Bakersfield Eye Institute

Amazing experience.
Dr. Shively is not only one of the most affable and knowledgable doctors I have ever experienced but goes out of his way to make his patients feel like they are getting true care. The ladies at the front desk were kind and helpful along with all of the nurses and staff. One of nicest facilities, for any health office, that I have seen. They have a huge variety of glasses on location as well. People are all too often to leave a review when they find one thing they don’t like but seldom do when they have a memorable experience, I highly recommend Dr. Shively and his staff to anyone experiencing any eye problems or needing care. Will be returning here for all my optic needs.
–Paul C

I had some issues with clogged eyelid ducts over the weekend & developed cysts on & in both eyes. I called Monday & got in on Tuesday morning. I had a great experience with all the staff. The Dr. who treated me was Allison Moir. She was really personable and spent time with me explaining what was wrong, how it happened and how to fix the issue. The office was well staffed and I liked how quickly I was in and out without feeling like they rushed through the exam. I would definitely recommend to a friend.

I went to Bakersfield Eye Institute for a eye exam and was very happy with the overall experience. The staff was kind and friendly. The Dr. was very knowledgeable and made me feel comfortable!

I had a good experience at Bakersfield eye. The entire staff is professional and personable. They also have a great selection of frames to choose from.

Cindy the office managers attitude is unacceptable! I’m not sure who she thinks she is, but she is extremely rude. This will be my only & last visit to Dr. Hair because of his office staff.
Now they refuse to do my surgery because of what I said about Cindy & hoping she’d go blind so she’d understand what it feels like to not only not be able to see, but to be treated poorly by her for no reason.
Originally I was not being rude. So I say to her, & I quote «I am not being rude to you, why are being rude to me?!» She screams at me, «well what can I help you with?!» I said «Nothing, I’ll talk to Dr. Hair about your attitude», She screams «you go right ahead»
On Tuesday, I wait & wait for them to call me with my surgery time. They don’t call. I call them. They said they called me the day before but my phone kept cutting them off after a few rings. Yet I have 5 incoming calls from various people who had no problem getting through. They said first they would not be doing my surgery because I threatened Cindy … HUH?! Yes by saying I hope she goes blind is a threat? No saying I wanna punch you would be a threat. Then the excuse was because I gave them a bad review, they don’t feel they could do a good enough job to please me. Ummm… I had no problem with Dr. Hair & what he was going to do. He was very nice, but it seems he has forgotten his Hippocratic Oath as a Dr. & it’s all about $ & reviews!
So I asked «so I just walk around blind because of Cindy?» I was told of 2 other Dr.‘s I could call. I said «no I’ll just go back to Dr. See, who is very pleasant as is his staff.» When I told Dr. See’s Receptionist the whole insane story, she asked, «was it Cindy who was rude?» I answered «why yes it was» «Do you know her?» She said «we have had a lot of our patients complain about her & she also treats our office staff rudely when we have to deal with her.»
So why does this person have a job in a Dr.‘s office?! I was in a car wreck. Hit by a drunk driver. My insurance company is screwing me over. The lens in my eye is dislocated. & this Dr. has the audacity to refuse me surgery because Cindy was rude to me & I got fed up & was rude back?!
This isn’t Walmart. This is peoples vision you are dealing with here.
Do not go to this Dr. It is not worth the hassle from his office staff & he is not a good Dr. if he allows them to talk to patients the way she did.
He doesn’t care about patients vision Nor does his staff. I have the absolute right to give them a bad review. If you read below you will see several bad reviews, & a lot of them with «Cindy» mentioned & being rude.
WAKE UP Dr. Hair! You have 2 & ½ stars outta 5. That says a lot!

I developed some vision problems over a weekend, called for an appointment as a new patient on Monday morning, and was seen that same day out of concern for potential problems based on the symptoms I described.
Dr. Hair correctly diagnosed a detached retina, and I was referred for specialty laser surgery to correct it on the same day. The surgeon told me I was fortunate that the condition had been diagnosed promptly.
This was first class care and treatment for a brand new patient, and I’m grateful for it.
Naturally I stayed with BEI for follow on routine care, and took my family there as well. My only downside is that the glasses they sell in-​house are very expensive so I go elsewhere for that.

WOW! The blonde and brunette that sit at the front desk are very rude and unfriendly. Its one of those situations where you feel really uncomfortable to even ask for help. Its unfortunate that this beautiful place has enployed such rude individuals. My mom accompanied me-​Thursday 8AM (I had an appointment). This was my first time here. Apon arriving I was helped by a brunette (she looks asian but I’m not sure). The blonde was sitting next to her. My mom and I were talking in her native language while the girl got the papers ready for me to fill out, (FYI– I was born and raised in Bakersfield, so I know this place pretty darn well). She told me what to fill out & so on. I told my mom what the girl told me to do and while I was explaining it to my mom the girl started laughing & smiling while staring at us. WHILE WE WHERE AT THE FRONT DESK. I asked her what was so funny and she was suddenly taken back. It was very offensive. I dont believe someone is taking you seriously when all they are doing is laughing. I left and I’ll NEVER come here again. If the front desk employees don’t give a sh*t I can’t even begin to think about the DR. Sad.

Had annual eye exam (that I know my insurance covers 100%). Upon checking out, I was told by «Cindy» that I owed $ 50.00. I said, «I believe regular annual exams are covered 100% with my insurance». She said, «no, it isn’t».
I completed all my errands following my eye exam appointment. When I got home, I sat ½ an hour in hold with my insurance company. Blue Cross/​Blue Shield out of Illinois (PPO) actually contacted the Bakersfield Eye Institute to find out why they charged me $ 50.00. The BEI attempted to use 2 different reasons that they charged me.
Regardless, BOTH of which, my insurance covers at 100%.
If the staff at The BEI would go that extra step and verify before wrongly charging their customers, in turn, the customers actually having to be inconvenienced not only monetarily but by wasting time on the phone… doing their job. Now, of course, the BEI gets to float my money until whenever their billing cycle occurs??? Then, I’m sure that I will have to take more of my time to ask them to please, kindly, give me the money back that they had no right to take, to begin with.
Maybe better staff training or hire people that aren’t too lazy to actually do their job and not wrongly take customers money or force the customer to do their job for them.
Does anybody actually KNOW what they’re doing???
So frustrating.

They are very rude there I don’t really recommend going there I didn’t like that they give u your chart to carry to the back. In professional.

There are a lot of Ophthalmologists and optometrists in Bakersfield, but few are as good as the ones at Bakersfield Eye Institute. David B. Hair, MD is both young while still being very experienced. Every time I have seen him for a medical exam, he was very clear with his diagnosis, friendly, while also being very informative. I have also taken my family to Dr. Hair and he was also consistently informative and kind. Last week I saw Dr. Shively for my yearly vision exam and he was also very friendly and informative. He took the time to explain my vision was very mild, and I was relieved to learn my vision wouldn’t get any worse. Lastly, Alfred Leal the optician helped me find very nice glasses that were suitable to my face and personal style. BEI gets an A+ in my book! Refer your family and friends.

Had a lot of problems with this place. We prefer to see an ophthalmologist, who has a medical degree, to examine our eyes, but you can’t see Dr. Hair. You make an appt to see him, but they give you someone else. My husband’s prescription was all wrong. It took many phone calls, faxes & trips out there to get it corrected. No apologies. My frames were extremely expensive & the extras, like len’s protection, didn’t work at all. They’re scuffed & scraped, even though I’ve taken good care of them. After Albert got my money, he failed to walk through the doorway to fit my glasses once they came in. He looked up, then back down at his computer. In fact, no one fit them, just handed them to me. They’ve never felt right & we’ll never go back.

This doctor and his staff could care less about eye care. My 5 year old son urgently needed to see the doctor. They set me up with an appointment in 4 days. I told the receptionist Carlie that we are talking about a 5 year old child. She put me on hold and said Mon was the nearest appointment available. I said you doctor doesn’t care that its a 5 year old. She said Mon because the doctor wasn’t going to be in on Fri. Didn’t even try to fit him into the schedule. Dr. Ratty worked him right in the schedule no problem at all.

Zero is my rating for this rip off! First they miss filled my mothers prescription, then tried to blame her! Made us come back after their lunch and we waited over two hours before I complained –then an other twenty minutes passed before they called her again ! Five hours because they would and will not own their mistake!

I was surprised when I looked up this place and didn’t see 5 stars! Or that more people are not taking the time to write a review about how amazing Bakersfield Eye Institute is! My husband was involved in an accident at work and suffered bad chemical eye burns. After dealing with frustrating workers comp protocol we were finally referred to a specialist. By the grace of God we were referred here! From the moment we walked in we knew that we were in good hands. They were genuinely concerned about my husbands well being. Dr. Hair is top of the line and has a strong passion for what he does. He saw us almost everyday for about two weeks following the accident. He has and continues to work hard to give my husband the best treatment possible in order to regain his eyesight. We thank God that we were put in his care. Dr. Hair’s staff has also been very helpful and kind to us. We are able to reach them ²⁴⁄₇ if we have any problems and they even helped us when we ran into problems filling prescriptions. This review is an understatement of our experience at the Bakersfield Eye Institute. My husband and I are so grateful for everything they have done and continue to do for us. I highly doubt Dr. Hair needs any help with bringing in business, but I thought it was the lest I could do to let everyone know this is place you should go if you are looking for the best ophthalmologist around!

Cutting edge, full service, spotless, and courteous staff. Wow! This office rocks! They actually called to tell me they were behind, and asked if I’d mind coming in an hour later?!? I almost stroked out! Why don’t all Dr’s do this? It’s worth every penny.

I have had a few eye exams here and they were fine. I have also had glasses made here and the last time left me wanting for more. Not only were the lenses and frames rather expensive but it took them three times and 6 weeks to get it right.

The doctor and staff I encountered were pleasant. However, I was shocked when charged a $ 100 contact lense fitting fee. New to the area, I brought my prescription from the prior year with me — this did not change. Additionally, I brought the contact lense box with me to insure I would order the exact same lenses. The technician explained to me that in CA this fee was the ‘law’ and all optical offices charge it. I have been wearing contact lenses for 28 years (Georgia, New York City and Ohio) and have never heard of such a fee. And there was no ‘fitting’.
This business is thinly disguised as a rip off.