USC Eye Institute – Arcadia

Finally found the perfect doctor and place for me! I feel so lucky USC Eye Institute is in Arcadia and serving our community. They take the guess work out of finding a trustworthy doctor. I saw Dr Song and he was great! Also Silvia is most helpful, I will definitely come back to this place!

5÷31÷2016
I went to see Dr Jonathan Song to day for my Cataract. Their ancillary staff Gary, Becky, Lisa and Sylvia are superb very caring and helpful. Dr Song is highly knowledgable and experience surgeon in Femtosecond laser cataract surgery. He listen to me and answer all the questions I had and gave me some brochures to read. I was very satisfied with the informations he provided esp. New Symfony Tecnis premier IOL coming in the market place when I asked the question about recent advances in Catarect surgery. I have decided to wait for my surgery for this multi focal lens implant after cataract surgery and he agreed too. I am glad I came to see him.
I also give 5 star rating to Dr Lam Retina Specialist and Dr Rohit Verma Glucoma specialist because I saw them last year. They both are highly qualified, knowledgable and very through examiner. For any of your eye’s medical or surgical conditions this is the premier place to visit and I recommend with confidence to any of my friends and family. I will request them to continue to listen to your customers for their needs and provide them information and exception eye-​care and maintain the high standard that you always do for this premier institution with my best wishes
Jag Purohit

Wow, this office is great! I just got back from a thorough eye exam by retina specialist Hossein Ameri, MD, PhD. With my diabetes a specialist is needed, and Dr. Ameri is truly incredible! He was kind, gentle, and answered all my questions. I left armed with all sorts of helpful, informative reading and suggestions.
The entire office was 5-​star friendly, and I absolutely love Chui Chow, the receptionist. She went out of her way to soothe any anxieties I might have, and was genuinely fun to talk to!
This is one doctor’s office I won’t mind going back to, and highly recommend it to anyone needing an accurate, professional exam.

I am seeing Dr. Song for cataracts and have an excellent experience there. Dr. Song is professional and personable and has taken the time to explain the problems and potential solutions and to answer all my questions. The staff is very friendly and helpful and in particular, the receptionist, Chui, handles the front desk with great personality, competence and patience. She puts a smile on my face each time in enter the facility.

I love everyone at USC Eye Institute. We started coming here in March because my partner’s glaucoma had not been responding to treatment with other providers and he was losing vision. His was a very difficult case that required the kind of care and support that only USC Eye Institute had the resources (and personnel) to provide during 7 months of intensive treatment. Today, his eye pressures are pretty well controlled and we only have a cataract procedure before we are on a «maintenance» plan. But during this period, we were visiting USC 2 – 3 times a week at some points and I cannot overstate how important it was to be in the hands of world-​class experts.
At the Arcadia clinic, I have to say how much I admire the front desk staff, especially Chui who handles all the electronic «paperwork» and glitches with aplomb. She has the patience of a saint. I really admire how professional she is. Also on my Favorite People list are technicians Elizabeth and the other fellow there (I forget his name – but he is really good at workups). And, of course, how can you not adore Sylvia, who is always so warm and friendly as she checks to make sure things are going well?
And, of course, the star of the show will always be Dr. Varma in my opinion and his excellent team of doctors. If you research him, you will learn that Dr. Varma is not just any eye doctor. He is a world-​expert on glaucoma and leading authority on eye disease, having done thousands and thousands of procedures. Dr. Varma is chair of USC’s Department of Ophthalmology and professor of Ophthalmology and Preventive Medicine. He also serves as director of the USC Eye Institute and holds the Grace and Emery Beardsley Chair in Ophthalmology. Recently, he was appointed to some national commission regarding eye disease. So, between that and instructing students, lecturing at and attending conferences to stay up to date on the latest information, he is kind of a busy guy – yet never too busy to take care of his patients or to explain what is going on. On the rare occasion when Dr. Varma could not see us due to his many commitments, he made sure we were seen by his outstanding colleagues, like Dr. Reznik (whom we also love and cannot say too many great things about) or Dr. Sagar (our favorite «fellow» who we still miss). At no point did I ever feel we did not have a whole TEAM of experts behind us saving my partner’s vision.
Which brings me to another point. The fact is, that because these are really the best doctors around dealing with some of the most challenging cases, there will be times other people’s eye emergencies will cramp the scheduling. It’s just a matter of math, and it happens once in awhile. So there may be times when you have to wait longer than expected. If you don’t really have an eye health issue and can’t handle waiting, by all means, go somewhere else and leave Dr. Varma for us. But if you do have vision issues and want the very best care in the world, then this is the place to be. Just remember to bring a book or your smartphone for the occasional visit where you may have to wait because someone else’s eye emergency got in the way of a perfect schedule. Think of it as paying it forward, because one day YOU may have an eye emergency, and Dr. Varma would never think of making you lose vision to delay being seen until you «fit» into the office schedule. When it comes to blindness vs. waiting, we find it a pretty easy choice to make. Know your priorities and plan accordingly.

Woohoo Dr. Linda Lam and staff, you deserve all the five stars you are getting for your caring and kind ways.

From start to finish everyone I interacted with was great.
Chui provided excellent customer service making sure my previous tests from another doctor were printed for the doctor.
Luis, Gary and Becky were great technicians and made sure the tests were done correctly.
Dr. Varma is a true Glaucoma expert. I was previously misdiagnosed by another doctor with Glaucoma. Dr. Varma said I have no Glaucoma.
Here are some facts based on my previous visit to the old doctor:
1) Eye pressure was normal always around 10 to 12.
2) My peripheral vision was normal on the first test, but not normal on the last visit. I told the doctor that something was not right with the test. My eyes were unusually tired that day and I just felt the test wasn’t executed properly.
3) My other tests were normal for all 3 visits, except she said my optic nerve was slightly large part on the first visit.
4) I’m Chinese, and the statistics for my race to have Glaucoma is low.
5) My family has no history of Glaucoma, lowering the chances even further.
6) I have asthma and the doctor attributed the Glaucoma to my inhaler. This was quickly disproven by my pulmonologist by providing me with the actual clinical research.
Dr. Varma was so puzzled with the other doctor’s diagnosis. He said «How can a so called glaucoma expert diagnose you with Glaucoma with eye pressure of just 10. All your tests are normal including your optic nerve. You’re not even a Glaucoma suspect.
I hope this helps you make an informed decision in choosing a good Opthalmologist.

I came back for my 3^rd visit with Dr. Verma and there was some mix up with my appt. The office had phone issues when I called to make my appt and they schedule me to see Dr. Verma in the LA office when I requested to be seen in Arcadia. I did not receive a phone call the day before my appt to remind me of my visit so I didn’t know they scheduled me in LA. I showed up to the Arcadia office at 10am. They had me sit 45 mins in the waiting room before Sylvia, the office manager, came out and called me into her office. She explained that Dr Verma was in LA but I could do the visual field test and come back another day to see Dr Verma. I was pretty upset. No one called me to confirm my appt and they had me sit in the waiting room for 45 mins before anyone notified me Dr Verma is in LA. I took the whole day off of work for this appt so I can’t come back another day.
Dr Lam, the retinal specialist, offered to see me because she heard what happen and felt bad about the mix up. I explained to Sylvia I came to see Dr Verma, the glaucoma specialist, so I want to be seen by the right doctor. Sylvia decided that they will see me anyway. She will send my test results to Dr Verma to review and he will call to go over my results with me. Sylvia pulled a tech to help me with my exams.
This visit was almost a complete disaster but Sylvia was able to find a way for me to be seen. I am giving two stars for the fact that they found a way for me to be seen.
BEWARE when you make an appt. Make sure you if you do not receive a call from the office, the day before your appt, that you call to confirm. You do not want to waste a whole day driving to the wrong office. There seems to be a lot of issues at this office. Dr Verma is wonderful but I dread my visits to this office because the staff is incompetent.

I had surgery for a detached retina about 9 years ago, and the surgeon I had was excellent, I had yearly check ups, until the doctor who performed the surgery moved to Chicago, Foolishly I put off having my yearly check ups, because I couldn’t find a Doctor that I had complete confidence in. Coincidentally a cousin was having similar eye issues, and had been treated by my original doctor. She found Dr. Lam telling me that she discovered that our original doctor was trained by Dr. Lam needless to say we were both thrilled to have such excellent care by Dr. Lam, she is so thorough, she immediately put me at ease with her professional yet friendly manner. Did not have to wait, she was on time, and her staff was great. I am so happy to have found Dr. Lam, my eyes are in great hands. I am now back on track having bi annual check ups until she (Dr Lam) is able to determine that my eyes are on track then my check ups
Will be yearly. Thank you Dr. Lam.

This is my second attempt at accessing services for my child who ended with bilateral retinal detachment of unknown origin. This office is heaven sent! The staff are very helpful, knowledgeable and very professional. it was just unfortunate that the main Los Angeles office did not accommodate his needs the first time because the delay had a very devastating result.
Maria N.

I have seen both Dr. Varma and Dr. Lam. On both visits, I was never kept sitting in a waiting room for more than a few minutes. Every person on the staff was courteous and patient. They explained each test and the results. I am extremely happy with this office.

This was my first visit with this office and this ophthalmologist. I have glaucoma, so I need to go to a specialist. I didn’t realize until later that Dr. Varma is the chair of the dept., but I should have known by his professional manner and the time and detail he put into my exam.
Also, I love not having to worry about parking. The Arcadia office has plenty of free parking places.

An excellent experience! The doctor and office staff were superb… they are all professional and helpful.

Dr. Lam and the staff have done a tremendous job. I can’t say enough good things about them.

I was finally able to see the retina specialist, and I am happy to report that this experience was a complete 180 from my first time here, and then some. Bottom line is, USC Eye Institute took my feedback to heart, thus making me feel valued as a patient, and tried their damned hardest to remedy my last negative experience here.
Much to my relief, when I arrived, the incredibly rude receptionist that I encountered last time was not there. Instead, I was greeted by Lisa and another staff member, Sylvia, who were both very friendly and helpful.
To my surprise, my medical records that I requested 6 weeks ago had not arrived to the Arcadia office yet. Lisa took care of the problem and liaised with my old provider’s office, which was going above and beyond, especially because it was the old provider’s fault in failing to send the records in the first place. Her speaking with them saved me time and aggravation, and allowed me to get started with the eye diagnostic testing promptly.
This time, I was taken back right away. I worked with Becky, another clinician, to perform diagnostic tests on my eyes. She was very friendly and professional, and the tests were done efficiently. Usually, getting the pressure taken in my eyes is very uncomfortable (and IMO, the worst part of the whole exam), but Becky did it in such a proficient way that I was shocked at how *not* uncomfortable it was! I also saw her wipe down the equipment before and after each use, so as a germ-​a-​phobe, I had confidence that everything was clean.
When I met with Dr. Lam to discuss the results of my diagnostic exam, she was very thorough and even took the time to explain to me things that I didn’t know about my eyes before. I liked that she used a 3D plastic eye model so I could better see (in all senses of that word) what was going on inside my eye. She also checked-​in multiple times during the conversation to make sure I understood everything we discussed. I really appreciated the patient friendly language that she used — sophisticated enough to cater to someone with a healthcare background, but not so full of jargon that it makes the patient feel belittled or confused. Finally, she gave me a lot of information about my eye condition (both verbal and written) and left me feeling very confident in her medical expertise.
When I met with Sylvia to set up my next appointment, she even gave me her cell number in case of emergencies, which is above and beyond. Overall, I was very impressed by how hard everyone was trying to make sure my experience was the best that it could be this time. This dedication stands out because none of these staff members were the ones directly at fault, but they took up the slack /​took the flak for that not-​so-​great employee.
Also, it shows that USC Eye Institute took the time to listen and respond to feedback, which is always a plus. (And I am still amazed at how efficiently Becky took the eye pressure measurements, so as to minimize my discomfort!)
In regards to the building and environment, it’s a newer facility so everything is pretty clean, and new. They also have coffee and water in the lobby, which is a nice touch. There is free, convenient lot parking outside the building, which is also awesome.
Finally, upon leaving, they gave me a pair of sunglasses to wear, which was really nice and helped me get home safely since my eyes were dilated and a bit light sensitive.
In summary, the staff I worked with this last time really went out of their way to rectify the previous situation, which goes a long way in my book especially when it was not their fault. It is very unfortunate that the one horrible receptionist is the first person patients may encounter when they arrive, not even getting a chance to experience the excellent, quality service from the rest of the team. (On top of her rudeness, negative attitude, and short tone, that receptionist *never told* the doctor or any other staff member that I was out there in the waiting room (!!!), hence why I felt like they completely forgot about me during that first appointment.)
Hopefully management can do something about her directly so she does not singlehandedly tarnish an otherwise excellent experience here, and overshadow all the other hardworking staff members that actually care about patients.