Barry J Cohen, OD

Its been a couple of years since I last wrote a review on this amazing doctor and his staff. Since then both my wife and I have had two examinations each. The staff is friendly and professional and is really good at suggesting how to maximize your insurance coverages and selecting glasses. But recently I had an experience that I would like to share because it tells you something about Dr. Cohen. I had a contact pop into the back of my eye which I could not get out. So I called the office and they fit me in asap. Dr. Cohen put some dye in my eye, found that the contact had in fact been removed but that I had an eyelid in my eye which needed to be removed. With steady hand, Dr. Cohen did that in a flash. He refused to charge me! This is the type of doctor you will get when visiting him. Wonderful!

In writing this review I hope to:
A) provide fair warning to new potential patients
B) provide some suggestions for improvement to the business owner.
With any review of a medial service my feedback is related to both the Office Staff as well as the Doctor.
My experience with the Office Staff was unlike anything I have experienced in a professional environment. I had a few needs that required having to contact the front office, make a few additional visits to the office to pick up products and requesting additional billing details necessary to fulfill my medial claim. The woman who informed me she was the ‘manager’ of the front office was incredibly rude and treated me as though I had something terribly wrong when I requested simple information. She was passive aggressive and condescending in her tone towards me — the opposite set of professional skills this position should possess. In reading the previous reviews, I am clearly not the first person to call out this specific individual and I truly hope that the business owner listens to voice of their customers and their complaints so that they can make the necessary changes to course-​correct.
My experience with Dr. Cohen was pleasant and easy. It was what I have come to expect for typical eye exams and contact prescription assessments. The reason I have weighed this portion of my experience with Eye Concepts is because he issued a weaker prescription than what I have had in the past. I trusted his advice and unfortunately am having difficulty with my long distance and night vision, and therefore need to get a new exam to get the corrected prescription.
In all my experiences dealing with eye doctors, this has been the worst. I believe in our society we vote everyday in how we choose to spend our money, and I suggest not ‘voting’ for this business in its current condition and the makeup of their office personnel.

I love the proffesional all people are there and the relation so close between Dr and patient make me feel so welcome and cared

Our family has been cared for by Dr. Cohen for almost 15 years. He is current and knowledgeable about young and aging eyes, forward thinking, and caring. He and his staff go the extra mile to provide a great experience for his patients. It is easy to get an appointment and there is almost never a wait. Big recommend.

Dr. Cohen goes the extra mile. He is concerned about you. He is the first optometrist to recommend I use eye drops… Simple as it sounds, his recommendation has made a difference.

This doctor is amazing! That sums it up. I made my debut visit and it was such a great experience. The moment I walked in I was greeted with smiles. I felt welcomed. The interaction was phenomenal.
My daughter and I both had appointments. I was very impressed with the knowledge of Dr. Cohen and appreciated him explaining everything in depth along with visuals to support what was being told to me. He made me feel comfortable, he has a great personality and catered especially to my daughter. We all shared laughs and enjoyed ourselves. Normally children are scared and uncomfortable but, this wasn’t the case at all. My visit felt more like I was visiting family rather than an eye appointment.
I’m so happy I chose this place of business and I’m looking forward to going back. It was the eat experience ever! You will not be disappointed.

I was looking forward to my appointment with Dr. Cohen given the great reviews here, but basically had the worst experience ever with his receptionist, so ended up walking out without meeting the doctor. She is incredibly rude and will yell at you if you ask any questions. There are plenty of other great optometrists who have better receptionists and I would much rather take my business elsewhere. I also realized that Unilocal has a bunch of negative reviews of this doctor hidden away and the majority are about the receptionist.

Dr. Barry Cohen and his staff are superb! Their knowledge, friendliness and excellent service cannot be surpassed. Both my wife and I feel fortunate to have Dr. Cohen take care of our vision care.

This man, Dr. Barry Cohen — is the finest — the BEST. AAAAA+

I just visited this office and had the most thorough and detailed eye exam. It was just great. Dr. Cohen has been in his profession for many years and seems very up to date and experienced. Very knowledgeable. I recommend him. And they serve coffee, latte and so on. Friendly and pleasant atmosphere.
Enjoy!

Dr Cohen is knowledgable, funny, accommodating, and best of all truly loves what he does. It’s a shame I live 2 hours from his office, if you need to see an optometrist and have the opportunity go see dr Cohen you won’t regret it!

I wrote a review in 2013 and not much has changed. I’m still experiencing the highest level of care from Eye Concepts.
Your eye doctor is an important part of your health care. I can’t stand wearing glasses except at home so I’m required to get annual check ups. I look forward to my visits because I know I will get the best care possible.
I have always had dry eyes and Dr Cohen constantly recommends new products to assist me with staying hydrated. I have the perfect contacts for my condition as well as supplemental products. My allergies have also given me trouble for as long as I can recall. I often had red eyes which is not an attractive feature. Dr Cohen helped me find products to keep my eyes clear, white and irritant free.
I get amazing care but most importantly it’s the warmth I feel during my visits. You genuinely feel a since of community and concern for your eye health. Dr Cohen won’t recommend anything you don’t need and will discuss alternatives if your needs are financially constraining. I’m so grateful he is a part of my healthcare management.
If you want a great doctor who has passion for what he does even after all these years… he’s your guy! He is not simply about making money. You will see (pun intended) that he consistently reinvests in his business to offer the most modern equipment for testing. And if you have questions about your coverage or anything administratively related his staff will take care of you. The office is beautifully maintained with more frame styles than you can imagine. I wouldn’t trust my eyes with anyone other than Eye Concepts. They provide great service and they actually care!
Schedule your appointment today! :)

Dr. Barry Cohen is HILARIOUS, along with being thorough and taking his time. His staff is also wonderful — very helpful with finding the best frames to fit your face.
Simply put. .. look no further for an optometrist in Santa Monica!!!

I have been seeing Dr Cohen for over 25 years, and he has given me personalized service, knows my eyes, and I wouldn’t see anyone else! I live far from his office, but I make the trek there all the time.

Dr. Cohen is amazing! Best eye doctor I have ever seen. He has a very thorough knowledge of MS and how it can affect the eyes. I have recurring eye infections which leave my eyes blood shot red and after I see Dr. Cohen, no more red! That is a huge plus for me. I’m getting ready to move but I will still keep Dr. Cohen as my eye doctor.

Dr. Barry Cohen is the best.
Don’t really need to say anything else.
Takes as much time as is necessary. Doesn’t rush. Extremely knowledgable, patient, empathetic, available. Just always great. I recommend him without hesitation.

Only wish I lived closer! I first saw Dr. Cohen eh, oh, errr, about 35+ years ago when his office was on the other side of Lincoln. I’ve lived all over the country and Hawaii and I have never been to a better eye doctor than, Dr. Cohen. Even specialists with all sorts of fancier credentials were not able to fit and correct my astigmatism and near-​sightedness like Dr. Barry has. When I lived closer, whenever I had eye emergencies (eyelash under eyelid — ouch!), I called his office and viola, he always made the time to take care of me ASAP. He even fitted my former husband with contact lenses after his second round of cornea transplants. Dr. Cohen is the best! Open an office in the Philadelphia area, please!

While the Doctor himself was pleasant (although rather pushy with his up-​selling), the lady in charge of the administrative side of things was horrible.
She was rude, pushy, and drastically overcharged me by not including my insurance mandated discount (it wasn’t until I later spoke with my insurance company that I realized this). Even after she reluctantly amended the amount charged, what I paid for their services was drastically above even Santa Monica’s premium prices.
Will not be returning.

I made a mistake of going to Lens Crafter (to save a little money), not only did I not get the correct lenses for my glasses, the lenses on the glasses were a little loose and the exam was just so-​so, there were 3 – 4 people administering the exam.
I’ve been coming here for more than 5 years, and Dr Cohen is not only thorough with his exam, he really takes his time and I’ve always gotten the glasses and lenses correctly.
I can also understand why some of the reviewers complained about the «Russian» office manager, she’s definitely not the friendliest. I haven’t had any problems with her though.

I have been going to Eye Concepts for about 4 years. I do not have a single problem with them. In fact, I could be going to an eye doctor right around the corner, but I make the trek up to Santa Monica, because I trust their exams. I don’t want some place where it is about how fast they can get people in and out, I want them to take time to do all the right tests, and explain everything, which they do.
Dr. Cohen knows what he is talking about. He has all the best equipment and they take a bunch of different tests before you even see the eye Dr. to take the rest of the tests. My prescription has always been spot on. He is a friendly guy, likes to talk, a LOT. So if you want an unfriendly in-​and-​out place, this isn’t it.
I always go during the week, so there is never any wait. I think it may be a bit more crowded on the weekends. I have gone for glasses, as well as contacts. They make sure the glasses fit you just right, which I love.
I see that the few bad reviews are mainly due to the front desk staff. I have to admit, when I very first started going, the woman at the front desk was a little rough around the edges. OK, honestly, she scared the crap outta me. I am overly-​sensitive and if it was really that bad I wouldn’t of kept going back. **But bonus, I have noticed in the last year or so, she has been sweet as pie and all smiles. I don’t think it is just me either. I have seen her with other patients. Maybe they read the reviews. lol
She even made a point to call me and let me know my contacts were in and was willing to make arrangements so I could get them even though it was a holiday and they were closed. A+++++