Retina Institute of Illinois

Dr. Rao is excellent. She is very kind and compassionate. She is a role model for how all doctors should practice. She was very thorough in explaining my issue to me and the procedure she would be doing for treatment. I appreciate her seeing me for an unscheduled emergency procedure on a Saturday. I am very confident in her knowledge and ability to treat my torn retina to prevent further damage to my sight. She called me the next day to check on me. I 100% recommend Dr. Rao.

Had my first visit today and the staff and technician were friendly and professional. Dr. Rao is amazing too. She listened to my concerns and showed care throughout the whole process. I would recommend this practice to anyone.

They have no idea what customer service is. The front desk lady was so incredibly rude. And one of the techs have no social skills in the least. Dr. Chee was even worse than the ladies. I was composing this review while I was waiting and instead of him focusing on the eye exam, he was questioning me on what I was typing. He too has no social training at all. The only bit of sunshine in this place was Mary. Even though not my tech she was kind and had a smile. Oh yeah one more thing, after I told Dr. Chee about the lack of social skills he said and I quote, "we are here to check your eyes" insinuating that customer service is not what they are here for.

Dr. Rao is amazing! I first saw her at the request of my optometrist. She was already on her way home but returned to the office to verify I hadn't torn my retina. I returned to see her a year later after experiencing some vision changes. Upon examination, Dr Rao suspected I had a rare autoimmune disease which was confirmed through the lab work she ordered. She referred me to a terrific specialist and advocated on my behalf so that I was seen in a timely manner.I'm now under the ongoing care of that specialist so no longer Dr Rao's patient, yet she still kindly took the time to email to see how my treatment was progressing. I was so touched and blown away by her thoughtfulness! Early detection has been critical to the management of my condition so I'm truly grateful for her diagnostic expertise and proactive support in the early days of this journey. I highly recommend Dr. Rao to anyone who has questions about their eye health and/or vision.

The staff and Doctor were just amazing! I mean the nicest and most welcoming I have ever felt walking into a clinic. And of course knowledgeable! Will definitely recommend 100%

The dr. I saw was an elderly (my guess is well over 80--don't remember his name--starts with an A i believe..short and slim) and even though he might have a lot of experience he doesn't really show it in his practice. I have a lump on my thyroid gland. After reviewing my blood work and ultra sound results he said everything is normal. Next he was explaining for 10 mins or more that having a lump like that is abnormal. Obviously I know that---that's y i came to see him. He said that he wants me to gathergather all the tests I had on my thyroid for comparison. Once they received everything, i was told that the dr will review everything and they will call me. I followed up many times and either the line is busy or if u get thru the receptionist tells u that they will pull out ur chart and will call u back. I might be wrong but i think they returned my call only once. Today I called them again and again i was told someone will call me again. It was already around 4:30 so I decided to call again bec i knew they weren't gonna call me. Well when I called I was told that the dr was going to review everything but my insurance doesn't pay for these services anymore which is I believe a lie. ...same insurance... 1 thing I forgot to mention...my first and 2nd appointment was cancelled. I had to wait about 2 weeks and the day before my appointment they called me asking if I could come in earlier,which I agreed to. Then i get another call saying that the dr has an emergancy and they have to cancel on me. They did this 2 times.

Update: The staff is great. They not only called back once after fixing their system, they checked back again a few months later to MAKE SURE I had no further problems. That is great customer service. I briefly kept getting texts and phone calls from an 801 number YOU CAN'T CALL BACK. Said I was overdue for an appointment. Wrong. Turns out they installed a new computer system which DOES NOT differentiate from those who do and do not need an appointment. Easy to fix by calling them to get removed from unneeded calls. BE SURE that you need to see them. A retina exam can be done by an opthalmologist. Allegedly you need that exam once a year if you are diabetic. See what your insurance requires. This place is two short blocks in from Western Ave at Claremont on Foster Ave. North side of the street with diagonal parking lot at it's left. WC accessible parking. Decent waiting room. Allow yourself some time to fill out the forms. Desk staff all business, not animated. Brief wait to be seen. I was interviewed by a very personable Afro-American tech who also performed the vision and other basic tests before seeing Dr. Rao. I had the fluorescien dye in my eyes and the most thorough eye exam I ever had. I was shown my results of the layers of my eyes, shown a model to review the structures of the eye itself. Dr Rao is young, personable, very measured and professional. I was given a pair of very dark glasses which fit perfectly as a shield against light until the dye effects wore off. My corneas and retinas were fine, which is what I needed to know. I learned I could have seen an opthalmologist rather than skipping a step. So don't make the same mistake. Come here if and only if you have been already diagnosed with a condition that warrants specialized medical or surgical treatments for retinal conditions. It's all they do. Not thyroid, not cataracts, not pink eye. Ask about insurance before you go.

Dr. Rumya Rao and her staff are kind, on time and efficient. I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about. The only gripe I would have with the location is that there is no parking lot.