Northwest Eye Clinic - Arbor Lakes Medical BLDG

I am not exactly excited to write this review but I feel the clinic is not doing a good job of being transparent about options for the Myopia program. They allegedly state that no other program exists to treat this in MN and that is not true. Let me recount my family's experience and let you form your own opinion. My spouse took my kid for an eye checkup and she was diagnosed with progressive myopia that required management.

I was out traveling and got a panic induced call from my wife explaining my kids situation and the need to sign onto a program. The program required her to sign a contract (mind you it is somewhat expensive especially if you have insurance) in that emotional state and was allegedly told that there are no other options nearby. Since I was not aware of this prognosis and my wife's emotional call led us to decide to sign the agreement without second thought (her sight was pretty bad based on the numbers).Once back, I did some research and found there are far more economical options in MN that even let us use insurance for specific aspects of the program if not all.

While my family may have fallen victim to this emotional trap, I wanted to leave this review as a warning to others. Please research your options. If needed I can also share what we are doing if it helps you make a decision. Your kids' health is of prime importance and if the program at NorthWest Eye makes sense, do go forward. I just want to let you all know there are similar programs in MN that are equally effective (my kids current program is proof of that) without breaking your bank.

I don't usually write reviews, but Dr. Decanini is the best doctor I've ever witnessed work with my kids. I have a 3 year old who was born with hip dysplasia and a 9 month old- we've seen plenty of doctors in our time and seriously, this place was amazing and everyone really knew how to communicate with apprehensive children, and I can't say enough great things about Dr. Decanini, I wish she could be my kid's PCP!

Love this clinic and especially gratefully for doctors Like Dr. Decanini she is amazing at what she does! And is wonderful with the kiddos.

Dr. Engel squeezed us in on short notice and helped us ultimately get an important diagnosis for our son. He was very thorough, kind and patient. He went above and beyond to make sure we were helped by providers in another specialty. Highly recommend!

My daughter received exception service from you guys. From the front desk staff to the Opthamologist. There was consistency. The Doctor was thorough and answered our questions.

Every professional we encountered, from the lovely receptionist to the nurses, tech, and doctor, was warm, kind, and excellent at their vocation. Bringing a small child to an ophthalmologist is a bit daunting but it was such a positive experience! Highly recommend.

Always a great experience! Great progress for my daughter with her Amblyopia diagnosis in a years time with glasses and patching. Highly recommend!

Patient and compassionate staff. I have a son with autism and ADHD and they are fantastic with him

Most definitely worth the 2 hour drive for pediatric care! Dr. Decanini was FABULOUS with my 2.5 yr old with autism. We have had 2 awful experiences elsewhere so I was leary of trying a third time. The Dr. walked in the room with a bag of toys and sat right down on the floor with my little. Both her and the assistant sang songs and interacted. Making the entire appointment seem more like play time. Absolutely remarkable experience.

I had a 3 p.m. appointment. At three I was called and met with the doctor's assistant only to be ushered back to the waiting room to wait for the doctor. I was actually told by the assistant that this doctor liked to see all the kids first and then the adults. Well, maybe you should make the practice for pediatrics only. I saw many kids who came well after me seen before me.

After another hour and fifteen minutes I was the only one left in the waiting room. I don't care how good the doctor is, I don't need to be treated like that. Adults are an afterthought and will be gotten to whenever. I walked out. You aren't the only doctor in the area.

It was just us there so not busy. also everyone was super quick and friendly and helpful. the visit was a good experience, they have a lot of knowledge working with children. my daughter has Down syndrome and they were able to work with her needs in finding her correct prescription

Despite the reviews from earlier, I decided to go to NW Eye Clinic in Maple Grove largely because they are in my insurance network. My experience as totally unlike what others had to say. The staff was very friendly and attentive and the eye technician showed to be extremely experienced at her job. She moved me through the pre-exam and pictures process with ease and obvious practice. Dr. Ehlen was also professional, and mostly warm (caveat: I have a primary care physician with an outstanding bedside manner so my viewpoints are colored by this).

He took the time to listen to my concerns and explain what is going on with my eyes, including relieving a fear or two that I had. My only other disappointment (almost too strong a word) was the need to see a separate doctor for my contact lens prescription (my previous doctor was able to do it all himself). Otherwise and overall I had a good experience and am glad I chose Northwest Eye.

We've been going to Northwest'a Pediatric Eye Clinic for more than a decade and the staff here have always been thorough and caring. From a four year old with double vision to an autistic child terrified of the eyedrops to a teenager being monitored for a inherited cornea issue, they have been great. We moved up to the Duluth area but still travel back to Northwest Eye.

Very organized and awesome flow esp with the pandemic. I felt very safe. Dr. freeman was wonderful and very informative as always but I was disappointed that he did not do a personal exam at this appointment. That was concerning considering we drive a great distance for his excellent care and even though we trust his staff we would have preferred Dr. Freeman to at least look at my son's eyes and not just review the clinician notes.

We have been seeing Dr. Freeman since 2009 and he has been awesome to both of our boys. He performed an eye surgery on our younger son when he was was 17 months old. Our boys have been doing great since they have been in Dr. Freeman's care. Their vision and results have tremendously changed. I would always recommend Dr. Freeman to all my family and friends.

Called to make an appointment for my 3 years twins 3month ago yes June 26th Michael at 10:45am Olive at 11:15am she says it will be a long appointment because they will have to dilate their eyes ok perfect. wrote their appointment down in my calendar. No confirmation call no nothing. Appointment day today yes loaded my bag with snacks diapers even sunglass rearranged my work schedule my day for that matters. Came today from Elk River with my 3 year olds got in to check in hmmm "we don't have you on the schedule." I'm sorry what!? "But let's reschedule you guys but the next appointment would be the end of September. I'm sorry but that is horrible customer service and the receptionist need more training! Not happy at all!

Dr. Freeman was wonderful with my son. He kept the mood light and was joking around with him. I would definitely recommend Northwest Eye Clinic to my friends and family. The appointment went quickly and everything was done efficiently. The procedures were explained to me and my son in a way that he could understand.

I have been trying to get ahold of them for 3 days and have been on hold for a ridiculous amount of time. I left messages on 2 days for callbacks and have not heard back from anyone. Extremely frustrating!

Decades behind the times. I've been in glasses and contacts for 30 years and I haven't seen an office like this since I was a child. Equipment is ancient and dated. Hand placing lenses into each test. Dialating children's eyes and waiting for 45 minutes rather than using modern equipment. Testing for color blindness with a flashlight. Can't get answers from anyone. We will never be back and I'd tell anyone to stay away and find an optometrist who has updated their practice in the last 30 years.

I guess I should've read these reviews before scheduling an appointment. Here's my story. Very dissatisfied. My wife went in for our daughters first checkup. Before the checkup my wife went through all of our insurance overages at the front desk and they determined we were covered. Then we receive a bill and telling us we are not covered.

I call Northwest to discuss and all they say is "We told you we didn't take your insurance when you came in." I'm not sure if they have poorly trained employees, are confused or are just outright lying. Either way there is $500 that we shouldn't have to pay. I can't help but feel cheated. Are they that hard up for patients that the'll say anything to get you in the door. Frustrating.

This is my third experience with NW Eye. The first was horrible, the second much better, and now this one. The doctor decided to change my eye drop prescription because I seemed to have developed an allergy to what I was using. The young woman with the doctor verified the pharmacy information and said she would call it in. That was on December 13.

A few days later, I had a robo-call from the pharmacy saying my order was ready to be picked up. I trusted the new eye drops would be part of the order. On December 20, I stopped for my meds and the eye drops were not included. I discovered that the eye drop prescription from my 12/13 appointment had never been called in to the pharmacy. I had been told it would be and trusted that to be the case.

The pharmacy had heard nothing of any new prescription. That caused a bit of a panic for me because I was on my way out of town for the holidays. The woman I ended up talking to in the NW Eye 'call center' was, I was told, a supervisor. I needed the prescription sent to the town I was visiting over the holidays, not my usual pharmacy because, as she challenged me, "No.

I didn't EVEN HAVE TIME to stop back at the pharmacy I usually use." She seemed intent on blaming me for the mix-up. "You should have checked earlier to be sure the script had been sent over." "You should have called the NW office to be sure" "You should have checked with your pharmacy to be sure" "You should have enough of a sample to get by." So - on Wednesday, 12/20, when it was finally called in to a pharmacy in the town I was headed for, we discovered that my insurance will not pay for this particular prescription and I can not afford it at $177.

The pharmacy called NW Eye and requested an alternate medication on Wednesday afternoon, 12/20. This morning, 12/22, I called the pharmacy to see if they had heard back. More than one full business day later and no, they have not. So I called NW Eye only to find it closed for the holidays. My prescription, which was supposed to be called in on 12/13 and should have been dealt with at that time as far as affordability and alternate medication goes, has not been handled and will not be addressed until at least 12/26. Very disappointing.

I took my daughter to Northwest Eye after being referred by our pediatrician. The clinic was beautiful and the office and support staff were quite nice. I was impressed. And then I met the doctor. He walked in the room and didn't introduce himself or shake my hand or welcome me or even make eye contact with me once during our entire visit. He proceeded with his exam.

At the time of final diagnosis, the doctor never said my daughter needed glasses. He said she could wear them at school, but it wouldn't be worth the fight if she didn't want to wear them. When I asked straight forward, "Does my daughter need glasses?" he could not answer me. He just continued to say, "She could wear glasses at school but nowhere else.

And if she doesn't want to wear them, it's not worth the fight." I had many questions and concerns and the doctor constantly interrupted me, spoke over me and didn't hear me out. My child is adopted internationally and hasn't been to school yet and gets easily confused by letters and she also has other special needs. I questioned if they could test using some other means because she forgets a lot of her alphabet and they insisted this was the way they did the testing.

We did take the prescription and had glasses ordered from a different vendor and will use them according to what the doctor at Northwest Eye said, but I will not be back. Next year we will find a different doctor who will listen to patient needs and concerns and one who will be more apt to handle concerns from a parent with a child with special needs.

In May and June of 2013 I had cataract surgery on the advice of NW eye. A night and day difference is what I was told it would be along with being told that at worst, I would need reading glasses. The first eye went fine and vision was improved. While being prepped for the second eye surgery, after IV had been inserted I was told that the surgery may not improve my vision because of an astigmatism.

The doctor said I was told this in the office visit before the surgery (which he later admitted was not true). I am not old enough for medicare and this was paid for 100% out of my pocket.nearly 3000 dollars. My far vision is blurry, my near vision is blurry. I complained and was asked to come in for an office visit as this was a normal complication that could easily be remedied.

The remedy was to get a prescription for bifocals, which was my reason for choosing the surgery in the first place. On top of that, they sent me a bill for $219 more for telling me that! So my total is now over 3000 dollars and I'll be back to wearing bifocals just like I was prior to any surgeries. In the meantime, I have to listen to people that have gone elsewhere for cataract surgery who say it's the best thing ever! I've written two letters to their business office with the hope of at least a financial resolution but have not received a response to either.

Like everyone else, we sat there for 2 hours and it was our second time with this experience so it was not a fluke. Our time is worth more. May have good doctors but not a good way to run a business!

I would give four stars for the doctor but the customer service at this place is extremely horrible! I have been at the place for several of time and everyone is nice and friendly except one day the tech lady took care of my dad was being unprofessional. She raised her voices if you asked questions and her tone is so cruel! Until I could not let her bully us anymore and asked her to leave. Lucky, Clinic Lead lady took care of us. However, the horrible customer service is unstoppable.

Today I called the scheduling department and surprisedly NO ONE picks up the phone at 9 A.M on Friday so. I came to the location to face to face to schedule the appointment. A old lady took me to her cube office and scheduled around 6 APPOINTMENTS for my dad. When I asked her to change the day of the appointment, she told me that she can not because she wrote on paper already and she DID ME A FLAVOR! OK.

At this point, I am REALLY upset with NORTHWEST EYE.Is healthcare provider supported to be nice and friendly to patients and the family? As a nurse, I would tell all my patients and colluegues to stay away from this service.

Have been using NW for sometime now with few complaints. These last 2 times have convinced me to find a new place. All of the problems have to do with the back of the house ( ordering contacts) Process goes like this. Pair #1demo returnable pair order at office visit. Subsequent pairs ordered when #1 pair proves correct. When I say or try to order the same quantity as last time but with new prescription comes the epic fail and blaming computers. I'm on call #3 and no one has been able to tell me the quantity I ordered last time.

More importantly no customer service to address my complaints. The person on the end of the phone is judge, jury and executioner. The doctors and techs that actually see you have always been great. But the people who have to listen to you on the other end of the line are really no hep whatsoever.

I was looking to schedule an appointment close to my place of work so I could easily leave and then go back to work after the appointment. Unfortunately, this was much more difficult than it seemed. I arrived and at first they seemed like they didn't know about the appointment. Then they verified the information and told me they were running about 15 minutes behind.

Over one hour later after my scheduled appointment time and I STILL have not been seen. I would have been much better off getting an appointment at a place that I knew about but was further away. Unless you have nothing to do for the day, I would go somewhere else.