I recently came in for a free LASIK consultation and was already leaning toward moving forward with the procedure the same day. My clinical experience was truly great—Amalia and Yvette were both amazing. They were warm, informative, and made me feel comfortable throughout the entire consultation process. Drew, the specialist I met with afterward, was professional, clear, and straightforward. However, my experience at the front desk was unfortunately much less positive. After my consultation, I provided a $2,000 cash down payment and worked with Lisa U. at the front desk to finalize next steps. When I asked for a receipt confirming my payment, I was told that I would only receive an itemized receipt later when I returned to pay the remaining balance. I explained that I understood that, but still needed documentation showing that my $2,000 payment had been received. Despite asking twice I was given the same answer with resistance. She then handed me a tablet offering me a seat in the waiting room to fill out final forms. While returning the tablet to the front desk after signing final forms, I noticed my cash payment still visibly sitting behind the desk while staff were away from the front area, which felt concerning and unprofessional. This is where I then again asked a third time for a receipt to document my down payment. She eventually printed a receipt—a process that ultimately took less than two minutes. Given the amount of money involved, this should have been handled immediately and professionally without hesitation. Later, when I returned for my procedure, the waiting room was full of patients who had earlier appointment times, so I anticipated a delay. When I asked Lisa for an estimated wait time so I could inform my driver, I was told the process would take “about 40 minutes in and out.” After that time had passed, I was brought to a side room to wait. When I asked again for an updated timeline, the response felt passive and dismissive. She glanced at her watch and said, “oh wow, 10 minutes,” and mentioned they were running behind due to a “jumpy patient.” I’m assuming she mentioned the 10 minutes in passive aggressive tone because it was 10 minutes past the original time she had given me that I would’ve been in and out by. The tone lacked the reassurance and professionalism you would hope for when undergoing a life changing eye procedure. That being said, the doctor who performed my procedure was absolutely wonderful. He was extremely kind, patient, and never made me feel rushed. Before starting, he took the time to talk with me and ease my nerves, and throughout the procedure he continued to communicate in a calm, steady voice that really helped me stay relaxed. Even though it was clear he was performing multiple procedures back-to-back, he still gave me his full attention and took his time with me. I truly appreciated that level of care and professionalism—it made a big difference in my overall experience. Overall, while the medical team provided excellent care, the front desk experience added unnecessary stress to what should have been a smooth and reassuring process. I would strongly recommend improvements in communication, professionalism, and handling of financial transactions at the front desk to better match the quality of care provided by the clinical staff. I also feel that expectations for the immediate post-procedure experience could have been communicated more clearly. While I was informed that I wouldn’t be able to drive and should arrange a ride or Uber, I wasn’t fully prepared for how intense the discomfort could be right after the procedure. Afterward, I was walked out and brought straight to the exit without much check-in on how I was feeling or confirmation that I felt confident enough to look for my ride outside. I’m extremely grateful I had a friend waiting for me, within about 10 minutes of leaving the Brookfield location, I was in excruciating pain. By the time I got home, I was unable to open my eyes and needed assistance just to get out of the vehicle and into my home.
