Stewart A Levine, MD

I went here to get treatment for a stye and was seen by Dr. Cohen. The stye was a bit stubborn and had to come three times. I thought Dr. Cohen gave me quality treatment, but this is a practice where you wait, and wait, and wait to get seen. It’s awful.
1^st appointment: One hour wait time.
2^nd appointment: TWO HOUR wait time. Yes, 2 hours!
3^rd appointment: Fifty minute wait time.
Each appointment with the doctor was only 10 minutes, so the statistics are:
Number of visits: 3
Total doctor time: 30 minutes
Total wait time: 240 minutes
This is disrespectful and rude. I will never come here again.
Furthermore, on my second visit I witnessed one of the (non-​medical) staff members trying to push a retina scan on an elderly lady who looked well into her 80’s. She kept saying that she couldn’t afford it, and the staff member was pushing her to pay the $ 50 for the test. He finally said that she needed to get the test the next time she came if she didn’t get it that day. She was visibly upset and becoming confused, so I stood up and walked over and explained to him that she already said «no», and a woman in her 80’s didn’t need a retina scan. If she could still see well at 85+, she’s doing remarkably good for her age. He glared at me, and I could tell he was about to make a snarky remark, but the rest of the waiting room came to the lady’s defense once they saw me give the staff member a piece of my mind. It’s unconscionable.
The fact of the matter is, if she had her eye exams done at a Vision Center, that retina exam would be free (along with many other exam types with expensive machines that a small office like this can’t afford), as part of her regular checkup. I thought this was a slimy maneuver on the staff member.
This place sucks. You can do MUCH better for eye care with a doctor and staff that understands and respects the fact that you have a job, or kids, and can’t afford to wait an hour or more for your appointment.
I’ll never come back, but I’ll tell you what I did like about this practice:
1. The office staff, other than the slimy guy who was pushing the $ 50 test on the elderly lady, was actually quite nice. They were friendly and efficient.
2. Dr. Cohen herself was quite good. I think she gave me quality care.
3. The office is a beautiful house in a beautiful neighborhood.
However, I can’t afford to spend 1+ hours of waiting, and I don’t need to. There are other options for eyecare in NYC.

I have been coming here for about 10 years now. My first encounter was four years after ⁹⁄₁₁. I did some work with the Red Cross and apparently the soot and ash formed some kind of crustacean on under my eyelids. I thought I might have had glaucoma because of pressure I was feeling. As it turns out, he had to shave it out (almost passed out in his office) and I have been coming here ever since. Sometimes it can be a wait, but it’s always worth it.
Dr. Levine gives you the personal care and treatment you need and once you are in there you never feel rushed. You can be sure you are getting the best professional care. He knows what he is doing and I trust him. The staff is very helpful and nice. I highly recommend him for all of your needs.

I would not recommend this doctor to anyone. The wait time even if you have an appointment (as required) is always more than 1 hour. Doctor Levine showed me his true sense of proffesionalism when I arrived late due to my car being towed. I called and was told to come in and that it was ok because he had other patients to see. The doctor took not 1 but 3 women ahead of me for Botox procedures. I had an inflamed painfull stye and was treated like a third class citizen. I have been to his office 6 times since 2008 to have this stye treated. Each time I paid a $ 40 co payment. This tratment was clearly dragged on for monitary reasons. I will never ever use this office for any vision issues again. Dr Levine has dissapoiinted me for the last time. I left after waiting 2hours and 15 minutes. I got mt co 7^th co payment refunded and will be writting a formal letter of complaint to both his office and my insurance company. This is one of the worst experiences of my life.