Michael J Bermel

I have visited Dr. Bermel’s office two separate times, 2 years apart. In my first visit, I ended up being given an incorrect prescription even after expressed my concerns to the technician (it was off a lot from my normal prescription and my vision had hardly changed in 10+ years.) I later found out that indeed, the prescription was incorrect, and I had been wearing the wrong glasses for nearly two years!
During my second visit I saw Dr. Bermel himself. The admin staff were nice, and I was seen fairly quickly by the assistant, but I was asked for my medical insurance information. I asked why they would need that when my vision insurance was separate, and was informed it was in case of a medical emergency only, and that it would not be accessed or my records pulled until or unless such an emergency occurred. I agreed, but informed her that they did not have my permission to access my insurance. (I also wrote it onto the consent form, initialing and dating where I made the note stating they did not have permission.)
When I actually saw Doctor Bermel, the exam took nearly an hour – I had never had such a long eye exam. On three instances during the exam he walked out of the room to criticize his staff for not having offered a specific service or product while I was waiting to see him. After the lengthy exam, he pronounced that I had a condition that would require eyelid cleansing cloths, which were around 30.00 per box. When I asked what would happen next, he told me it could also be treated by antibiotic eye drops. When I asked for the drops, he said he wanted me to try the pads first. I checked the Internet and saw I could get them elsewhere for around 8.00 per box, while he wanted around 30.00 so of course I told him I wasn’t interested. But when I went to check out, he told the receptionist that I was getting the cleansing pads anyway, and then added them to my bag even when I reminded him I was going to get them elsewhere. He then again told her to add them to my bill, which I of course did not allow once he walked away.
When I went to check out, my bill was 35.00 more than my vision co-​pay. When I asked why, I was told that it was because of the medical eye exam that he performed. When I said I had not approved such an exam (I had been quite clear from the time I first made my appointment that I wanted a vision exam and contacts fitting only) she said «but your insurance covers it so why wouldn’t you want it?». I was obviously quite upset since I had blatantly told them earlier they did not have my permission to access my medical insurance, and they had pulled it anyway. I pointed to the form that I had earlier initialed and dated showing that I had written they did not have my permission. When she told the doctor, he got so upset at her for not telling him before he did the (unapproved, unscheduled) medial eye exam that she nearly cried.
Overall, the constant push of very expensive add on services that are not covered by insurance, combined with the attempt to force me to purchase products and services I had already point-​blank refused, resembled nothing so much as a used car salesman. I was eventually able to get my money back for all the services except the basic vision exam, and also eventually got my written prescription (which I had requested multiple times on the actual day of the visit, and which he was required by law to provide if I requested.) but only after many repeated calls and written communication requesting it.
This doctor engages in practices that make it a very unpleasant experience to go there. He ignored my expressed wishes on three occasions during a single visit. He left during my exam three times, all to curtly remind his employees about added (non insured) services or products they were supposed to have tried to push on me before I ever got to the exam room. I would definitely not recommend him to anyone, and in fact would encourage those who have been there in the past to visit another doctor at lest once to make sure they are not also being treated for conditions they do not have (or are not wearing the wrong glasses for nearly two years, potentially doing damage to their vision). While it is possible that you may have gotten acceptable care from him, based on my experiences, it is just as likely that you have been treated for conditions you may not have

This office is very difficult to get scheduled for exams– the doctors are only in every other day since they rotate between offices. I had to have my exam at the Ashburn office two weeks after I made my appointment.
Most of the employees in the office are great. I feel like the doctors are thorough and do a good job examining your eye.
I went in Thursday for my eye exam in Ashburn. I am a first time contact wearer so the doctor selected a brand of contacts for my eye and sent me out front to schedule an appointment for the insertion training. They scheduled me for Saturday at the Leesburg office (which is closer to my house) however when I got there after spending 40 minutes with a receptionist teaching me how to poke myself in the eye I was told that I would not be leaving with my contacts. They had scheduled me on a day in which the doctor wasn’t in the office! Without a doctor to look at my eye and decide if it was a good fit I was forced to leave my contacts at the office. Elena was unapologetic and rather rude about the fact trying to say it was because I had an eye infection that the doctor hadn’t had me try them on at my exam (it was not, the appointments were 2 days apart and I don’t have an eye infection– I was on a preventative antibiotic drop due to an eye injury 3 weeks ago, but the doctor and the receptionists at the time of scheduling said nothing and said my eye looked great) i.e. Elena was just trying to come up with a reason to cover up a scheduling error. I’m ok with scheduling errors, it happens– but at least apologize and don’t try to make it my fault.
This is a holiday weekend and the doctors won’t be back in until Tuesday (if that’s a day that they have a doctor in the office) With how busy an office it is it could be next saturday until I can see a doctor based on past scheduling experience– which would mean ¼th of my contacts life has been spent suspended in saline solution in their office. Contacts that I have already paid out of pocket for since insurance doesn’t cover the trial pair and insertion training. I will update this review when I see what actually happens with the appointment.

After the eye exam, possibly the worst experience I’ve had customer service wise in over 20 years. Went in for Silhouettes and after paying them $ 407 back in 2010, it’s been nothing but a nightmare. First set of glasses wouldn’t fit right after numerous ‘fittings’ so a new pair was ordered. Dr. Bermel’s staff insists the lab is to blame for all of these however these are just a few of the issues I’ve had; a lens was missing a spot (about a fingertips worth) of AR coating, lens were scratched by the finisher before returning them, lens were different thickness with a very minor magnification. Took them to the Ashburn office and was told the pair never should have been given to me (and had the girl working there not said, ‘oh sh*t, Mr. Lansberry’s here’ because she didn’t want to deal with me, I probably wouldn’t have accepted them) as they were loose and definitely not customer ready. Had another pair done up only to find more AR coating missing and then had to have them sent back again. In the end, it took approximately 13 weeks to get a $ 407 pair of Silhouettes back (and that’s not including what my insurance company paid) and you know what, I was told they were fine only to find out when I went to use them yesterday that they are scratched or cracked near the drill mount yet again. Not even going to bother going back and will go somewhere else to have a pair made the right way.
So unless you’re up for waiting and being treated like a 3^rd class citizen because you expect a certain amount of quality and customer service for your money, don’t waste your time going. My wife uses MyEyeDr and had two pairs done so far and had both back in less than 10 days with no problems or errors at all. Oh, and I took the time to let the owner, director and a manager know about the situation and wasn’t helped at all, was basically told in not so many words to go F— myself and I wasn’t getting any sort of compensation or assistance moving forward at all.
Save yourself the time and hassle of dealing with this substandard group of offices (Leesburg and Ashburn both) and go somewhere that you’ll be able to get your glasses done right in much less time and to much higher quality standards than Dr. Bermel and his staff will ever be able to show you.
Edit after Friday, April 29^th:
After picking up the glasses on or about 04/​15, after I was informed that the lab decided to put 1.7 lens in the glasses, I went home only to find scratches on the right lens by the top tension mount. I took them to Janet in the Ashburn office on ⁰⁴⁄₂₂ and when she looked at them she said she couldn’t believe she missed it and taht it looked like a tool used in the lab slipped and scratched the lens.
I said to see if it could be covered under my scratch guarantee which she said it could (even though I think if she’s saying the lab scratched it, I shouldn’t have had to use my warranty to cover it). She said she was going to get her VSP representative involved with this repair which makes what I found on Friday even worse because that means at all levels at the VSP lab and Dr. Bermel’s office no one is paying attention at all.
When I picked up the glasses on 04/​29, they looked good, the office fit them to my face (to some extent) and I was on my way. I didn’t see any AR coating problems, scratches and all the mount points seemed tight with no gaps at all. I wore them for a while at home and took them off and when laying them on my desk, realized the left lens (keep in mind the lens that had the scratches was the right lens) was visibly thicker than the right. I’ve emailed Janet regarding this but have received no response.
On ⁰⁴⁄₂₉ I told Janet I could live with it however, the more I think about it (and I discussed it with my wife and we both agree) I don’t think I will. To me, and I’m no expert on lens material), I think the lab pulled both lens and used the lower quality lens for the left eye and the 1.7 on the right eye. The lab upgraded the lens material to 1.7 at the last repair because of mounting problems and because of the level of incompetence (my words not theirs) that’s been demonstrated over the past 9 months.
I’ll be contacting Janet again today by email to let her know I want it taken care of and am no longer willing to accept the difference in thickness of the lens (the pair I had made at Art for your Face, are exactly to the millimeter same thickness).
More to come, I’m guessing at least for a while longer.