Retina Institute of California

On surface, this establishment looked pretty legit. But their total lack of patient care is so unacceptable I have let off steam and warn the others what to expect if your surgery outcomes not ideal.
Should have been warned when the good Dr. Theodore left. The biggest issue wasn’t with the not-​so-​good surgery results but it’s with their non-​existent patient support and after surgery care. They treat you as if you’re an annoying fly who won’t go away but keeps asking questions and coming back for follow ups. Call center reps say they’ll transfer your calls but many times I’ll be on hold while I finished my lunch, brushed my teeth, and went potty. They dropped my calls so many occasions I felt like they’re toying with me. My messages were never delivered to the doc or the supervisor, and lately the calls are not even answered but goes straight to answering machine.
People in the office are even worse, always with care-​less attitudes and clueless like a cow. Whether you’re 30 min early or 1 minute late for the office visit, minimum wait is an hour. Are they forgetting they’re paid to greet patients with empathy and care? Never apologetic for the eternal wait, ignoring patients like we’re invisible.
Be prepared to Google on your own for any preop or post surgery care, cuz someone from Pomona office will shoot you an email just telling you to show up and hide like a fugitive, no where to be found, never returns calls. Yet she seems like the ONLY soul in RIC who knows anything about your upcoming surgery appointment. To get any type of help or answers, you’ll need to call their on-​call doctors who are so much more helpful and 1000 times more courteous. but you must go through this nasty after hour call answering service lady who’s either chewing gum or smoking cigarettes or god knows if she’s even speaking through her mouth.
I’ve had enough encounters with these yippie-​ki-​yays to give them a fat «F» rating. And their patient follow up care. oh wait, that doesn’t exist. Staff’s bad attitude also spreading onto the docs, and a total opposite of RIC’s model — «higher standard of patient care». You mean «higher level of patient aggravation»? So laughable. This not a plea, but a warning for RIC. Sometimes it does take only one fly to bring you down — but this fly will just quietly fly away believing an organization like this will eventually crumble on its own.

Over all great experience! I drive an hour and 15 min the get there, not dissatisf66ied in the least.

I have been taking my friend to Dr. Theodore at the Retina Center of a couple of years. His eye sight has improved greatly, he could get glasses and can drive again.
Good Job.

Dr S Theodore is amazing, by far the best disposition of any dr I have ever countered. She is kind, companionate and competent all together making her such an amazing doctor.
She takes her time to explain every thing until it is fully understood. She is so soothing, she takes any nervousness away and u just feel so safe and comfortable in her care. We had an urgent case and she got us in that same day and even waited over forty minutes for us to arrived due to the traffic, after hours. Even though the office was closed she still took her time and was so patient with us.
Even the way she treats her staff is something to be praised. She truly cares.
I highly recommend her to anyone and everyone.

I was referred to this office because of Dr Theodore’s expertise. Unfortunately the office staff does not have much to recommend. My interaction with the office staff reflected a lack of follow through on patient care, lack of communication on patient care, and lack of interest Twice they were unable to keep track of my appointments Twice they were unable to notify me timely, or at all, of the Dr’s unavailability. Twice I took time off to drive down along with a companion, who also took time off to drive me home after dilation of my eyes (I live in Orange County). I arrived the same time as a young man who had shown up 3 times to find Dr not available and no phone calls.
There is no third time for me.

These people are the best. Every time, we’ve gotten kind, meticulous, expert help for our elderly mother, from Vincent Hau, MD, and staff Giselle, Jessica, Cindy, Susie, and Alex. Dr. Hau has advanced skills in both eye medicine and pharmacology, with the latest, most up-​to-​date treatments for macular degeneration.