Chicago Eye Institute

Dr. Sy has been my eye doctor for six years. I have seen him at the Chicago Eye Institute on Wellington in Lakeview and at his 5525 S Pulaski office. He is a great doctor. He listens to what you say. He explains everything to his patients. I have overheard him talking with his elderly patients and he is kind, patient, and thorough. He has a gentle and calming touch, which is nice if your eye is being poked and prodded.

Dr Lopez and his staff are very professional and very pleasant. I had a lot of questions for Dr Lopez and he was very patient and informative. They are very thorough with all the post op requirements.

Chicago Eye Institute has a number of doctors but this review is written specifically about Dr. Osvaldo Lopez. The three or four times we visited his office the wait was over 3 hours and he was an hour and half late for an 8 am appointment. Most of the patients in the waiting room were hourly wage workers, some of them had been waiting 4 hours or more. My wife had an appt at 3 and by 7 pm she gave up and left his office. She asked the nurses where he was (by 5 the front desk staff was gone) and they said they didn’t know where he was. We’ve visited many dr offices in the past, he has hands down the most unprofessional, uncaring doctor we’ve ever encountered. We are never going back to this place — if you have to schedule an appt here make sure it’s not with Dr. Lopez.

Waited 2 ½ hours for doc to finally walk into exam room. He asked how I was doing to which I replied «trying to rearrange my doctor day.» He shrugged his shoulders and went about the exam.
So tired of doctors that feel their time is more important than others. If I was 2 hrs late for my appointment they would not have honored it.

Dr Robert Weiss is an amazing and gifted plastic surgeon who is passionate about helping people with serious eye construction issues as well as minimizing the aging process with remarkable techniques and products. Literally, everyone I have met who has been a patient sings Dr Weiss’s praises as a miraculous surgeon who has changed their life. On the other side, all the patients that Dr Weiss works on to optimize their skin quality, and minimize their aging process love, love the results they see after Dr Weiss does his magic. Rarely in life do we get to meet individuals whose values and passions align with what they love to do. Meet Dr Weiss and you find that person!
If you have any doubts about what and if you should move forward with any procedure, make an appointment for a consultation. Dr Weiss is honest, and will give you a straight evaluation.

Surgery: 5 stars
I had a droopy eye lid so my optometrist recommended I see Dr. Weiss for surgery to correct the problem. He was incredibly knowledgable about all aspect of the surgery and explained in great detail how the operation was going to be performed and what recovery was going to be like. He was so good with the operation that after my eye healed, I wanted to get it done to my other eye just because of how great of a job he did. Absolutely fantastic work.
Logistics: 1 star
I called in April to set up my surgery for Sept as they needed extra lead time to get it approved by my insurance. Then two months later, in June, I switched jobs so I called them to let them know my insurance had changed. They confirmed the change on their end so I thought everything was all set. Fast forward to a couple of weeks before my surgery when they called me and said that no one contacted my new insurance company for approval so now I have to reschedule my appointment to two months later. Wtf, I specifically called after my new job just so this stuff could be taken care of but clearly no one did.
During consultation, they told me that my operation was covered by insurance because my droopy lid blocked my vision. However, they never told me that I had a deductible and I found out months later in a bill they sent So basically, you’re telling me that during all of those times when I was there talking to the doctor, setting up appointments and playing phone tag to get my insurance worked out, you never bothered to explain to me how much this was actually going to be paid?
After paying for my deductible with my FSA card over the phone, I told them to mail me the receipt so that I can submit the claim. Of course instead of sending me the itemized receipt that every person using FSA would need, they send me the credit card one which can’t be submitted as FSA proof. So I have to call again and wait for another letter.
Lastly, while Dr Weiss was great, his assistant isn’t. When I was brought into the office, she asked me if I had high blood pressure. I answered no to which she responded with more questions about my exact blood pressure measurement. When I couldn’t give her a number, seeing as how I can’t measure my own blood pressure off the top of my head, she just made one up and wrote it on my chart!
So in conclusion, 5 stars for Dr Weiss and his work, 1 star for all of the logistics surrounding my surgery.

I had LASIK done here about a month ago. After consulting with several Chicago LASIK doctors, Dr. Lopez was clearly the best, most professional doctor that I met with. Note that I met with Dr. Kraff, the «gold standard» in Chicago, and was unimpressed. Dr. Kraff gave me about 14 seconds of his time. His ego is way bigger than his consideration for patients.
Anyway, Dr. Lopez was the BEST. First, he put me on special eye drops to increase the oxygen in my eyes before clearing me for LASIK. His attention to detail and knowledge about the eyes are incredible. His team, Carlos and Joanna, were professional and kind every step of the way, from pre /​during /​post procedure. Lastly, pricing was very competitive.
I would recommend Dr. Lopez for LASIK hands down.

My third and last stop in LASIK consultation.
Luxe technology and expertise for less.
Dr Lopez is the head of the department with an excellent team (Carlos and Joanna). Excellent bedside manners, and honest. One of the few (say 3 in Chicago area) who has Intralase (aka laser, bladeless) cornea flap cutter. German technology.
LASIK Surgery: Imagination is scarier than reality. Carlos’ countdown was comforting. All I see was the light. I didn’t feel pain. An eyebrow wax while waiting for the Intralase eye clamp. Lots of eyedrops and waiting than the actual procedure. At home, my eyes naturally rested itself after the procedure and slept for 8 hours.
I was the female Bono for a week (blue sunglasses at work) due to broken capillaries from the clamp. It was cool!
Medication: 1 oral med at surgery. 4 eyedrops as after care. I feel gypped for no-​valium. boo hoo
Dr Lopez and his team truly cares for the patient. At consultation, I already contracted Dr Lopez for the future (10+ years from now) when the need for reading glasses arises. We are going to grow old together. :-)
Caution: Chicago Eye Institute is a clinical environment. No chi-​chi lounge or Kopi Luwak coffee while waiting. You will learn how to cook while waiting through Rachel Ray.
Direction: From Advocate lobby, elevator to 5^th floor, turn R for Vision Care Center letter-​size signs. Once you find Vision Care, it will be the only place/​location for consultation, surgery and follow-​ups. Bring your own reading material.

I finally did it. After years of wanting LASIK I took the plunge and so glad I did it with Dr. Lopez. He had a great bed side manner and he really put me at ease. The entire staff at Chicago Eye Institute is extremely professional and also make you feel very comfortable. Anyone considering LASIK or other eye surgeries should definitely give them a call. You won’t be disappointed.

After so many consultations with several popular Chicago area Lasik Centers I was skeptical and nervous about getting this procedure done where I could NOT meet the Doctor until the day of surgery… This didn’t make sense to me.
But then I was referred to Dr. Lopez by a friend of mine. The moment I walked into the office I was treated very professionally by Dr. Lopez’s staff. I first met Joanna at the front desk area she was awesome, I felt like she was a friend telling me not to be nervous, that it was an easy procedure and she gave me her personal testamonial. She had this done a few years ago also with Dr. Lopez. Then I met Carlos, Dr. Lopez’s Assistant, he did the preliminary testing. Carlos was very kind and answered my many questions with alot of patience. He was the greatest, he walked me thru the whole procedure and he definitely calmed my nerves… Then I thought that was the end of the appointment since all the other clinics didn’t allow me to meet the Dr. until the date of surgery I thought it was the same thing here. Dr. Lopez shortly came in and reviewed my test performed by Carlos and verifed I was a Lasik candidate. Dr. Lopez was Awesome… He gave me a brief history of himself and his years of practice and also reviewed the Monovision Lasik procedure again with me and mentioned if I chose not to do the procedure with him he wanted me to call him with the name of the doctor I was considering so he can confirm that the Doctor was reputable. How many Doctors would do that? He made me feel so comfortable that I knew on the spot that I wanted him to do the surgery… I scheduled my date of surgery that same day. I didn’t have to think about it anymore.
I had the surgery March 23^rd and chose the monovsion, left eye for distance, right eye for reading… I LOVE it!!! I was hesitant at first to do monovision, but I’m happy I chose to do this first so I will not need
bi-​focals… I would recommend this type first if your in the age range 40 – 45.
Just and FYI– if your not pleased with the results of Monovision Dr. Lopez will go back and re-​do the eye after 3 months with no extra charge. Also for those of you that are contemplating Lasik Centers versus Medical Clinic, most centers charge extra for a «lifetime guarantee.» Thats’ a bogus charge, don’t let them fool you… :o)
I would highly recommend Dr. Lopez and his fabulous staff to anyone… GOOD LUCK to those who are still thinking about doing the surgery…
Your very satisfied patient,
Noemi M. Solis

Not only is Dr. Lopez the most qualified surgeon for lasik, and one of the best in the nation, Chicago Eye Institute was also the most affordable center I found. Every visit, the staff there treated me with the utmost respect, attention, and care. I felt very welcomed and safe. All my visits from evaluation to post-​up were extremely efficient with minimal wait time.
I was very nervous for my surgery, but Dr. Lopez and his staff reassured me and explained everything to me thoroughly. It has been 7 months
since my lasik and my eyesight is better than perfect (²⁰⁄₁₅)! I have not had ANY problems and the staff there does a great job following up on me making sure that I was doing well. I could not be happier with the procedure and Dr. Lopez. Anyone even thinking about Lasik or PRK eye surgery should visit here!

Just thought I’d share my great experience with everyone. I was a little nervous at first (with surgery with my eyes), but the staff was great! They explained everything so well and were very understanding, especially the assistant, Carlos. I can see great and would recommend them to everyone!

Dr. Osvaldo Lopez is my guardian angel!
When Dr. Kirk botched one of my eyes in two failed LASIK attempts, I found Dr. Lopez and went to him for a second opinion. I am SO glad I did. He explained everything to me, made me feel better (which was pretty difficult considering the situation I was in), was so thorough in his evaluation of my eye, and meticulously followed my progress.
Although there was not much corneal tissue left with which to work, he performed a PRK procedure, because ethically, he knew that he could not risk lifting my corneal flap a third time, and was able to correct as much of the distortions as he could (many of the distortions in my eye were NEW — as a result of my previous doctor’s whack-​job). Thankfully, all my astigmatism is now gone, and whereas I see a blurry 20/​25, my vision is perfect between both eyes, thanks to Dr. Lopez!
Your eyes are SO important, and I am so lucky to have found him when I did! He is the most patient, understanding doctor I have ever met, and I am blessed to have been treated by him, and his colleague, Dr. Robert Lopez, who handled much of my follow-​up care. Everyone in the office is friendly and caring, and I would highly recommend this office to anyone looking to have SUCCESSFUL LASIK surgery.
In addition, they are MUCH less expensive than many other LASIK surgeons, and because they are located in a hospital, there is the added benefit of knowing that the resources are high-​tech and should anything go wrong, they are much better equipped to handle emergencies than other locations.
I am very pleased with the outcome, despite the hardship to get to the end result. I only wish I could have found Dr. Lopez from the beginning, but things happen for a reason, and he was meant to come into my life when he did.
Thank you, Dr. Lopez!

This is mostly a review for the amazing Dr. Harold Sy. Take note, Unilocalers — he’s the best of the best.
So after 8 or so years of dealing with contacts, I decided I’d had enough. My eyes were dry, I hated having to take them out when I was really tired and enjoying a great Hugh Grant movie on the couch, and don’t even get me started on the times when I forgot to take them out entirely (aka eyelids stuck to eyeballs… pleasant). So off to the Chicago Eye Institute I went. After a few simple tests, Dr. Sy determined that I qualified for Lasik. The thing that is really reassuring about Dr. Sy is that he only performs Lasik on people who truly qualify… some other doctors are a little less discerning, which can lead to problems/​blindness.
So I went in for my Lasik. They give you some Xanax or something similar that made me feel happy and tired. I literally didn’t even care what they were doing to me — that’s how relaxed and painless it was. Afterwards, I went home, slept, and woke up 7 hours later with perfect vision. The whole thing was easy.
In conclusion, I literally cannot say enough good things about Dr. Sy and my procedure at Chicago Eye Institute. He is fantastic. So if you are thinking about Lasik, or have other eye issues, I definitely recommend you go to Dr. Sy. Oh also, he’s young and cute… if you’re into that whole young, cute, successful doctor sort of thing.
P. S. His prices seem to be less expensive when compared to other eye places — I checked.