I recently had my first eye exam at your office and was seen by Dr. Shamir. I want to begin by saying that Dr. Shamir was professional, pleasant, and compassionate throughout both of my visits. I truly appreciate the care she provided. During my initial appointment, I was given a pair of trial contact lenses to wear for three days. After wearing them, I began experiencing eye irritation. Unfortunately, I was away on business and was unable to return to the office immediately. Over the following week, my symptoms worsened significantly. Both of my eyes became red and irritated, and I developed a considerable amount of discharge. When I called your office to explain what was happening, the receptionist—a woman with short blonde hair and glasses—was dismissive and informed me that if I had an infection, I would have to pay a $120 office visit fee. I explained that I believed the issue was caused by the trial contact lenses provided by your office, yet she was reluctant to schedule me for a follow-up. When I returned to the office today, Dr. Shamir examined my eyes and agreed that it appeared the material of the trial contact lenses had caused an infection in both eyes. She prescribed medicated eye drops and asked me to return for a follow-up visit next week. As I was checking out, I was again told that I owed $120 for the visit. Even Dr. Shamir commented that charging me did not seem fair and consulted with another doctor, whom I assume is the owner or medical director of the practice. The fee was reduced to $50, and although I still did not believe I should have been charged, I paid simply because I wanted to leave and begin treating my eyes. I am requesting a full refund of the $50 charge. I do not believe it is appropriate to charge a patient for treatment of a condition that appears to have resulted from trial contact lenses supplied by your office. I came in because I experienced a complication after following the instructions provided during my exam, not because of an unrelated medical issue. Again, I want to emphasize that Dr. Shamir handled the situation professionally and treated me with kindness. My dissatisfaction is with the way this matter was handled administratively and with being charged for a complication that I believe originated from the trial lenses provided by your practice. I hope you will review this matter and issue a refund. I would appreciate your prompt response and trust that future patients experiencing similar issues will be treated with greater understanding and fairness.
