Solinsky EyeCare

I’m amazed at some of the previous reviews. I have been to see doctor three times now. I have found the staff, from reception to MAs to eyeglass sales associates courteous, professional, and kind.
There is a certain sense of organized chaos in the office, I’m assuming due to the large volume of clients.
I can’t say enough good things about Dr Solinsky. He has exuded a quiet confidence and explained my situation completely. I’m very reassured my sight is in good hands.

I needed a routine eye exam so that I could order new contacts. I wanted to stick with the same brand and just needed my prescription to be checked to see if it had changed at all. I was looking for a local office close to home and made an appointment with Dr. Kidd as he had an opening. When I arrived at the office, I was surprised to see how large it was — I thought this may be a good thing so that I would get fast and quality service… I was wrong. I stood at the reception desk for five minutes before any of the six young women behind the desk acknowledged me. What I witnessed behind the desk was unprofessional… three to four young women were laughing to each other about what they were going to wear out that night for drinks. Two other young women behind the desk were talking about how they were going to style their hair. I was witness to these conversations while patiently waiting to check-​in for my appointment. Some were eating behind the desk… eating behind the desk at a medical office???
I was finally brought in for my exam, but met with a technician first. I had already filled out a lengthy questionnaire regarding general medical questions and concerns I had about my eyes. Without my knowledge, the technician gave me a dry eye test without telling me there would be a charge for it. I was led to believe this was part of they exam as they were gathering general information for my medical chart. Later, I found out I was charged for it. My insurance called them several times to remedy this charge and was given the run-​around for quite some time. I finally called myself and got the charge reversed.
There have been many times that I tried to reach someone at the office and the phone would ring continuously until the phone call mysteriously «dropped.» I would call again and again, only to be hung up on. I had to call their Enfield office and ask why no one was picking up at the West Hartford location. The receptionist transferred my call and I was finally able to speak with someone. What a nightmare this place is. The customer service is terrible and the staff unprofessional. This location doesn’t run like a medical office should — not going back.

I will still say that I am still not pleased with my initial experience at the eyeglass center, but Brian, from the office did reach out to me and tried to see if there was anything he could do to change my perception. The simple act of giving me a call has already changed my perception.
I will give the eyeglass center another chance when I stop by to pick up my contact lenses.

DO NOT RECOMMEND. Very unprofessional and rude staff. They misquoted the price by $ 55-​$ 70. I pointed it out and immediately got an attitude. I was told: «you can go back to your previous provider if you don’t want to pay». Wow, talk about a total fail.
They didn’t even know what the appointment was for, had my name spelled wrong in the computer system also. After I mentioned that it still was spelled wrong, I was told:
«Yeah, that’s how it’s in the system». So, they lost the fitting fee, eyeglass sale and all future business. The best part of the visit was walking out!
Their arrogance and greediness caused them the loss of 3 patients. My family and I will all be going elsewhere from now on. They simply don’t deserve the business!

Solinsky Eyecare has the most unprofessional reception service I have ever encountered!!!
On my first visit three years ago I had to wait for the receptionist to finish EATING her cookies to then be attended. I’m sad to say that three years later I am still disappointed about the reception area. First I waited about 3minutes while the receptionists giggled and joked with a Dr.Kidd. The blond receptionist whom attended me the first and second time had a slumber look in her face. No smile, no hello. Just plain rude. Once I was called in to be seen the medical assistant was extremely nice and helpful. In fact she had more patience and was more helpful than the sloppy doctor who rushed me through my visit, Dr. Mathew Kidd.
Luckily for me all hope was not lost; on my other appointment. Dr. Ham was the sweetest doctor yet. He was kind, understanding and informative. He took his time and answered each question & concern with a lot of professionalism and patience without making us feel like we were a bother. My three stars go to you Dr. Ham.
Will I ever return to Solinsky Eye Care?
Not if I can help it.

I wouldn’t normally write a review of a medical office. A restaurant or hotel, sure, but I feel like a certain amount of knowledge and professionalism just sort of comes with the territory when it comes to the medical world. I realize that some practices/​offices are better than others, but still, you would think that there’s some sort of baseline. You know, a standard that all medical professionals would adhere to. Well, not at Solinsky!
Most importantly, I question whether the actual doctors here have any idea what they’re doing. I had separate appointments within a few weeks and was written two wildly different prescriptions for eyeglasses. This started with a routine eye exam. I’ve never worn glasses before, and I don’t have any real problems with my vision except occasional eye fatigue.
When I made the mistake of trusting the first doctor I saw and ordering a pair of glasses based on her prescription, I was surprised to find that wearing the glasses made my vision significantly poorer. After returning to Solinsky and verifying that my first prescription was incorrect, I got a second Rx (hopefully it’s correct, but I’m not going to count on it).
As a result, I sought to have the office recoup some of my costs for the order. Mind you, the glasses were made correctly and matched up with the first doctor’s prescription perfectly. I was only looking to get refunded the return/​excess shipping costs associated with my order. I figured that the incorrect prescription was their mistake, so the least they could do was help me get back to square one (nevermind the month wasted trying to get a pair of glasses that WORKED and the fact that I’ll probably need to see a second eye doctor anyway).
To top off the ineptitude of the medical staff, the office team is even worse. It took three or four calls and voicemails back and forth to even get the staff to understand the issue. I was told several times that they couldn’t do anything if the glasses were ordered elsewhere. How about standing behind the work that your doctors do?
Finally, they agreed to help me out. Last I left it, they were going to give me a contact address to follow up with proof of payment. When I never received that, I reached out through the patient portal, because I honestly can’t even bare to talk to these people any more. But it’s no matter. My message was ignored anyway!
I’m not calling this office again. I’m not going to set foot in there ever again. I could care less about the stupid shipping costs at this point. Just the principle of the matter drives me crazy. Trust is one of the most important elements in the doctor-​patient relationship, at least for me, and I don’t think I could trust a practice any less than I do Solinsky.

I had to bring my kid for follow up checkup, although it was easy to get checked in, attitude of receptionist is what makes my hair stand up.
I dislike that attitude as if we are annoying her by paying for service.
As I do not have choice at this time, nothing I can do this time. Sure hope to go somewhere else if kid ever needs to visit another eye doctor.

I have to start off by saying I was not looking forward to switching my eye care specialist. I had been a patient of a great ophthalmologist in East Hartford since I was nine years old, and I was very sad once he retired in January. Knowing all too well what health care has turned into (minimal time with practitioners, being rushed in and out of the exam like a number), I was not looking forward to switching to another office.
I made an appointment with Dr. Ham, an optometrist (I don’t need to see an ophthalmologist any more because my vision has improved dramatically since I was a child). When I got to the office, I was surprised at how big it was… then I remembered there are several practitioners at this location. The receptionists who checked me in were very friendly and personable. My appointment was slated to begin at 11:15 AM but I wasn’t called until around 11:30. A receptionist apologized for this, but I told her it was fine; I’m used to it.
Bo, an optometric technician, called me in and began my exam. He started off by having me look into that machine with the hot air balloon (not very technical, I know, but I don’t know the name of it for the life of me!), and then moved in his exam room where he put all of my info into the computer system, did the general vision checks, and put the drops in my eyes to dilate my pupils. Throughout it all, he was very friendly; we chatted and I found out he’s actually studying to be a PA. He says he enjoys interacting with his patients through clinical, and that really showed. Bo never rushed me along or made me feel like I was just another number to push through the system. If he hadn’t been wearing the blue scrubs that all the techs and receptionists wear, I’d have thought he was the optometrist because of how knowledgeable he was and how comfortable he was in his work.
Once my eyes were set for dilation, he had me wait into another area for Dr. Ham. After about ten minutes, Dr. Ham came out and showed me into his own exam room to finish my examination. He was also very friendly, and while my time with him was shorter, he answered every question I had and made sure all of my needs were taken care of (he even gave me a sample of some prescription allergy eye drops to try). He gave me my lens prescription and made sure I understood how my vision had changed and what to expect with a new pair of glasses. As with Bo, I didn’t feel rushed. I could tell Dr. Ham genuinely care for interacting with his patients and making sure they receive the best care for them.
Both Bo and Dr. Ham wished me a good day and let me know to return if I had any problems. Other techs wished me goodbye as I left to go downstairs to the optical center. Everyone I met there was just so friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy their work there. To say this blew away my expectations was an understatement! In today’s health care system when most offices just herd patients through, it was really great to be treated as an actual patient, and with respect and a smile to boot. :)
Their optical center on the lower floor is great, too. Sandy was very helpful and knowledgeable and didn’t try to push any type of product on me unlike other commercial optical centers (*cough* Lens Crafters *cough*). After chatting about my optical needs and preferences, she helped me settle on a great pair of lenses and even gave me a discount to boot. Yay!
Overall, my experience at Solinsky Eye Care was fantastic. You may have to wait a bit to be seen, and it might take a while to get an appointment (mine took over a month), it’s well worth it. I can’t reiterate enough how patients aren’t just treated like numbers here. They are treated with respect, care, and friendliness that I notice is severely lacking in other health care offices.
Also, this place is nestled right in West Hartford center, a very nice area and it’s right on the bus line too (the bus stops are literally next to and across from the building so it’s very accessible), so it’s convenient location. I’m also not sure if they see pediatric patients or just adults, or if it depends on the practitioner you wish to see. But I recommend them to any adult look for quality optical care. Having had extensive experience with all types of doctors, I’m really grateful for their level of professionalism and care. :)
P.S: I’m sorry for any typos that might be in this review; my appointment was earlier today and my eyes have still not totally recovered from the dilation.

This is a large optometry practice in West Hartford Center.
Pros: easy parking, many optometrists/​appointments available, large optical department, overall friendly and professional service.
Cons: most of your exam is not conducted by the optometrist, but by a medical assistant. Things here are also pricey, which comes with the location, perhaps.

Highly recommended — You can’t go wrong! You’ll get all your eye needs and expectations met. Sorry. Exceeded. Good luck with receiving care from Dr. Solinsky himself; it’s not impossible, but he’s in high demands! The business is well-​known throughout CT, reputable and the staff is awesome! Wait time is reasonable. The newer West Hartford office is HUGE (Try not to get lost in there!) and very appealing. Office is easy to get to and there’s ample free parking for customers. Definitely «As Good As It Gets!»