Northwest Vision Institute

Dr. Ekman I was very help with good follow up and communication. The front desk staff was helpful and friendly even though they were really busy.

This review is high because Dr. Ekman was incredible. I have a rare and serious eye condition that flares up every so often and when it happens I need immediate treatment. Dr. Ekman is my preferred doctor, but one time I had to make an emergency appointment and they fit me in with Dr. Hayes. I found him to be approximately the opposite of Dr. Ekman. Dr. Hayes treated me like I didn’t know anything and was being overly cautious about my condition. He told me that it was normal for my left eye to dilate randomly and stay dilated for days (in the 10 or 11 times I have had a flare up of my condition, this is the FIRST time this particular symptom has happened. I feel I was rightfully concerned). I was in and out in about 5 minutes, which would normally be fantastic, but I felt like he didn’t spend any time with me or take me seriously, but rather rushed me out.
I should also mention that I am an optician and know a decent amount about eyes. Dr. Ekman treats me as such and takes my fears and experiences as legitimate. I never once felt like an idiot with him and I really appreciate that. Bellevue is pretty far out of my way, but if the choice is convenience with Dr. Hayes in Kirkland or fighting traffic and construction in Bellevue to see Dr. Ekman, I will choose Bellevue every time. Bedside manner can make all the difference.
The front desk staff is always pretty friendly as well, at both locations.

I came in for an eye exam and to get a new pair of glasses and had a terrific experience!
The front desk was great, the waiting area was clean and beautiful, and the doctor came out right on time. I had Dr. Hayes as my doctor and he was wonderful! I am used to nurses doing all the examinations and the doctor coming in only for 15 min to chat and then running off, but this was completely different. He was very patient and informative and did all the examination on me.
I also want to emphasize how sweet and quick the front desk woman was. I think her name was Diane. Thank you!
I’ve had very iffy experiences with the Evergreen Health system, but this was great. I was pleasantly surprised!

Good location, good doctors, quality issues with their eyeglass selection.
I went here for an eye exam after a few years and the technology was modern, the exam was quick, painless, and informative.
I selected one of their pricier sets of glasses off the shelf (as I had a little bit of pocket money to spend) and was told they would have the lenses ready in 10 business days (two weeks).
The glasses arrived and looked great, but the construction was poor. The frames started falling apart less than a week after purchase. I had to revisit the location and ask for a repair. They opted to order me a new set in and then change my lenses out. This took another two weeks and required yet another visit to make the change. Although the process for getting the replacement set of glasses in was free, it was time consuming as I had to keep revisiting the spot.
I should note that a little bit of inspection on my part would have noticed the problems prior to accepting the first set of glasses which means that even though I didn’t look for the quality issue, the Vision Institute was not checking their frames either.

Really clean place. The DR is beautiful and very good at what she does. I would come back again for sure.

When double vision suddenly happened to me, I consulted with Dr. Glibert on a Friday. He was aloof and the diagnosis was quickly made with a need for permanent prism lenses. There was no discussion of the possiblility of increasing or decreasing vision. By Monday my vision had worsened considerably. He was rude, abrupt and arrogant. He agreed to refer me per my request for an MRI (where they diagnosed microvascular disease). I consulted a neuro-​ophthamolgist who properly found a temporary lens solution that Dr. Gilbert didn’t offer to my changing vision needs. My condition improved to almost normal within 6 weeks and I am thankful that I found a different doctor to properly assist me without the expense of permanent lenses that Dr. Gilbert sells in his office. I would not recommend anyone to consult with this «Dr. of the Year.»

I woke up on the day of my birthday with my left eye all red and swollen. I was miserable, and kept hoping my eye would calm down since I had big lunch and dinner plans.
Well… my eye never calmed down– I had to cancel my entire day! I called NW Vision and they got me in within an hour.
Everything was great, until I met Dr. Gilbert. He wasn’t very nice to me at all… and for someones birthday being ruined I was in a pretty upbeat mood. He didn’t introduce him self, made sarcastic comments, said I wasn’t telling the truth and overall the appointment was miserable. He didn’t tell me I needed eye drops, he just walked out of the room (while ignoring my thank you) after telling his assistant (very vaguely) I need drops for a week. I had to ask the front desk to double check if I should have a prescription… and I did, they said they would call it in. I would of walked out of there not knowing I needed meds.
I may come back to see another doctor there but not Dr Gilbert… He has quite the ego.

Dr Kitamura is very nice. I question how thorough the exam was though. I paid extra for the non-​dilating retina photographs and it was obvious she didn’t review them like my last several doctors did when I had the same done. She basically looked at black pictures without any enhancement where my last doctors actually looked at them with several picture enhancements. She did not explain anything about them and when I asked, she gave very vague reference. I even asked if she wanted the records transferred from my old doctor and she said no wich really says to me she really didn’t care. The entire experience of the exam seemed sub-​par from other clinics I’ve gone to in the past. Not to say they were not Friendly, everyone was very Friendly. But I’ve gotten much more thorough exams at almost everywhere else I’ve gone in the past. I’ve now tried them once. I doubt if I’ll go back for an annual exam. I did buy glasses from them even though they had a very limited selection compared to what I’ve seen at other clinics. The only thing this eye clinic has going for them as far as I see is nice people working for them, a great cup of coffee and a nice location. Other than that, I think you’d get a far more thorough exam from American’s Best or other cheap clinic. I’ve read complaints from others regarding Americans best as far as time but at least they are very thorough. Kitamura spent all of 10 minutes with me and that includes the eye scan I had to pay extra for. In summary, nice place, nice people, and great coffee but not a thorough exam, older equipment, and antiquated frames and lens selection. This clinic obviouly spent thier money on the location over equipment.

I actually started off seeing Dr. Stephanie Kitamura at the Bellevue location and then she moved to the poor stepsister branch in Kirkland. The place is very old looking. .. seriously, the eye exam chairs looks like they were bought from a optometrist supplies consignment store! But Dr. Kitamura is very good and a contact lens specialist to boot! I actually really like the fact that the NW Vision Institute is linked to other optometrists and a Lasix eye specialist so that if and when I decide to go down that path, the option is there!