Maine Eye Center

Dr Wajda did surgery on my upper and lower eyelids. From the first meeting until Post Op, she and her staff were communicative and helpful. Everything went as scheduled and I am very happy with the process and results.

I have been going to the optometrist here at Maine Eye for 4.5 years now, and I have never had a bad experience. My original OD moved away and now I have John Walters, who is genuinely invested in making sure his patients understand what is happening with their vision. Such incredible, no nonsense recommendations and wisdom! Seeing Dr. Walters makes me confident leaving that he did everything he could to ensure my eyes are healthy and well. Additionally, I cannot say enough good words about the Optical Center.

Recently realizing that I needed progressive bifocals, I was nervous about the fit and use of the lenses. I also felt a little worried about having to adjust to what I heard can cause motion sickness. The staff made me feel so at ease--from picking out the frames to sitting down with me and helping me practice using the progressives before I left.

At a time where people's tempers and grouchiness seems to be at an all time high, Maine Eye Center's medical staff and optical center staff have been nothing but a joy to work with. Thanks all for providing excellent care!

Received an inaccurate prescription, made an appointment to get it rechecked. When I showed up to my appointment they said I was not on the schedule and there were no notes on my file that I even ever called them. They offered another appointment over a month out. Very displeased. It takes months and repeat visits and bills to get what you need here. I'm looking elsewhere and cutting my losses.

I have had three surgeries at Maine Eye Center within the year. The first was eyelid surgery done by Dr. Wadja; I couldn't be happier with the results. The second was cataract surgery done by Dr. Gelinas, with excellent results, and I now have 20/20 vision. Both Doctors and their staff were always very professional and, once again, I cannot say enough about the care I received and the outcome of both surgeries.

Dr. Kahn was a nice enough guy, however he would become very im patient in the explanation as to why he botched my eyelid by taking to much skin off. Still deal with it today 12 years later where people ask me who did that to you eye. Compassionate or caring is not in his vocabulary!

Dirty and bad smelling facility for starters.it's smells like a cafeteria that hasn't been cleaned in weeks. Bedside manner, meh. But worst of all, they won't submit claims to EYE INSURANCE. excuse me, aren't you EYE providers? Give me a pinched nose 'It's again our pooooooooolicy'. It's against mine to ever return. You guys are TERRIBLE!

I cancelled my eye surgery because I lost confidence with the lack of communication I experienced at Maine Eye Center (Portland). 2 1/2 weeks before my surgery, I called the office and left a message NOT to call me for the pre-op interview before today (Monday) because I was out of state and not available due to several appointments for another medical issue.

My husband, who remained at home, received several calls for me from Maine Eye Center while I was away asking that I call them back. I ended up having to calling them back (several times) while between appointments. I received 2 calls today (Monday). The first confirming arrival time for surgery on Friday and the second changing the time by 10 minutes.

This change made me wonder if surgery was being done assembly-line fashion. Additionally, my husband, who had cataract surgery done at Maine Eye Center and ended up with worse eye sight, received a call today with a message (via a receptionist (?) from his surgeon stating that he couldn't do anything and go see a retina specialist. After reading reviews about Maine Eye Care, it appears employees are overworked and understaffed and a few of these reviews were before the start of the pandemic. I am very disappointed as my mother has been receiving excellent care (for the last 15 years) with Dr. Moore at Maine Eye Care for macular degeneration.

I called in hoping to help a child whom I coach get glasses to safely play sports. They had just gotten prescription glasses for the first time. I wanted to see if I could find a donated or reduced pair of athletic glasses (RecSpecs) via a local eye office. Maine Eye Center was the only one who straight up said "No". The optical shop person I was speaking to suggested the Lion's Club. Cool.

More hoops to jump through but cool. I suggested to her to consider having that as a part of the business going forward (a budget for charitable given in the form of glasses) and was given silence and then hung up on. We didn't disconnect. She just didn't talk or respond to my suggestion. Sorry to waste your time? Wildly disappointed. It seems wrong to me to be met with that response to that kind of request. Maybe I'm having a bad day but it rubbed me the wrong way. Won't be using your services anytime soon.

I must say that seeing Dr Gelinas for my cataract surgery and placement of my toric lens was the best choice i could have made. From walking into the center and being greeted by the happy smiles of Lynzie and Emily i knew this was the right choice for me. Dr Gelinas was very specific on what to expect from the surgery. There were no surprises, he truly care about my vision.

When setting up dates of surgery Lynzie guided me through the process of setting dates that worked with my schedule.i would recommend Dr Gelinas, his staff and Maine Eye Care for all eye care need.

I had been referred to Dr. Berman from my eye doctor because of double vision issues. I will say he's probably not the most personable person on the planet and he's also super busy. He checked my eye and suggested I wait a few months to see if there are any changes before we consider surgery. A few months later and no changes so I figured surgery was the best option to fix the issue.

He scheduled me in within a months time and surgery was on a Friday. In the discharge papers was his home phone if I had problems over the weekend. He also called me on Saturday to check in. Never in my lifetime have I had the actual doctor call me to check in after a procedure. Went for post op visit a few days later to make sure everything was good. My issue seems to be fixed and will followup in month just to make sure. I would highly recommend him. Keep in mind, he is super busy and you may wait for your appointment.

My standard eye care and exam went well and was thorough. But BEWARE as they don't accept insurance for top-tier Anthem even with Blue Vision preventative care as part of my plan. I was NEVER informed that there was even a question, and they "put my insurance through" at check-in. Then zero was covered. So be sure and check with them carefully.

It felt deceptive for one of the largest practices in Southern Maine and now I know why they grabbed my money up front. And there are many other practices that would have covered it 100%.

I presented my insurance information to this office before my appointment and at my appointment. There did not seem to be a problem. However, after treatment, I was notified that they did not accept my insurance and billed me for the entire amount. I will not use this office again, or recommend them to anyone.

You might think it a good thing that your Ophthalmologist is now also a specialist, but it is really crazy making. It seems that the ophthalmologist who thought I might have narrow angle glaucoma was also a cornea specialist. So even though my eyesight was quickly on the decline, I had to wait 3 months to see the Glaucoma specialist. I am an older women and in my day an ophthalmologist learned about the whole eye.

He Was the eye specialist! I tried to get the appointment moved up because I could not read anymore and I was worried about my eyes. Especially after reading on the net that Narrow Angle Glaucoma was an emergency situation that needed fast treatment, even saying go to the ER. But I waited and saw the Glaucoma Specialist because I suspected I did not have NAG.

I feel this was just a way to milk the insurance company. If I had NAG the care would have been quicker. So after a bunch of tests This specialist says he thinks I need an updated Rex for my glasses. Guess what? He wants me to come back a third time to see the optometrist who specializes in Prescription glasses. I asked why one of the many woman who rush in and out doing this and that could not check my eyes? He looked at me like I was crazy. I will not return. Seeing someone outside of this office. The insurance companies should investigate this kind of behavior.

An outstanding exam done by a polite, capable as well as professional staff. I mean everyone there from the young lady at the door taking temperatures, to reception, the lovely pre exam lady and finally Dr. Matthew Thees. It felt like being reunited with an old friend. He was that nice a person. He also performed a very thorough exam all the while putting me at ease with interesting small talk.

He said how they had 18 doctors there and some one was on call 24/7. He also went out of his way NOT to sell me frames, (unlike other places). He said I should buy them where I felt best about it. I liked that-a lot. I left that office complex with the feeling that I had just made a bunch of new friends and, oh yes, got a hell of a good exam too.

Double check with your insurance before using this place! They consider themselves "specialists" and will charge your medical insurance instead of your vision insurance for even just a routine eye exam. Even if you've found them through your insurance's website, I would call your vision plan to double check because you could be on the hook for hundreds of dollars for routine prescription checks.

I had cataract surgery on my right eye recently with Dr. Libby. He said he got 20/25 vision in that eye after surgery. I knew I needed glasses for reading, computer and distance. He told me to wait a couple months and then go back to Dr. Walters (optometrist) for an eye-glass prescription. Dr. Walters examined my eyes and, although I complained all through the exam that I was seeing double in both eyes, he did not write the eyeglass prescription to correct prisms, which is needed for double vision.

In the eye that had cataract surgery, I was seeing the letter O as the number 8 - two lines of letters regardless of size and in the other eye, the letters blue sideways. He gave me a prescription and when I had it filled and bought 3 pairs of glasses - readers, computer and distance - I still have double vision in all pairs. It is so bad in the readers that I can't read books at all.

The computer text I have enlarged to 175% so I can at least read the text but the double vision makes causes eye strain and headaches. I called two days ago asking that Dr. Walters correct my prescription to included prism adjustments - so far I have heard nothing back from him. If I don't hear back by Monday, I will go to another optometrist and get a correct prescription. BTW- Dr. Walters also said that there is hazing/scar tissue forming around the capsule that holds the new lens after removal of the cataract and that I will now need laser surgery that will cost as much as the cataract surgery cost. (He had a hard time getting the 20/25 that Dr. Libby said he got after my surgery.) The optician told me this is a result of trauma to the eye during cataract surgery.

I am not pleased with the service I have received and would not recommend this place. They show little care for patients once they have your money, but they won't get any more of mine!

While almost all of us have had some sort of issue during the "times of Covid19", Dr. Holly McCarthy continues to provide outstanding services at the Lowell Street location. Systemic policies seem to be working well, staff and processing worked fine, but Dr. McCarthy is absolutely fantastic. Her notes were in order, her questions logical, her answers to my questions made sense, and he tableside manner is personable, caring, and warm. I highly recommend Dr. McCarthy and this location for genuine and professional eye care.

After my cataract surgery in Northern Virginia nearly three years ago, my tear ducts became obstructed, tears come down my face and I have pain in my eyes. I saw a great oculoplastic surgeon for about six months. He said that the only solution might be surgery to put stints in my canals but that there was no guarantee that the ducts would stay open after the stints were taken out.

He advised against surgery. He referred me to another surgeon with much the same result. They referred me to one of the nation's top eye centers at Johns Hopkins. Nothing advanced. After we moved to Maine, I wanted to see an eye surgeon to see if laser to clean the back of the lens in my right eye and to remove some plastic film (laser had helped with the left eye) was a good idea.

I made an appointment to see a a surgeon at the Eye Center. It was a horrible experience. I arrived early at 11:05 for my 11:20 appointment. I sat in the waiting room till about 11:40 when a technician took me back. She entered all the items on the form that we had been asked to fill out. This was a total waste of time. Why don't they ask patients to fill out forms online to save everybody time?

She then checked my eyes and dilated them ( 5 minutes). She said please wait and that the doctor would be in right away. I told her that I had a family issue and could not be late for that. The doctor came in at about 12:20! She arrogantly announced who she was. No apology. And she quickly started to tell me what she had heard from her assistant. I interrupted her and gave her a 2-minute summary.

She gruffly thanked me and started to examine my eyes. When she was done, I again repeated why I had come to see her. She said she would have to refer me to a cataract surgeon but she would also like to take picture of the back of my eyes to rule out something she suspected. I said that I had another appointment. She said she would call downstairs right away and tell me if they had a backup or not.

She left at about 12:30 and then there was no sign of her. At about 12:48 (nearly 20 minutes after her "quick" check), I got up to leave and as I opened the door she was there. She said they were backed up and I would have to come back. I spent all this time in their office. They kept me waiting and waiting. I saw a tech for 10 minutes and a surgeon for less than 10 minutes.

No apologies. No regard for me as a patient. What an arrogant uncaring center. Maine can do better! Look at how doctors operate elsewhere. You could improve and serve your patients better.

During Covid Times, YOU NEED TO LET THE FAMILIES KNOW THAT THE PARTNER HAS TO WAIT IN THE CAR. BEFORE THE APP IS EVEN MADE. I went to an eye doctor appointment with my wife and was told that I had to wait in the car with my other child the appointment took 3 1/2 hours. he is 1 1/2. PLEASE INFORM CUSTOMERS! That way parents don't have to sit in the car 90° day and not have a clue where to go because they're not familiar with the area. Do your due diligence for your customers and explain to them the entire process that would be very helpful

I recently suffered an eye injury of my own doing. Chalk it up to a lesson learned about the importance of protective eye wear when using lawn and garden equipment! After a visit to the ER, they advised that I schedule an immediate follow up with Maine Eye Center to make sure there was no permanent damage. I called the following morning and left a voicemail.

It seems that no one there actually answers the phone. Perhaps they were busy with other patients, I'm not sure. This does not actually play into my dissatisfaction that much, really. However, when I did receive a callback later that day, the person I spoke with had all of the personality of a cold, damp, rock. A rock, however, can at least manage to be warm in the sunshine.

This person though, not so much. She informed me that I would need to go to urgent care first and get a referral, as Maine Eye triages through urgent care. I explained that this is a silly requirement, given that I was referred from the ER with a very obvious eye injury. Besides the inconvenience of an added insurance co-payment, an urgent care is a lower level of care than a hospital ER.

I had two physicians examine me and both strongly recommended that I see an ophthalmologist for follow up. I think their opinion might just be as good as or better than the nurse or nurse practitioner I'd see at the urgent care. The customer service person I spoke to very curtly told me that this is their process. They triage through urgent care, and I would not be charged two separate co-payments for this (one at the urgent care and another at Maine Eye Center.) I seriously doubt this is true, by the way.

I ended the call, called my primary care doctor and immediately got a referral to another ophthalmologist in Portland. This office was able to get me in immediately with not hoops to jump through. They understood that "it's my eye, just take my money and fix it!" Not that I often get asked for recommendations for ophthalmology providers, but rest assured that if I ever do, I will not be recommending Maine Eye Center.

I called on a Wednesday as a new patient experiencing an issue and had an appointment less than 24 hours later with the lovely Dr. Brooke Miller. It's been a long time since I've experienced such pleasant and capable care with a doctor who clearly loves what she does. Staff were all efficient, pleasant and communicative. Large parking lot, convenient location and no complaints. I would come back to Maine Eye Center in a heartbeat.

This whole practice has the WORST patient service I have ever experienced in my life. Every aspect of the place is terrible. The building is old and dated, it takes forever to get an appointment, then they often cancel after waiting 10 weeks to see a MD. The wait times are terrible when you finally get to see a MD. The doctor was unfriendly, rushed and displayed a horrid "bedside manner".

Today I have called all day with a question about an upcoming surgery. I have left two voicemails and no one has called me back. My only other option is Boston which I am considering at this point due to the horrific service.

For more than 10 years we have had a very positive experience with Maine Eye Center. Today we were not pleased. My spouse came home after an appointment and explained that there was an extra $50 fee when he checked out that was totally unexpected. Our insurance should cover most everything here. They gave him a new RX even though the Dr said his eyes had not changed and this would likely not be necessary.

Especially considering that he just got new lenses and frames at great expense last year. Neither the Dr nor the assistant informed him that giving him this RX that he will not be using costs an extra $50. This is wrong. And of course when I tried to call the offices were already closed. This is wrong on so many levels. I have a different DR who has been at Maine Eye Center for a much longer time (this Dr is new) who would never do anything that costs extra without telling me first. Unacceptable. Stay tuned. If not for this I would give MEC 5 stars!

After waiting for 8 months for a two-hour appointment for eye surgery with Natan Kahn at the Stroudwater Crossing campus, we found that our appointment was not going to happen. We got there at 2:30 PM for a 3:00 PM appointment, checked in and waited. At 3:20, we asked how much longer it would be, and were told that he was running an hour late. They could have told us that when we arrived, but they didn't.

Then we found that Kahn was planning to leave at 4:30, so our appointment would not have even been possible at the scheduled 3:00. Another fact that the staff did not share with us. We left. If this outfit's staff has so little concern for us and our time, we did not feel comfortable trusting our eyes to them, and cannot find any reason to recommend them.

STAFF is snobby and unhelpful as other have said. I am a long time patient, I have always had insurance. I changed jobs, my insurance card had not come yet. I did however have a phone number and a group ID. They preferred to cancel the appointment losing money rather than make the phone call. Yes i took time off from my new job so i didn't have to cancel the appointment yet they are just uncooperative and rude. I have tried several time to contact the operations manager leaving messages, and she cannot be bothered to call back. I dont like being made to feel like I am a liar.

The staff at the counter and on the phone were great. The Dr's assistants were nice, but always seemed rushed & didn't want to take it slowly with my very young daughter who didn't know what all the machines & instruments were about. The Dr. himself also seemed very rushed and didn't want to let my daughter get comfortable with anything.

He said something like this is a thousand dollar instrument, I'm not letting her touch it.' While I understand that, I also think that an eye doctor that caters to children might have some old versions or toy versions of the instruments to let little kids handle. We went several times, though our last visit was over a year ago. They had a very nice kid's waiting area, and at least one of the assistants was really nice, otherwise I'd probably go with 1 star. Also, I can't speak to any of the other practitioners here, just the children's eye doctor. Maybe he's better with the older kids? I can only hope.

The staff were friendly, even jovial. Nice open clean office. I went for an eye exam and aside from the occasional expected delay, i was in and out pretty quickly. I was seen by Sr' Thees who has a warm and gentle manner. He was confident and explained what he was doing and why and made the exam relevant as opposed to merely something done. Highly recommended.

Had a bit of trouble scheduling here and my initial review reflected that experience. While I've still not scheduled a visit or seen one of their physicians to-date, their Director of Administration found my review and reached-out to make it better. A business reaching back to a client/customer or prospective client/customer is a rare thing these days, and regardless of first impressions, that always means a lot in my book.

It also means the business is keeping an eye out for how to improve and to remedy any issues those clients claim to have had. With that said, I'd recommend trying them, at least once. They've won me back not by service, yet, but by the attention they've given to me and their sincere efforts on making their patients feel welcome and cared for.