Paul First, MD

The doctor and visit were fine, overall. Standard eye doctor appointment– waited a good 25 mins after my appointment time to see the doctor, not totally unexpected. I would have given 4 stars but… I scheduled my first-​time appointment with him when I lost my only pair of glasses. He apparently had a packed schedule so I had to suffer a couple weeks of blindness while waiting for the appointment, no big deal. Then, the day prior to my appointment, his receptionist phoned me. I assumed she was confirming my appointment– but she was actually asking if I could come in a day early. I couldn’t because I was on my way home from family Christmas celebrations in New York.
She said, «Well then the doctor can’t see you until a week from now because he doesn’t have a lot of other appointments that day so it’s not worth it for him to come in to the office.» NOT WORTH IT?! Seriously? I don’t doubt that’s the truth, but the least you could do is lie to me and say that he has a family emergency. I was forced to wait an additional week for it to be worth it to the doctor to see me.
I can’t imagine what kind of response I would get from a client if I told them the day before a set meeting that I wasn’t going to be able to make it because I didn’t have any other meetings near them that day so it wasn’t «worth it.» My guess is they would decide to cancel our meeting all together due to lack of professionalism. My exhaustion from the holiday is the only factor that made me say «f it» and still show up for my appointment a week later. But seriously, step it up Paul First, M.D. That’s just embarrassing.

Dr. First and his staff are truly amazing and they really take time with their patients. I was a candidate for the PRK lasik surgery. I was really nervous, being young and all. My biggest fear was something going wrong and I lose my eye sight (not that it was great to begin with).
I’ve worn glasses since the first grade, so as you can see (no pun intended) I’ve truly never had great vision. I was nervous But I decided to go for it. Dr. First carefully explains the procedure numerous times, which, made me feel better. He also answered every and any question I had about the surgery, and after care.
The surgery itself was painless! I felt nothing. When I got up from the chair I nearly cried from emotion. After 25 years I could finally see. He said that my vision would get worse before it got better and I was a bit worried, but he was right. It’s been about 3 weeks since my surgery and I can see!!! Dr. First changed my life. I’d recommend him for sure! :)

Please avoid this practice. The wait time is intolerable. They wrote my contact lense prescription incorrectly on purpose so I would be forced to purchase contacts from them. When I tried order them online with the bad prescription, the vendor called to verify it and they told I was not a patient there. I have learned this is illegal and will be reporting them to the state medical board.

I recently had lasik eye surgery done by Dr. First. The whole process went very smoothly and I’m thrilled with the results. Dr. First and his staff are extremely efficient and definitely make you feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the whole process. I would highly recommend him!

I have been going to Dr. First for yearly ophthalmology exams for more than 10 years and was going to Ned for twice-​yearly contact lens exams for more than ten years. When I finally needed to have my cataracts operated on, of course Dr. First did the surgery and I’m really happy with the result! Ned did a great job of prescribing my contact lenses — better than anyone else had before. Trust me, I know — I had been wearing contact lenses for 45 years when I came to Ned, and I wore his lenses for another 10 years until the cataract surgery. Anyone who could post a negative review about this medical office is probably just a general sourpuss.

Needed an urgent emergency appointment for my mother, they took her in last minute,
Dr First was very kind and attentive, gave a good diagnosis and options. Malisa took the appointment and helped navigate the process for most efficiency.
Dr First was also very highly recommended by a friend, this experience confirmed this to be accurate.
Many thanks!

Really good dr. I went to get lasik but I was notified that I was not a good candidate. The doctor explained the disease I had and I was grateful he spent the time to explain it to me.

I went to Dr. First based on other reviews on Unilocal and I did some other research and found that he had years of experience with this procedure. I have to say 100% that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. He and his staff were very supportive as I was very nervous about the procedure. Everything went smoothly and I can see better than I ever have in my life. I feel like a new man. I’m telling everybody I know who wants to get this done and has any reservations about it to go talk to Dr. First and have him take care of you. I’m very excited about my new life and the possibilities ahead. Thank you very much Dr. First!

I’ve gotta start off by saying that I haven’t been treated here personally, but Dr. First is my grandma’s optometrist. I’ve been bringing her here for a few months now and she thinks this place is great. He’s super friendly and makes small talk with his patients as he runs the sometimes tedious exams. My grandma has both cataracts and glaucoma, and both are improving under his care. The receptionist we’re familiar with is VERY helpful and seems to be in a permanently good mood! She makes everyone feel very welcome and I don’t dread having to come here. The office is clean, the services are gentle and quick, the staff is knowledgeable and patient, and we’re expecting good things. What’s not to love?

Wonderful experience. Very personable, professional and experienced. Best thing I can see perfectly now!

I don’t know what’s up with the bad reviews — but Dr. Paul First and his staff are very friendly and accomodating.
I went here for Lasik surgery back in july and up to now whenever i go for follow up — they are always helpful.
I do alot of travelling so my credit card is often blocked up — but they are always helpful if my payment is on a hold a few weeks due to the issue.
I want to give these guy a perfect 5 starts — but I am capping it at 4stars — to SHOW THAT THIS IS A REAL REVIEW FROM A REAL CUSTOMER.
Great Job — highly recommended place –esp for Lasik.

If I could I would give zero stars. I had an absolute horrible experience here. I had already been diagnosed at the Hollywood Clinic and they gave me a list of places to go. I decided to come here and be seen by Dr. First. Not only did I find him condescending he also made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I came early to my appointment so don’t see why I was so rushed out. He started to perform procedure and then stopped and said «why don’t we just do this tomorrow when we both have more time.» I asked him if I would be charged twice since he wanted to rush me out and do it next day instead. He quickly said he does not deal with any of that and to go to front desk. I then went to front desk paid for my short visit which nothing had really been done. I called next morning saying I would not come back and told them how upset I was from my visit. Lady on phone seemed to try and be understanding but proceeded to call me back saying that Dr. First said that I was completely wrong with what I said. I have never been treated so rudely. I would not recommend this place.

Insert your Nietzsche or Indigo Girls reference here, but this office makes everything TOO COMPLICATED. I tried Dr. First and Ned because I’d moved and my former wonderful optometrist became a hassle to get to. After literally hours of talking about how my previous prescription did not take X and Y and Z into account, and how they will spend their time making sure I have The Perfect Rx and even more talk about blah blah the history of optometry and prescription lenses and then multiple repeat visits to «fine tune» my corrected eyesight, I ended up with.. .the EXACT SAME prescription (not only that, but the exact same LENSES, too) that my previous optometrist gave me in about 45 minutes. So.. .if you like chatting, this is the place for you. I mean, yay that I got the right/​same Rx, I suppose? But I’d like to have the time back.

This place is amazing.
In a panic, I went to the Costco eye center in SF since 1) I live across the street from it, 2) I was on my last pair of contacts… why do I always let it get there?, and 3) I was moving to LA the next day. Anyway, Costco was a HORRIBLE experience. Down to the fact that they dilated my pupils, and kicked me out of the office so they could have lunch while I roamed the aisles of Costco, blind.
Anyway, I looked to Unilocal for help and found the Vision Institute. And, boy, oh boy am I glad I did! I’ve been wearing contacts since I was 14, and glasses since I was 9 — so I think I know what I’m talking about when it comes to being eye ball examined (that’s not a real phrase). This place was amazing. From the front desk to the actual eye balls part. These guys know what they are doing. I learned more about my eyes in 1 appointment than I have, well, ever.
In summation, if you can, don’t skimp at Costco when it comes to your eyeballs. If you need contacts or glasses (or are thinking in the back of your mind that someday, maybe someday you’ll do lasik), go see these people.

Being extra cautious about who to trust my eyes with and after hearing some painful stories from friends about what to really expect from Lasik eye surgery, I decided to carefully do some research on my own.
After reading all the great reviews Dr. Paul received on Unilocal I decided to go for a consultation to see what he was all about. Even though it’s located in Hollywood, you don’t get that pretentious vibe but instead more of a family run business. They don’t do any advertising and all their business was built from referrals. I definitely felt the staff to be very helpful and since they have been doing this kind of surgery for several years, they have a great system in place. I’m sure they service celebrities but have more respect and class than to have their autographed headshots posted all over the place (like the dry cleaners).
They give you a play by play of what to expect and everything happened like clockwork. Dr. Paul and his team are extremely efficient and personable. One thing that impressed me the most was getting a personal call from the doctor, himself, a few hours after the surgery to make sure everything was OK and to remind me of the post surgery appointment the following morning. I mean — who does that!!! I can’t say enough positive things about Dr. Paul and my whole experience.

I’ve been avoiding Lasik for many years even though my eyes were in terrible shape. I have a very strong astigmatism in both eyes and my eyes are DRY. So dry, that I cannot wear contacts. I admit I’ve abused them during my teen/​early 20’s years but still didn’t look into Lasik until my mid 30’s due to fear!
I did my research (a lot on Unilocal) and found a couple of places (including Dr. First) that I noted and stashed away in the back of my mind and priorities. A few weeks later a groupon deal caught my attention and low and behold, it was Dr. First’s office. I read the fine print very carefully and saw that a full refund would be issued if the client wasn’t found to be a fit Lasik patient. Two very large groupon purchases later, my husband and I were at our consultation appointment where Melissa (surgery office manager) ran a number of tests, questioned history, etc. Then met Dr. First and continued the same but explained the two different options between PRK and Lasik.
Fast forward to the procedure, my husband went first undergoing PRK and my procedure was a couple weeks later with Lasik. The actual procedure was very short and easy. Melissa and Dr. First made everything wonderfully efficient and NOT scary.
I truly appreciate the professionalism the office offers and will be sending anyone and everyone to this office for their vision correction needs.
Cheers to ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision!!!

If you are looking to get LASIK eye surgery, your search stops here! After so many years of wearing glasses and contacts, I’m finally free and all thanks to him. He made the entire process feel very comfortable and everyone in his staff is wonderful.
I now have a ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision and I’m so grateful for it! Thanks Dr First & staff

I am petrified about loss of control, and of course eye surgery conjures up horror movies. Dr First was extremely patient with me. During the first checkup (just an informal consultation) I felt zero pressure, and he took the time to explain the procedure and answered all my questions.
There are some excellent doctors out there, no doubt but this is the first time I’ve seen it extend to the assistants, receptionists, everyone associated with the office. You feel taken care of with every call you make, while you’re waiting for an appt. (also at least in my experience wait times were very short and they accommodated me when i was early, which i love).
The impt part of course is the procedure. Went swimmingly. There’s discomfort, but not pain… and Dr First explained every step beforehand so that during it I knew exactly what to expect and actually felt it went superfast. He called me that evening to check on me… and spent a good amount of time with me the post op appt. the next day. I felt safe and as i said, well taken care of.
There are definitely cheaper options out there (and definitely pricier). His cost was fair and the service was just impeccable.

If you are looking for an eye doctor, your search ends here.
Dr. First and his staff are the best at what they do. They are confident, knowledgeable, professional, patient, and friendly. The office is modern. What more can you ask for in any doctor?
I had a pretty severe astigmatism in one eye (other eye was just fine), so glasses weren’t really an option because one lens would have had no prescription and the other lens would have been a coke bottle! Awkward, to say the least. I did try wearing one contact lens but it seemed to do nothing for me. So I’ve been getting by with pretty much just one eye and it never really bothered me… until recently. I noticed that my good eye seemed to be getting more red and tired as time went on. I was deathly afraid of eye surgery, but more afraid of compromising my good eye any longer, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and get the surgery.
I called to schedule the appointment for the initial consultation (which was free by the way!) and they were able to accommodate me very quickly. Dr. First evaluated me and, like someone else posted on here, I never felt pressured to buy anything or go through with the surgery. Dr. First was thorough and patient in explaining to me the condition of my eye, my options, etc. He never seemed rushed or uninterested. And he ensured that my expectations were realistic. I knew immediately that I wanted to go ahead with the surgery and that he was the doctor to do it. His assistant gave me a surgery date about two weeks into the future, and scheduled me for the pre-​op exam a few days before that.
Fortunately, I only had to get one eye done, so the total was around $ 1,850, half of which I paid on the day of the surgery, and the other half I was thankfully able to make in payments. I also had to purchase the prescription eye drops which were around $ 25 through my Kaiser health insurance.
The morning of the surgery, I was offered a valium to help calm my nerves. Since I tend to have bad reactions to any kind of medication (i.e., hives) I decided not to take it, even though I was VERY nervous (I’m a big wuss). Despite all the research I had done and everything I had read, come that morning, I was shaking in my boots. I knew my fears were irrational for the most part and I just had to put my trust in the doctor. He and his assistant had the best bedside manner and that really helped me relax. Dr. First put a lot of numbing drops in my eye and then he put the clamp on it to keep it open. At no time was there any pain. I didn’t even have the urge to blink while I stared at the light. It was over before I knew it.
Dr. First called me later that day to check on me, which I found to be especially courteous. I went in the following morning for a checkup. I had to sleep with the plastic eye shield for ten nights and use the eye drops for about 4 days after the surgery, and then on an as-​needed basis. The only discomfort I felt in the days following the surgery was the occasional dry feeling, or the sensation that something was in my eye from time to time. But the eye drops always helped and I never experienced any pain.
I don’t know if this eye will ever be as sharp as my «good» eye, but Dr. First had advised me of that possibility beforehand, so I knew not to expect it. But wow, what an improvement. My «good» eye no longer feels extremely tired at the end of the day like it used to. My bad eye is finally working after 33 years of doing close to nothing. And best of all, a few weeks after the surgery I took my driver license eye exam and passed it with ease.
As a side note, I did go for a consultation at a laser center in Pasadena a couple years ago. I didn’t get nearly the same attention and treatment that I got from Dr. First’s office.

I live far from here but still give it 5 stars given the office look, feel, technology, price, and customer service. Dr. First is so nice and very upfront about the procedure. He knew how scared I was and even offered a bear for me to hold. Haha, ok, I hate surgery!
He called the night after surgery was completed to see how i was recuperating. After hearing his message, I called his house and was passed on to him by his wife. He calmly explained to me my concern over some tingly sensation which later I found out to be normal post surgery. Such care he has!
The thing is I had to go back for a 2^nd surgery because the first time was not done perfectly. My eyesight is terrible and was warned I might have to undergo a 2^nd surgery. The second try he fixed it and it did not cost a penny to me. But I found he was a bit upset… not sure if it was at himself or at me needing a 2^nd surgery? In any case, my eyes are perfect and I have not used glasses for 4 years. Although I feel now I might need to go back for a fix up as the halos are coming back ;(I hear some people need to «tweak» it even after a successful first try.
Bad thing for me is the parkng. The lot next to it cost some $ and I think validation is only for a short amount of time. Other than that, after u are done u can easily head down the street to Hollywood/​Highland for some fun shopping and dining.