiful and this isn’t a laser eye chopshop like Park Ave Lasek.
The doc knows his craft and it’s truly painless and amazing. They even had a masseuse onsite to relax you before you go in. Excellent experience and great vision now.
It’s definitely more expensive than other guys but don’t cut corners on your eyes. You only have one pair.

LASIK is awesome! Thank you Dr. Moadel, Dr. Skjerdal and to the staff. Everyone was very professional, the office was clean and the environment was relaxing. I got my procedure done last Friday August 28^th. Everything was explained to me in great detailed and they were very patient with me.

I went to the office early 2012 for an consultation. I have a condition in both of my eyes called keratoconus, so I don’t qualify for the Lasik surgery, instead I had to get Intacts, which are two tiny, clear crescent-​shaped pieces of a plastic polymer that are inserted into the cornea to reshape the front surface of the eye. I got the surgery on one eye only, but I need to eventually get the other eye done. (I got charged $ 3500.00 so I didn’t have all the money for both eyes at the moment). However, I’m glad I went to this office to get this surgery done, because Dr. Moadel definitely knows what he is doing. I trust him with my eyes, and it’s hard to find a eye Dr. you can fully trust. (I had to wait about 2 hours before my surgery, but It didn’t bother me I guess because since I was very nervous, it helped me instead, but looking back… it was way too long of a wait!)
Anyway…
Fast-​forward to July 2015, my eye has been bothering me for a couple of weeks. I decided to wait, and see if it got better on its own. Now, it bothers me more than before, and my eye not only hurts, and sometimes I feel like a pinching pain, but I feel that I have something inside my eye that moves when I blink (maybe the intact?) I don’t know, so I figure I should go see the same Doctor/​office that did my surgery.
When I called to make the appointment, I told the receptionist that my eye was hurting etc. She told me that because it was over 2 years since I had the surgery done then I had to pay $ 150.00 for the consultation. Fine, if I had no other option, since they don’t accept insurances. So I agreed I was going to pay the fee… next thing she tells me is that the next opening is for August 19^th!, a Month from today. I reminded her that my eye was hurting and I couldn’t wait a month. So she said I can just go to an ophthalmologist, because the Dr. does not do routine eye care. I reminded her that it’s not routine eye care, but I’m going back to check on the Intacts surgery I had done with them. She still said the next appointment was until August 19^th, or else I could go to an ophthalmologist. She also mentioned that it is considered routine eye care because since it was over two years ago, then maybe it wasn’t related to the Intact, but she doesn’t know that either… so it might very well be from the Intact anyway.
Bottom line, I didn’t make an appointment, and I’m going to try to find another doctor instead, to take care of my problem asap. and hopefully the surgery for the other eye.
I’m wondering if I had said I was ready to do my other eye, if they would have book me an appointment for this week or next week?

Came in 5÷16÷15 for my free consultation which was pretty quick, as everyone seems to value time here which was greatly appreciated.
The staff was really friendly & polite, the only thing I didn’t like was that you don’t really get to interact much with Dr. Moadel, would’ve been nice since he’s the one actually doing the procedure.
Had my procedure done a couple of days later which was quick and painless. Took longer because of the paperwork & the fact that they did some tests again just to be thorough.
Loving my *new* eyes!

All good. will update after my surgery!

I was terrified of having lasik done but at this point really needed to. This place is tops from start to finish. The nurses, office people, Drs, n the dr himself. I’m so happy with what seems like a true miracle.

Dr. Moadel did my surgery over 10 years ago. I still have great vision and what a great feeling. He is knowledgeable and patient.

The staff is kind, calm, and very nice. They offer you lots of snacks and are always smiling. The office is very clean; up to date. During my consultation the doctors were nice and informative and Dr. Ken Moadel was also really nice; easy to talk to.
The procedure is quick and easy, but minorly painful. Its the post-​opt that was the worst part.
For me, the pain was equivalent to someone putting a razor blade inside a jalapeño and rubbing it into my eyes. I immediately regretted my decision and wanted to remove my eyeballs. However, some people came out calm and smiling like nothing happened. I only heard one person say it felt like his eyes were on fire, but again he didn’t sound in distress.
The pain doesn’t last long though. Four motrin and 2 hrs later I was sleeping on my way home and already feeling less pain. By the 6 hr mark I was pain free. Later that night (like 3 am in the morning) I opened my eyes a little bit and could already see perfectly! By 7 am I was up and walking around and could see everything.
I am now 4 days post op and I think it was the greatest decision I ever made.
Oh, the only thing you should be aware of is the day of the surgery you will be there a really long time (4 – 5 hours).
I highly recommend this doctor, his office, his staff, and this procedure.

I just got LASIK with Dr. Moadel this week. The process started back in October when I came in for a consultation. He was the third of three doctors I met with, and came recommended to me by my optometrist. The staff was great. I met with Dr. Javenes who examined my eyes and determined if I was a candidate for LASIK. She was incredibly calming and friendly and made me feel really comfortable with the whole process. She brought in Dr. Moadel to meet with me and he recommended that I do each eye separately since my vision is so bad. He was the only doctor I met with that recommended this course of treatment, but he explained his reasoning and I agreed that it made the most sense for the best outcome. Then I met with Marta (?) who handled the financing and scheduling. She explained everything clearly and was patient about answering all my questions. Overall, the consultation experience was great. I really felt like I could trust the staff and felt comfortable moving forward with scheduling the procedure.
Fast forward to this week to the procedure itself. I was pretty nervous, and eternally grateful for the Valium they offered me. Dr. Javenes re-​examined my eyes and took new measurements and everyone kept checking on me to make sure I was okay and ready. When it was time for the procedure, Dr. Moadel checked on me, made sure I didn’t need another Valium, and then got started.
The procedure was a two minute whirlwind. Someone put drops in my eyes. Someone held my hand. Dr. Moadel rotated me back and forth between two machines, and then before I knew it, it was done. It’s a little crazy because you have to stare at this red light (the laser) for two minutes and all you want to do is blink but you can’t. I seriously can’t believe each eye only takes two minutes.
Afterwards, they brought me to a dark room with recliners and told me to relax and keep my eyes closed. They offered me some Advil and then put drops in my eyes and reviewed the post-​op care.
When I got home, I had to hang out with my eyes closed (and routinely put in drops) until it was time to go to bed. My eye felt a little uncomfortable, like there was a small sting, but honestly not as bad as I had expected. (I had read somewhere that it would feel like I’d spent the day cutting onions, but that wasn’t the case for me.) When I woke up the next morning: ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision.
I went back the next day to get my other eye done and experienced the exact same thing. I had my second follow-​up today and I’m close to ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision in both eyes and they say that only improves over the next few weeks.
TL;DR: The staff is great, the office is clean, and Dr. Moadel really knows what he’s doing. I got the results I wanted, my recovery has been easy, and I would recommend to a friend.

The Doctor has good manners but the Staff here runs this like a Hot Dog Stand at a Ball Park on a Hot Summer Day. No attention, little detail, and poor timing for appointments. Who runs such a prestigious business with such poor staff? Unfortunately today service is almost hand in hand with results. Great Doc, Poor Staff.
Annoyed but seeing better… Santana

I had my free consultation with Dr. Trieu, who I really liked. She explained all the tests to me and was super friendly. The office was really nice and I was seen right away. I had another free consultation at a competing doctor’s office, and it was not nearly as nice and the staff was not nearly as professional as Moadel’s office. I knew right away that I would be getting my surgery done by him.
I found out I was a candidate and scheduled my eye surgery for two weeks later. When I met with the billing lady, I applied for the care credit (who wouldn’t want 0% interest financing for 2 years?) she spelled my name wrong on the application. Not a huge deal, but a little attention to detail would be nice.
When I came for the surgery I definitely got the vibe that this place is an eye-​surgery factory. I can’t imagine how many surgeries he does in a day (its a lot). The experience definitely felt a little bit impersonal and I had to wait a while before it was my turn in the operating room. They offered me a valium, which I took, but then I turned down the second one they offered me. I regretted this decision as soon as I laid down on the operating table, as I totally started mentally freaking out. I highly suggest you take the second valium if you are at all feeling nervous about the surgery. It’s an unpleasant couple of minutes that I wish I had been more doped up for.
When I got to the OR none of the technicians there really addressed me at all. I lay there for a while, wondering if anyone was going to speak to me. Finally after a few minutes, someone asked me to confirm my name and birthday, and then after another few minutes the doctor began the surgery. The suction cup on the eye is the worst part and it was very uncomfortable (like someone is pressing down on your eye really hard) but it only lasts a minute on each eye and the laser part you don’t feel at all. When the doctor pulled back the flap and then put it back, I didn’t feel that part, either. I think he did notice I was getting jittery at some point and he started talking me through what he was doing (which I really wish he had done from the beginning). I’m sure the doctor and all the people working in the OR are tired of doing the same thing over and over a million times in a day, but I wish they had all been a little more friendly — it would have made me much less anxious.
After the surgery I couldn’t open my eyes at all (it felt like there was something in my eyes and they were tearing uncontrollably… like someone had opened up the floodgates). Some people say they can see the clock on the wall after the surgery but that was definitely not the case for me– I couldn’t open my eyes without serious pain for about 6 hours. After the surgery they put you in a recovery room and someone gives you a quick massage and goes through the post-​op process with you. I really liked the lady who did my massage and we had a very pleasant chat.
Right after the surgery was pretty uncomfortable and couldn’t open my eyes — I was actually really unprepared for how bad I would feel. I never thought my eyes could produce so many tears (like WATERFALLS). My lovely boyfriend walked me out of the place and hailed a cab for us to get home. I took an ambien when I got home and went to sleep. When I woke up several hours later ALL the pain was gone and I could see PERFECTLY. Seeing my alarm clock and being able to read it blew my mind so hard, I can’t even fully express it. I went for my next day appointment and my vision was 20/​20, and that was less than a full 24 hours after my surgery.
I believe I was supposed to have another follow up appointment a few weeks later, but this ended up not happening. They never reminded me about it and I completely forgot about it. I wish they had scheduled it then, or called me to remind me that they needed to check my eyes again. Truth be told, I think I forgot about it because I have been enjoying my super perfect vision so much. I will call them today (3 months post surgery) to schedule it.
All in all, even though I wish a couple of small things about the experience were slightly different, I’m ecstatic I got the surgery done by Moadel and I would do it again in a heartbeat. My only regret is not getting it done years ago.
— — — — — — — — — — –
Update 10 months after surgery: Still see perfectly, still ecstatic, and still not missing my glasses.

I went for my free consultation this week and although skeptical at first (because I’m skeptical of anything advertised as «free»), I was very pleasantly surprised at the efficiency with which the staff took care of me and with which they did the initial eye tests. The lady who did my eye tests was very nice and informative about what each test was for and I found that very professional and soothing. Afterwards I met with Dr. Cortes who was also very nice and super informative. Sadly, it turns out I am not a candidate for lasik for now… bummer… but I truly appreciated all the information I was given, how professional and nice everyone was and above all how it was evident that they put my well being above anything else.

I had my eyes treated by Dr. Moadel in the late 1990s and found the experience to be pleasant (back then, the procedure was PRK). Both he and his staff at that time were lovely to deal with, kind, organized and reasonable. I sent them a glowing thank you note immediately afterwards and recommended him to all my friends who were interested in laser eye surgery as I did not have the burden of wearing glasses any longer.
Fast forward to 2014…
I tried to make an appointment for a free consultation on their website as my eyesight naturally deteriorated in the 15 years since my last appointment with their office and I am interested in another surgery procedure. I was told by a call center manager via e-​mail that because I am «an existing patient,» that the consultation would not be free and that I would be charged $ 150.
I tried to clarify that I am a «former» patient as it has been 15 years since my last visit. In addition, my name, address, phone, insurance, eyesight have all changed since that last office visit. I requested that my initial appointment with them be canceled if they were firm on charging returning patients a fee. No response from anyone.
I telephoned them today to ensure that my appointment was indeed canceled (I had scheduled one on my own and they had scheduled one for me so I had two!) and the person I spoke with said there was no record of me in their system at all.
Oh well. I would have liked to find out if I could be a candidate for treatment again and if so, would have signed up with Dr. Moadel again on the spot. Needless to say, I am disappointed to find out this is how they treat returning patients and am now researching other surgeons.

This is not a review on Ken Moadel since I never met him. Instead this is a review on his practice at Madison avenue. I went to a consultation in November 2012 — that’s right, November 2012. I have since not heard back from the office regarding my consultation.
Here is the back story. I saw a female doctor, Christine I think her name was. She was very helpful, trusting rapport was established quickly and I found her very knowledgeable and wanting to give me the best options and advice. Because Moadel is the surgeon, she wanted to give him my results so that he may in turn communicate his expert opinion. I was told that upon his review, in the upcoming days, I would receive a phone call.
I called back once in December, and once again in February. They confirmed my phone number that they had on file. Both times the reception put me on hold to locate my folder, and when they did locate it they informed me that the doctor had left for the day but would return my call the next day. If they were true to their word, I would not have minded having to call back twice. But that’s three strikes right there, three times someone affiliated with the office said they were going to do something and didn’t do it.
I don’t doubt their professionalism but one doctor to another, communication between provider and patient is paramount. And unfortunately this office was unable to appease my interests. They even ask me over the telephone how I’m going to pay. Well, I’m going to pay with my credit card, or cash. whatever. I don’t need a financial plan. However, what I do need is to know if you can do the procedure. I guess they didn’t want to do it.