UCLA Stein Eye Center Santa Monica

The doctor was wonderful. I consistently have positive experiences with the medical care and truly appreciate the provider. Unfortunately, the front desk experience was again very poor. The receptionist, Veronica Chavez, was unnecessarily rude and antagonizing during check-in. I was asked for my insurance card, and I explained that it is the same insurance already on file since last year and that I have not yet received a new card. This is common in early January. Despite clearly stating that I did not have the card, the same question was repeated. At that point, the receptionist raised her voice and said, "I'm not questioning your insurance. I'm just asking if you have your insurance card," even though I had already answered that I did not. I again explained that it is early January and that many insurance companies have not yet issued new cards. Instead of clarifying what was needed, the receptionist continued to antagonize the situation and then told me that I "needed to be respectful," even though her own tone and behavior were rude and dismissive. The exchange became uncomfortable and occurred in front of other patients in the waiting area. This is not the first time I have had a negative experience at the front desk. It is disappointing because the quality of care from the physician is excellent, but repeated unprofessional interactions at check-in detract significantly from the overall experience. I hope this feedback is addressed so patients are treated with basic patience and courtesy.

Dr. Boris E. Malyugin's response to me speaking Japanese to my grandfather during a visit was extremely inappropriate, unnecessary, and quite frankly-unacceptable. I accompanied my 91 year old grandfather to his visit with Dr. Boris E. Malyugin. I left my grandfather to wait in the exam room by himself while I took a phone call. When I returned to the room Dr. Malyugin was in the process of (almost done) examining my grandfather. After he finished, he immediately turned to ME and started speaking with me rather than the patient. Since I wasn't present during the beginning of the examination and neither was a translator, I have to assume that the Dr. deemed my grandfather's English skill to be good enough to consent to an examination. So, if my bilingual grandfather's English comprehension is deemed good enough for him to consent, then why is the doctor explaining to me when the English-speaking patient is right in front of him (physically closer in proximity)?? It gets worse. As I was explaining the severity of my grandfather's condition to him in Japanese, I used the Japanese word "ma ma" (translates to somewhat). Dr. Boris E. Malyugin decided to display his ignorance by interrupting me mid-sentence with, "Ya you have to discuss with Mama first." He said this while laughing, then turned to his male colleague (that was typing on the computer) who joined him in the laughter. No one's mother had anything to do with what we were talking about in Japanese. This was not only a culturally insensitive comment/reaction, but as a young woman that had 2 grown men laughing at her for saying "ma ma" it was infantilizing. My grandfather prefers to speak Japanese because it's his native language, but he can speak/understand English. He looks Japanese and does have an accent but he is also: a United States citizen, he has been immersed in English speaking environments for 60+ years, and clearly understands English enough to provide consent for a medical exam. I accompanied him to his appointment so I could drive him home because they were dilating his eyes-NOT for translation. Words can not fully capture how infuriating this experience was, and how disappointed I am with UCLA Health. I highly recommend Dr. Boris E. Malyugin take several courses on patient communication and cultural awareness. Big shoutout to the receptionist Michelle! Thank you for actually talking to my grandfather and treating him like a patient. Thank you for not assuming that he couldn't speak for himself just because of the way he looks.

Busy place that provides excellent care. UCLA does have an eye urgent care at its main campus if you need that. I waited between 20-30 mins to be seen.

Overall calling this location you can guarantee a terrible customer service experience. As if you're being reprimanded by a school teacher when you call to ask for assistance by the scheduler, it does not matter if it is an appointment inquiry or surgery question. There is a sense you've inconvenienced the scheduler and clearly hearing the frustrated tone that you've called the wrong location. This is not the first time I've experienced this when I've called in. Patient care starts with the first hello, it is a customer service business and that's where this location misses it every single time. I found myself hanging up feeling frustrated. The Calabasas location is warm, helpful and quick to assist you they saved the day!

I called this office on 6/18 because I had lingering conjunctivitis that I suspected had turned from viral to bacterial. Pretty obvious I needed to be seen that week. I explained it clearly and made my needs known. The woman who answered clearly lacked all critical thinking skills. She was like, "Ok, we can get you in on August 19th." Nobody using an ounce of thought would offer an appointment two months out for an active eye infection. When I mentioned telehealth, she literally laughed and said that would be impossible.How ridiculous that I would think that was an option. Impossible. When I told her that date wouldn't work, she got weirdly passive aggressive and said, "Yeah that's what we have. Do you want that?" I said, well, no, I have an active infection. I'll need to go to urgent care or do telehealth. She got even more sarcastic and replied, "Oh ok. What a great idea." Like... sorry for asking you to do your job while you were at work? The energy was unreal. Spoiler: I called a different part of UCLA, got a same-day telehealth appointment with a lovely woman who actually listened, knew what to do, complimented me for explaining things clearly, and got me the eye drops I needed within hours. So yes, it was absolutely possible. Just not with this useless office. Save yourself the frustration. They definitely need a new receptionist who doesn't have attitude problems and actually wants to help people.

Veronica F, the receptionist at the Santa Monica location, was extremely unprofessional and dismissive. I was told I wasn't authorized to see Dr. McCannel even though I was, as the Westwood location couldn't accommodate me sooner. Instead of checking for availability, she immediately said there were no appointments and then hung up on me. Her curt and rude attitude made an already frustrating situation worse. Patients deserve better service and basic courtesy when scheduling medical care.

Don't waste your time. Saw Tara McCannel a couple of times. Apparently she decided to focus on a certain group of patients. They didn't bother notifying me. They just scheduled an appointment with another doctor. I called to reschedule an appointment with with Colin McCannel. After they scheduled the appointment. A week or so later, they rescheduled the appointment because suddenly he wasn't available on the day of my appointment. So, I thought it was the Santa Monica office. I reached out to the Calabasas office to make an appointment with Dr. Prasad. They didn't answer. When I finally got a call back, they said Prasad won't be seeing any patients at Calabassas which is ridiculous given his profiles shows this location. If he doesn't want/can't see someone there, why list it. Stop wasting people's time and treat patients better!!!!!

This is a wonderful center and you do have to wait. The doctors and staff are fantastic and if you have an emergency they will figure out how to get you in. If you have a routine eye issue it's months to see someone. Part of the reason is that UCLA takes HMO's unlike most private clinics. The Clinic is always short staffed and there are many more calls than often the clinic can handle.