I had a very mixed experience here. A friend of mine recommended America's Best and unfortunately I chose to visit a different location because I assumed the experience would be the same. I was wrong. First, I want to recognize James, the technician who worked with me before I saw the doctor. I came into the appointment extremely emotional and scared, and James was incredibly patient, kind, and reassuring throughout the testing process. He explained things clearly, encouraged me during the tests, and genuinely helped calm me down. He handled the situation with compassion and professionalism, and I’m very grateful for how he treated me. Unfortunately, my experience after that became much more stressful. After James finished my testing, he placed my file outside the office for the doctor. I believe the doctor’s name was Cynthia, based on the name outside the door and the paperwork I was given afterward. While I was still sitting in the waiting area, Cynthia began reviewing my eye images with the office door open. I could clearly hear her gasping, saying things like “oh my god” and “oh Ashley,” before calling James into the office to look at the images as well. James then shut the door, which honestly felt like he realized I could hear everything and knew I was already scared. As a patient sitting there hearing a doctor react that way to my medical images before speaking to me directly, it was extremely alarming and heightened my anxiety significantly. When I was finally called in, I was immediately told I needed to go to the ER. I understand that urgency was necessary, and I do appreciate that the findings were taken seriously. However, bedside manner matters, especially in situations involving potentially serious medical concerns. There were also parts of the exam that left me confused afterward. I signed paperwork consenting to dilation from the doctor, but my eyes were never dilated. When I arrived at the ER later that day, the ER doctor questioned why dilation was not performed and commented that it sounded like I received a “half-ass exam.” That statement understandably made me lose confidence in how thorough the exam actually was. Additionally, when I first arrived, the front desk employee repeatedly warned me that my insurance likely would not cover what they claimed and that I would probably owe a copay. As someone who works in insurance myself, I found the interaction odd and unnecessarily pushy. In the end, I didn’t owe anything at all, as I expected. Overall, James was excellent and deserves recognition for how compassionate and professional he was during a very scary situation. I just wish the same level of care and bedside manner had been present throughout the rest of the experience. I also want to add that after my visit, I looked through other reviews and noticed multiple people over time describing concerns involving the same doctor and similar issues with professionalism and bedside manner. That was disappointing to see and made me feel like my experience may not have been an isolated incident. I hope this feedback is genuinely taken seriously, because patients deserve both competent care and compassionate communication, especially during frightening medical situations. Lastly, I have already sent an email. No need to reply with the same generic response I've seen for everyone else.
