Philip Ames, MD

I was referred to a retinal specialist by my optometrist due to concerns for retinal hemorrhages. I found Dr. Philip Ames using my insurance "list of providers". I went to the Brandenton Coastal Eye location for my first appointment. Dr. Ames was unprofessional during my exam. This was my first exam ever for retinal issues and was told by Dr. Ames that I had a retinal detachment and would require immediate laser treatment to correct this. I was concerned about his procedure and asked if it would be painful. He asked me "have you ever given birth before? Women tend to do better than men, especially those that have given birth". This made me even more scared about the pain as he was comparing it to childbirth. I then asked him how long the procedure is from start to finish. He stated to me "well that depends on how long you can tolerate it". He was extremely insensitive to my concerns. He never provided me any information about aftercare. I drove home with a massive migraine on top of severe eye pain and dilated pupils. I'm glad that I got home safely. I had to call the office back to ask all of my questions and no information was given to me upon check out (and please keep in mind that this procedure was performed during the same initial visit so I had no time to prepare questions or even research the procedure). When I called the office back, I spoke with an assistant and she explained that nothing I was feeling had anything to do with the procedure. I pursued a new office and provider for my follow up care (SK Retina) and the retinal specialist there (Dr. Chikovsky) was kind, considerate and professional. He actually listened to me, instead of brushing off my concerns. I will never go back to Dr. Philip Ames or Coastal Eye. I am surprised that he receives good reviews from others but perhaps he felt that due to my younger age that he could treat me that way.

My appointment was 9:20 AM and I arrived 20 minutes early. I was quickly seen by Tracy and then my eyes were dilated. Dr. Phillip Ames arrived in short order and after his examination, I was given a thorough explanation of the results. Total time start to end was about 40 minutes. This is an excellent practice and I would recommend a visit to anyone wanting the best care for their eyes

Dr. Ames and his staff are amazing. My husband is in a wheelchair and they all were very helpful with the task of helping me move him around. Dr. Ames also took the time to explain my husband's vision problem to me in a way that I could understand.

I've seen Dr. Ames a few times now. With each visit, he's been professional, courteous and is very thorough. He's in a very busy practice, but is willing to take time to make sure I understand what's going on with my eyes. He always asks if I have any questions and if I do, he answers them so I understand what's going on. I'm very thankful for that because I've never had eye problems before so the issues have been, obviously, very concerning. The office staff is friendly and helpful. The wait to be seen has never been very long even on a day I had to be worked in. I appreciate those things, as well.

This was my first visit with Dr Ames as I was referred by Dr Davis. He explained the Nevus and assured me that he would be able to follow it and watch for changes. I left feeling completely confident that his expertise would assure me of excellent care!

The Doctor was very professional and pleasant. He made a point to reassure me there were not any problems. His staff were all very pleasant and nice and his Assistant called me like she said she would. The Doctor was no more than 3 minutes behind schedule. I would highly recommend.

First time visit with Dr ames. Very impressed! Explained in simple detail the results of my eye photos. He has a very caring manner and I feel extremely lucky to have him following my care. As usual, the office staff is sweet and knowledgeable and the office operations runs very smoothly. 5

I called because of sudden onset symptoms, and they managed to get me in within two hours. Miraculous enough, but then I had splendid nurses/attendants and Dr. Phillip Ames made a very detailed exam of my retina, located two tears and some other issues, explained it all thoroughly, and performed a fairly uncomfortable laser surgery over the course of five minutes while he kept me encouraged and happy enough. I loved everyone's bedside manner, and I'm sending my best friend to him.