Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health

The doctors and care are great. But try scheduling any appt at UCSD. I spent 25 minutes on hold before hanging up, just trying to make a basic appt. Why cant we call into departments direct instead of an understaffed central scheduling? If they stopped their endless building projects and hired more staff, patient care would be so much improved.

Parking is a nightmare here. Trolley is an option, but do bear in mind that it IS a good ten minute walk (it looks closer than it is) from the trolley platform on the HIGH, second story, down the elevator, to the front door of Shiley. BTW: NOTE: There are actually TWO entrances to the Shiley eye center, ONE through the lobby of the hospital, and the other on the South West side of the building. Neither are well marked. Had to wait close to a FULL YEAR for this appointment. I will say that the top level lab equipment was worth it. The staff was worth it. The physician had an uncomfortable attitude because I did not fit into the kind of patient slot she had in mind. Some physicians do not have the training to negotiate as equals with intelligent patients who seek partners in their healthcare, as opposed to the "old fashioned" 'do it my way' relationships. Neverthe less, I do believe she was competent and well trained- this review does NOT detract from her expertise. Going forward I will seek a different opthalmologist whose practise comfort zone aligns more with mine.

I have been coming here for the past 7+ years for my eye problems. I'm always treated well by both the doctors and staff. Today I stopped in for scheduling an upcoming appointment. I came right as the main desk was closing. Nobody was behind the desk, but there was a gentleman named Ramon who was working in the back. I asked if they was anyone who could help me. Ramon stepped up right away and scheduled me an appointment for the next day! I also switched insurance providers and he made proceed to make a phone call to see about my coverage. Wow! Talk about great service! You went above and beyond to accommodate the patient. Thank you Ramon and thank you Shiley!!!

The technical expertise is impressive, but trying to get through to someone is challenging. I had an appointment and the day prior it was canceled and then given one 3 months from now. I then spent multiple hours waiting on hold to get to someone to see about an appointment sooner. When I finally got through I spoke to the woman and indicated I would love to be put on a list in case someone cancelled as I am having difficulty seeing, she said please hold and 20 seconds later it hung up on me. That was 48 minutes waiting and she knew who she was speaking to and never called me back.

I want to come down a bit before I left a comment about my experience today. Problem One: Employees ( nurses, doctors etc...) shouldn't get upset when a patient ask for a woman. Problem Two: If you are running late on any of your services, don't rush the patient because you fell behind. Especially, if the patient was on time or even early. Problem Three: I don't need racial charge comments made toward by a white woman ever. The last woman I spoke to before the doctor came in to see me, this is referring to her specifically. I ask to see the bottle of eye drops that she was about to put into my eyes. So she held the bottle up to me, not all the way of course, but I saw all that I needed to see. I told I read the bottle and I know what the said and what it meant. She in turned started to say: I didn't know stopped and changed it to "Do you work in this field." I don't have to work there to know how to read the label on a bottle and know what it means and its usage. I told her I can read and express displeasure in her attitude. This same type of attitude happened last week at another UCSD facility with another person. Just because you work in a specific field doesn't mean patients don't know what's going on. I can read and just like most of you I went college as well. Problem Four: If you have a black patient when the office visit is over it rude to show that person to the door. Why this is considered rude? It tells the black person that you didn't want to treat them in the first place. So hurry up and leave. Something UCSD to think on in areas of each facility. So this why the score is so low!! I don't get why this keeps happening, if you feel like saying something stupid just don't speak. This is second one at this particular facility, three strikes and you're out. Put some money in diversity training headed up by a real black woman. Yes, this happens to me a lot for no reason!! I am tired of it!! Do with that what you want!!

The doctors and staff are friendly, and they do seem to know their medical stuff. But, they really need some lessons in time management. My husband was told to check in for a procedure at 11:45 a.m. We arrived a little early and then sat in the waiting room for hours. He was finally taken back to get prepped at 2:00 p.m. There was no update and, when I asked, they didn't have a reason why we were waiting so long. There were others in the waiting room who had been way over an hour too. I get that medical procedures can take longer than anticipated but they should build a buffer into their patient scheduling. Edit: after seeing how well the staff and doctors treated my husband before, during, and after his procedure, I raised my rating. The staff are clearly dedicated and knowledgeable, but waiting for so long after the appointment time to be seen was frustrating.

I dropped off my friend for an eye procedure. When it was time to pick him up, the staff of nurses were very attentive to his needs and gave clear and precise instructions as to the frequency and dosage of his medication. They were all friendly and I felt welcome.

Dr Esmeralda McClean was so helpful and knowledgeable about my eye issues. The office picked up the phone in a reasonable time and scheduled me for a same day appointment. I had an ER stat request and they accommodated me and the urgency of the appointment and scheduled me a within the month for a follow up. I was concerned after reading other reviews but my personal experience was exceptional.