Eye Doctors of Washington

After accidentally falling asleep in my contacts I needed to see a doctor urgently. I was able to get an appointment with Dr. Clinch at the Chevy Chase location the very next day. Dr. Clinch was both kind and informative and prescribed eye drops that worked to quickly alleviate my problem. I give Dr. Clinch and Eye Doctors of Washington my highest recommendation for eye care.

A month later and I received an additional $ 60 bill from my eye exam from EDOW (for a total of $ 90). Once again, it would have been helpful if the practice communicated in an upfront way that the only office of their practice that accepts vision coverage is the DC office. Didn’t find this out until after my visit. I could have easily gone to the DC office and actually used by vision coverage.

When Dr. Garcia was still here, I was her patient and she was fantastic. And I’ve heard good things about the other doctors here. However, that’s where the good ends.
Before my first visit, I wanted to confirm what insurance covered and did not cover. It took three different people with three different answers, and none of them matched what my insurer said. No one seemed particularly knowledgeable. And the phone system is awful – you are on hold forever. My doctor’s assistant was unfriendly and dilated my eyes without my knowledge or consent. When I told reception on the way out, the response was «Oh well». Not quite an appropriate response.
If my doctor hadn’t left, I’d still be at this location. I’m still with the practice, just with a different doctor at a different location.

Everybody at EDOW went to great lengths to make sure I was comfortable with every step of the procedure. They were welcoming, informative, and accommodating throughout, and the most important thing for me was that I trusted them to let me know my options so I could get the best experience possible. They did that. The LASIK procedure itself was obviously a little nerve-​wracking. I’ve never undergone anything like that before, but they were very patient and supportive throughout the whole thing. Total rock stars from start to finish.

I couldn’t be more pleased with my experience getting PRK with Eye Doctors of Washington. I was ineligible for LASIK due to thin corneas, which made me nervous at first. The doctors were upfront about letting me know that the healing process for PRK is longer and more painful than LASIK. But it was PRK or bust, and not only am I glad I got the procedure, I’d do it again!
Firstly let me tell you about my experience with the office. Never have I had a more positive, helpful experience with a doctor’s office. From the patient coordinators Misti and Kimberly, to the nurses and doctors (Kang and Barbor — loved both!), everyone was extremely nice and supportive. I got emails and text messages with reminders for my appointment times. I was always seen promptly and in and out of the office quickly. The nurses and doctors always explained what they were doing and gave me a chance to ask questions. On the day of my surgery, they escorted my husband and I to a special waiting room where they had FRESH OUT OF THE OVEN, HOT cookies waiting for us. What a treat! They sent me home with clear instructions and even sent me a cookie in the mail a few weeks later thanking me for using them. I wish all of my doctor’s offices were this professional, friendly, supportive and left me feeling like a celebrity!
As far as the procedure itself is concerned, it’s so quick. I was definitely nervous, but the cookies helped :) You walk out of the room seeing. Your eyesight gets worse before it gets better, and I was loving my shades and pain meds for a few days afterwards. You could tell the difference in recovery they day after when I went in for my post-​op — i’m sitting in the waiting room with sunglasses on, a blanket over my head, looking quite miserable. The lady who got LASIK right after my PRK the day before was bopping about, laughing, taking off her sunglasses, etc. But this is very normal and after getting the procedure on Friday, I was back in the office on Tuesday (for a half day, but still).
Here we are just over a month later and I’ve had ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision for a couple of weeks now. I still pinch myself because I can’t believe the clarity in which I can see things. I get a special joy every night knowing I can fall asleep in front of the TV without my glasses on. I still haven’t figured out what to do with my old glasses (toss them or bronze them as a relic of the past?!), but I sure as sh*t know that I’d recommend EDOW to any and all of my friends and family who need a good eye doctor or are considering LASIK/​PRK. Don’t think twice! Do it!
FULL DISCLOSURE: I won this procedure at a Capitals’ Hockey game (yes people, it can happen to you!). But this post was not an obligation for me to receive this service and I was not even required to write my review at all. I genuinely enjoyed my experience so much that I had to pop onto Unilocal to share it with you all!

Went for a routine eye examine nothing special, I wear contacts. Just got a $ 392 bill in the mail. I called billing and they told me the dr. charged me for a medical diagnosis fee. During the routine exam you get your eyes dilated so the dr. can check the health of your retinas. I had some surgery done years ago that left scars on my retinas. I asked her how those scars look BOOM! $ 302 to have her tell me they look fine while performing the included retinal exam. Are you kidding!!! How can you assess the health of my retina (included in the eye exam) without looking at the scars?

This review is strictly on the Lasik side of things. They also see patients for other eye-​related problems but I can’t comment on them.
So you’re thinking about Lasik? Great! Me too over the past 6 – 7 years and finally decided to take the plunge. Things are going great but let’s start with a little background: contacts/​glasses wearer for more than 17 years, around –4.50 prescription.
In summary: if you’re considering doing lasik with EDOW, pick Dr. Kang and do it at the Tysons Corner location.
Tips (in order):
Tip #1 — pick at least 3 doctors and go through their consultations. Don’t pick by random, go through their education/​professional background, any pending/​past lawsuits and read reviews.
Tip #2 — form your own questions beyond the websites brochures and ask the same ones to each doctor.
Tip #3 — insist on seeing the doctor who will be doing your surgery (beware this could be tough, as many prefer you to meet someone else so doctors don’t waste time on non-​candidates).
Tip #4 — assess the people working there besides the physician. These are the people that will be doing a lot of the measurement and prepping for the surgery, so if they aren’t professional or competent, the doctor doesn’t matter.
Tip #5 — prepare ahead of time with their recommendation, such as getting drops and finding rides. And everyone heal at a different pace, depending on which procedure you pick.
Tip #6 — relax and enjoy your new eyes!
— — — — — — — — — —
More about EDOW (Eye Doctors of Washington) and the other two offices I went for a consultation (TLC and LasikPlus):
Before I chose EDOW, I asked family, friends, friends of friends for referral, did research on doctors’ education and professional background, looked at any pending or past lawsuits, and so on. I asked each office about rejection rate (people who aren’t eligible for lasik) and I was looking for a thorough answer. For example, there are more procedures than lasik that can correct a person’s vision. PRK comes to mind, then there’s correctable lens you can wear at night. So basically if the physician is giving you a % without elaborating, I’d be hesitant about his/​her thoroughness. EDOW did great with this as Dr. Kang answered all of my questions with confidence. LasikPlus did great as well, but it wasn’t the surgeon and TLC was iffy about whether procedure I should get (not a good sign).
As far as ‘consultant specialist’, all three offices have wonderful specialists to work with. Their job is to address any concerns you have, close the deal, and get you scheduled. I worked with both EDOW locations (Tysons and Chevy Chase) and each has a great specialist (Kimberly and Misti).
Pricing-​wise, TLC was the most expensive, follow by LasikPlus, then EDOW. However they are all within 10% of each other, so it’s not a great difference.
In the end, I picked EDOW because I actually got to meet the surgeon who will be doing the surgery (Dr. Kang) on the first consultation (caveat: you pay $ 200 for the consultation that goes towards the surgery, if you’re eligible, otherwise you get that money back), where I didn’t get to meet the actual surgeon at TLC and LasikPlus. Obviously I understand surgeons not wanting to waste time on every free consultation candidate, but our eyes is an intimate process, one not to be taken lightly. Similar to people who wait forever at doctors office, our time should be just as valuable as the surgeon. And I like EDOW’s $ 200 consultation method, as it’s fair and reasonable — if you’re not a candidate, you don’t have to pay.
A memo to EDOW: Tysons Corner location gets much better reviews than Chevy Chase on Unilocal because it has to do with the staff members. At Tysons Corner, everyone from the front desk to techs that did the measurements were friendly and professional. At Chevy Chase, it depends on who you get and who’s on shift. For example, I noticed a front desk lady from a Saturday appointment who was constantly on her personal phone, and didn’t care to help out or train the new person next to her. Another time the tech at Chevy Chase didn’t clean the machine (I can still see oil prints from the previous person) and I had to mention it several times.

I could not be happier about the LASIK that I had done by Dr. Gess at Eye Doctors of Washington (EDOW) three weeks ago — the procedure was described to me as «life changing» by friends who had gotten it in the past, and it truly is.
I was referred to EDOW by a friend who had gotten LASIK there previously, and after my free consultation I had already made up my mind to get it done by Dr. Gess. Not only was the price incredibly reasonable (they said it’s usually about $ 2500 per eye, but had a summer promotion so it was only $ 3900 total), but everyone I met with was so professional and friendly that they put me at ease. Not only did they explain everything thoroughly, and make me more relaxed about the procedure, but they were even able to explain to me why my contacts had recently been bothering my eyes more (something that my regular doctor never did). Their surgery schedulers (Kim and Misti) were wonderful at answering any questions I had, and making sure everything was set-​up correctly.
The day of surgery they give you a xanax (trust me, you want one) and some freshly baked cookies, then have you in and out of the surgery in fifteen minutes. I was really anxious, but Dr. Gess and his team were very reassuring and calm and helped me out. My recovery thus far has been painless, and overall I’m so pleased with the outcome. As other reviews have mentioned, if there is anything negative to say it may be that I have had long waits (after my scheduled appointment) for the post-​surgery: last time I showed up on time and still waited almost 30 minutes before they could see me. However this is so minor in the grand scheme of things that it hardly bears mentioning. Not sure I will use them as my primary eye doctor, but for LASIK, you won’t find anywhere in the DMV area that’s better!

Although I like Dr. Mary Fischer and find her competent, I will not return to the Eye Doctors of Washington practice. I have now seen her two times for routine visits over two years. Both times the scheduler has not gotten the appointment correct, once, scheduling me in a separate location than what I requested. On my most recent visit, I went with my son. We arrived at the appointment 5 minutes early to find the door locked. We waited until 15 minutes past our appointment time before anyone responded to our knocking. Meanwhile, I phoned another one of their locations to confirm that I had the correct time and place. I did. Finally, on our recent visit, I paid our $ 30 co-​pays on my Visa on the day of service. Thank goodness I used my Visa card instead of cash because the office sent us bills saying we did not pay our $ 30 copay. What’s worse is that it took 5 calls and a copy of my visa statement before they would acknowledge that we DID pay our two copays of $ 30 & $ 30. Why did so have to present my Visa card statement? Shouldn’t they have a bank card record of the transaction for that day? Their accounting is a Horrible and time consuming headache. I’d like to add that when you call the billing office phone number on the invoice, you will likely spend 12 minutes on hold with music before the message finally says «sorry we can’t take your call, please leave a message». No need to leave any message because weeks go by with zero response. Ultimately, a doctor can be an excellent practitioner but they must also understand how business works. Doctors are notorious for underpaying staff and the result is this type of unacceptable customer/​patient service. Washingtonians do not enjoy having their time or money wasted. Thankfully, there are at least 12 other Ophthalmology offices in a two mile radius.

I recently had a cross linking procedure and could not be happier! I would highly recommend Eye Doctors of Washington because of their high degree of professionalism, expertise and personal attention.
Dr. Clinch performed my surgery and was outstanding. He is incredibly skilled and you feel comfortable leaving your sight in his hands. Dr. Barbor was the coordinator for the procedure and provided the vast majority of the follow up work. She made me feel very special because of how much attention she paid to my case. Ruth performed the surgery tech role during the procedure and was equally as outstanding. She kept the conversation going to distract me and to keep me relaxed. Finally, Misty was the surgery administrator who was welcoming and explained everything in a manner that was very understandable.
Again, Eye Doctors of Washington really helped me and I would recommend them to anyone!

I heard about Eye Doctors Of Washington (EDOW) during the recently concluded DC auto show. They followed up with me after about a month and I went in for a free consultation with Dr. Gess at the DC office (a cramped basement with few chairs and little to no natural light). Dr. Gess was very friendly, nice, had a pleasant disposition with great bedside manners. We also shared a common interest in that I originally hail from Sierra Leone and he has family there working at a low cost eye care clinic catered towards helping the under privileged. At the end of the consultation, he told me that I was a good candidate for Lasik in spite of my myopia and hint of astigmatism. He was never in a rush or hurry to sell their services to me and was very cogent during our discussions. He never rushed and sounded very willing to take the time to talk with me.
Misty, their booking coordinator followed up with me later on and she told me the price (almost $ 4000). I asked for time to think about it especially after having read about the potential complications and negative LASIK reviews online. I eventually called Misty again after speaking with friends and family who had successful Lasik surgeries at other surgeries. She arranged for me to meet with Dr. Clinch whom I had asked for because of his many years of experience.
Misty was very friendly, ingenuous and polite over the phone. Although she wasn’t able to accommodate me as soon as I wanted, the timeframe she offered for the $ 200 pre-​op consultation was reasonable. This fee is included in the cost of the surgery if considered a candidate. My only reservation was that she asked me to pay the full cost of the surgery upfront. I do not like the idea of paying for unrendered services days before hand.
Compared to the cost of glasses if the surgery is successful, Lasik does pay off. My last pair of glasses, a Nike cost almost $ 1000, whilst my older pair; Raybans cost about $ 750. Over say a 10 years period, the surgery pays for itself.
The primary reason for wanting Lasik and freedom from glasses, is to be able to watch 3d movies without a second set of glasses, see well when I swim and view the time on my alarm clock when I wake up every morning for work. I have been using glasses for almost 15 years and the opportunity to go without glasses for the next 15 or hopefully more years is too hard to turn down. I would love to feel what life is like without glasses.
I only have a pair of eyes though and they are very precious to me. I work in IT in front of a computer screen all day and nothing other than a successful procedure will do. Anything else and I may end up losing my livelihood.
I am choosing EDOW because they seem to have relatively new equipment as per FDA reviews of their equipment and since they also have quite decent reviews on Unilocal and other sites. Feedback from Unilocalers whom I contacted some of whom did their surgery years back there have also been positive. The whole process at EDOW as per their online guide is all laser (they use a laser to make the flap) as well as a custom wavefront laser for mapping the eye and cutting the cornea during the surgery. They are however much pricier than other locations I have called and visited. At this time, Liberty laser eye center is offering a deal on Groupon for $ 2600, a $ 1000 difference between them and EDOW. Some of the other places I called or visited seem to be in a hurry to sell their product instead of caring about my health with staff that sound more like marketers than health personnel.
Most surgeries today consider LASIK a routine procedure and considering the surgery only lasts a few minutes, the chance to take things for granted is very high in spite of the grave implications.
I will be updating this review after meeting with Dr. Clinch to give my impression of him and also to comment on the Chevy Chase office. I also plan on updating this posting immediately after the surgery and in the following years so that others can have an idea of the process.

I had PRK surgery with Dr. Clinch in July of 2014. I am absolutely thrilled with the results. Everything came out perfect, and I would definitely recommend his expertise to all my friends/​family members. He knows what he is doing!
Misti, the Lasik/​PRK coordinator there is amazing. She makes sure you know every little detail of your procedure, she answers messages and phone calls before and after surgery… she even made freshly baked cookies for each consult I had. She’s amazing.
Rodney is great as well! He’s super friendly every time I see him. Come to think of it, pretty much all the staff members are extremely nice and helpful.
The only reason I can’t give this place 5 stars is because of the excessive wait times. I’m not exaggerating when I say I wait no less than an hour EVERY single time I come in for a post PRK check-​up. Everyone in the office, including doctors, nurses, and desk personnel are always extremely professional and friendly. Wait time is truly the only reason why I can’t give this place 5 stars.

This is a classic example of great doctors and PAs surrounded by sub-​par processes and front office staff. No, I don’t want to input my own insurance information into a kiosk when I’m taking my child for what is, for her, a very nerve wracking doctor appointment and there are 3 front-​office staff sitting around. No, I don’t want to have to walk 10 mins to a separate facility to see a pediatric ophthalmologist. No, I’m not waiting an hour to see a doctor. No, I’m not waiting in line to check out so that you can process my 100%-covered eye exam.
Great doctor — frustrating setup.

I brought my 9 year old daughter in to see Dr. Vike Vicente at the recommendation of our pediatrician. The location is not ideal, parking is a hassle, but the front desk staff was friendly and got me an appointment very quickly. Dr. Vicente has small children and really knew how to talk to my daughter and put her at ease. It turned out that my daughter had been faking that she could not see. Dr. V brought me out into the hallway to tell me the news. I was so impressed he took the time to talk to me in private and he gave me advice on how to talk to her about it. He also told me that he often sees kids in his practice who fake poor vision in order to get glasses. He gave me his e-​mail and offered to help us out in the future if we needed it. I was really impressed.
I would have given 5 stars, but the tech who did the initial exam was not mom or kid friendly. A very sharp contract to Dr. V. I would go back despite the tech’s lack of enthusiasm or interest in her job.

I have been to various doctors offices over my life time, but none better than this office. The whole staff at this location from the receptionist team, to the tech’s, to the Doctors all conduct themselves like true professionals. Scheduling visits is a breeze, and the visits were always thorough and timely. All with a level of hospitality that you want from an doctors office. Having PRK eye surgery was a big decision, and I am glad I had mine done with EDOW.

I can’t say enough good things about the team at EDOW. I had PRK done and have not had to pick up a pair of glasses since. Best decision ever!!!

Dr. Clinch and his team (Ruth, Jonathan, and Brenda) did a fantastic job with my PRK surgery. The whole team was very professional and approachable. They made me feel very safe and answered all of my questions completely. Dr. Clinch even spent extra time consulting with other colleagues about a challenging element of my prescription to make sure that he was providing the best care possible.
The surgery itself was very quick and painless. I had it on a Thursday afternoon. On Saturday night/​Sunday morning there was some tough irritation but by Monday I was seeing ²⁰⁄₂₀ with no pain. For PRK, this progress exceeded everything I had read online by weeks. I can’t be happier with the results.

Visiting Eye Doctors of Washington has proven to be the most life changing appointment I have ever made.
I have been a patient of EDOW, specifically Dr. Thomas Clinch, for the majority of my short lived 25 years. The practice is professional and thorough, I always feel valued as a patient and a friend of the organization.
Over a year ago I decided to go in for a consultation for the possibility of LASIK or PRK surgery. Long story short, I opted for the PRK surgery with the hopes of clearly viewing the world through my eyes without the obstruction of glasses or contacts. The surgery was EXTREMELY fast and 100% painless, I am still in awe today! The recovery was a day or two of wearing sunglasses with occasional minor discomfort (the pain eye drops alleviated this issue), but nothing extraordinary.
My vision is better than perfect today with ²⁰⁄₁₅ in both my left and right eye. I have eliminated the routine of putting contacts in when I wake up, driving is safer, glare has been reduced, and my eyes can finally breathe without those suffocating lenses! This is an investment that has the highest return, it pays back every second of the waking day.
I am not one who typically reviews businesses and products but felt obligated to after discussing the positive impacts of my operation with a friend this morning. I strongly encourage you to check out this practice whether it is for a routine eye examination or you are exploring the idea of corrective surgery, Eye Doctors of Washington is the place to go.

Now you can just wear glasses for fun: p
I have now had lasik for a year and a half now and I have zero regrets. With a perfect eyesight of ²⁰⁄₂₀ in both eyes, my experience with edow has always been an easy ride. When you first enter their office for an appointment, you check-​in on a computerized kiosk with your license and if you have any questions, there are always two receptionists present to answer your questions. Every time I have an appointment, I never wait longer than 30 minutes to see a tech and everyone there is extremely friendly despite being very busy.
For my lasik surgery, I was recommended to Dr. Paul Kang, and I couldn’t have chosen a better doctor. Besides being extremely professional and having great bedside manners, he makes sure to carefully explain the entire surgery process and will explain what makes a patient a good/​bad candidate. After my lasik, he addressed my problem of dry eyes quickly and made sure that I came back for a follow up appointment.
Lastly, they have the most up-​to-​date laser machines.
Link:

This past Friday I somehow got a foreign object stuck under my eyelid and was unable to open my eye. I happened to be around the corner from Eye Doctors of Washington, to which I had taken my son for an appointment with Dr. Wong a month earlier. I wandered in and asked if I could be seen despite not having an appointment. They were very busy and put me on the waitlist. Within 30 minutes I was seen by a nurse. Shortly afterward Dr. Benjamin Teller came in to see me, provided an anesthetic to dull the pain and removed the object from underneath my eyelid, which was scratching my cornea every time I blinked. He was thorough, conscientious and friendly, and I appreciated how they expedited the process given how uncomfortable it was.
At the previous appointment Dr. Wong was very accommodating with my 1 yr old son. We wouldn’t hesitate to go back should he have any future eye issues.