UCLA Laser Refractive Center

Dr Rex Hamilton was amazing. Did a fantastic job. One day in so far– and so far so good. He was great at explaining everything to you. Very smooth process. The office staff was particularly helpful and nice. I visited several places and this was by far the best. I also want to give a shout out to Dr Salem. A young guy who was a great help when I was in with my kids for a follow up.
They are also not cheap, but not most expensive. Very competitive on pricing.
Go here b

I was early for my appointment and taken in early Dr. Hamliton was awesome! I had a consult on Monday and decided to have the surgery that Friday. Victor and Missy were also Awesome! Had post op and was in and out in less than two hours. Day of procedure all were once again Awesome. De. Hamliton came in to reassure me before and after. Was done in like 23 minutes. Definitely recommend!

DR. HAMILTON YOU ROCK !!!
Had multifocal lens replacement surgery on June 30, 2015. No pain or discomfort after, Vision in eye is now ²⁰⁄₁₅ … No more glasses. Second surgery is July 15. You want the Best See The BEST !!!. Second review to follow.

I brought my mom from Orange County to UCLA for multiple eye appointments. Due to scheduling we had a 4 hour gap between appointments so we decided to wait in the lobby between appointments. Tonya the front office scheduler was awesome and got us in to see Dr. Bartlett 2 hours early. Such a blessing with a long commute home ahead in the rain. Thank you to Tonya for going above and beyond for my mom!

I am extremely happy with my surgery from Dr. Hamilton. It was simple and fast and the recovery was easy. I am docking one star because every follow up appointment has been disastrous in terms of long wait times. They seem to overbook and understaff these check ups. I would say I have to plan to wait at least an hour for my fifteen minute check up. Their front desk is almost impossible to reach as well. I initially scheduled my consultation with another Lasik center because I couldn’t get in touch with this one. Despite these administrative failings, I’d recommend Dr. Hamilton and his staff for a surgery well done.

Dr. Hamilton is arguably the best doctor in the country. His credentials are supplemented by his amazing compassion for his patients. The entire staff is friendly, knowledgable, and extremely responsible. I had PRK surgery and my dad went in a few months later for his cataracts. My ²⁰⁄₂₀₀ and ²⁰⁄₃₀₀ vision became ²⁰⁄₁₅ and ²⁰⁄₂₀. My dad’s +5.0 prescription is already down to +1.5, only after a week. Both of us recovered quickly and are happier than we can describe in words. Don’t risk something as important as your vision and visit Dr. Hamilton. It’s well worth the time and money, and you won’t find a better doctor anywhere.

Dr. Rex Hamilton changed my life after years of hearing from several other Dr.‘s that I would not have the ablilty to see clearly out of my right eye. They were all wrong. I drove from San Diego to meet with Dr. Hamilton and in minutes I was told he could help me, he did and its the best thing that has ever happened to me, to see again clearly. Please if you have any problems at all with your vision go and see Dr. Hamilton. He performs miracles. Dr. Hamilton, YOU ROCK!!!

I am beyond thrilled with the results of my recent set of cataract surgeries performed by Dr. Rex Hamilton. I am at Day 14; both eyes have been operated on with unqualified success; virtually no pain or redness or after effects of any sort. The miracles of modern medicine in the hands of this gifted surgeon are simply astounding. As a professional photographer I am seeing the world in a fresh, clear light unlike anything I can recall for decades. My heartfelt thanks go out to Dr. Hamilton and his entire team, from the pleasant and patient office staff to the world class anesthesiologists, nurses, residents and JSEI fellows in the OR. Unreal what a painless walk in the park these procedures turn out to be. Thank you all so much!

Dr. Hamilton is a genius! After visiting two other doctors who wanted to perform Lasik, we went to Dr. Hamilton who found that the problem was due to cataracts. If we had the other doctors, the vision would still be impaired. The procedure went smoothly, Dr. Hamilton was wonderful and did an excellent job. Nobody should do anything about their eyes until after they have seen Dr. Hamilton. He is the best of the best.

I wish I had never had Lasik. My uncorrected vision is improved somewhat, but my best-​corrected vision got worse and I still have major problems with dry eyes 15 months after the surgery. Also my eyes are frequently bloodshot and sunken now and that looks awful. Think about that before getting this for cosmetic reasons.
I remember in the pre-​operative appointments the wait to see Dr. Rex Hamilton was long-​ish and he was very brief. Didn’t adequately counsel about the risks and statistics. He assured me that I’d like the results… ha. It was more of a sales pitch than an informed consent counseling.
The surgery itself was terrifying. I don’t think they give enough dose of valium, or it doesn’t get digested fast enough. Something intravenous would be better than making you come in an hour before the actual surgery. I don’t know how their surgery compares to other places because I’m never doing any eye surgery ever again if I can help it.
The worst part is having dry eyes for 15 months and counting afterward. My friend who had lasik had dry eyes for 5+ years.
They also prescribed an oral supplement that’s supposed to increase tear production (BioTears) but it has major psychiatric side effects on me. It causes brain fog and impulsivity. Probably because two of the ingredients, Turmeric and ECGC, bind to the CB1 cannabinoid receptor. It works for tear production but it’s not worth the side effects.
Stay away from lasik. The side effects are a deal breaker. People look dumb without glasses, anyway.

TL;DR I got my surgery in March 2012. Two years later my vision has stayed the same with a few small abnormalities.
If I were to go through it all again, I would probably question whether I would have LASIK. I’m actually on the fence about it. I don’t question the staff or any of its procedures at all. I think they do great work for people. They mention the possible downsides and make it very clear ahead of time that your vision will not be «perfect» and you may experience strange ghost images. That is exactly what happened to me. Much of it has gone away over time but after 2 years, there are still tiny things that bug me.
When I look at traffic lights at nighttime, they mysteriously split into two distinct lights. Double vision is a common side effect and it only happens at night. Thankfully the halo effect disappeared completely. For a while it looked like I was looking at lights through a foggy piece of glass. Also when I read text on a computer screen, the text is recognizable but still a bit blurry. I mentioned these issues to the doctors and they said that I had enough thickness in my eyeballs to undergo a correction surgery and try again. They said that they didn’t recommend it since it’s relatively minor and every time you go under the knife, there’s a chance of complication. I agreed and will have to live with these little things for the rest of my life. The best thing I feel is just being able to wear any kind of sunglasses I want.
Mainly, their all-​laser procedure is not as magical as it seems. It’s just less «icky» because there’s no blades. It doesn’t necessarily remove all chance of abnormalities forming. If you can live with the possibilities of slight blurriness or double vision, go for it. It’s a great facility to have your LASIK done.

Wow, as a veterinarian, if I treated my patients in the same manner that we were treated at this place, I don’t think I would have any clients.
Not only are they rude but they can be condescending (this includes both Dr Rex hamilton and Dr. Rosalind Vo). The front staff was amazing and wonderful though! (A very different tone from their sister location where the front staff was horrible.)
My parents and I waited about 1 and ½ hours for a ten minute appointment where the two doctors were short with us and basically made my dad (who is hard of hearing) feel inadequate. I get you have appointments but I think there’s something to be said for quality of care and patient care. Even if your patients concerns may not seem to be relevant or overly worrisome (though it’s your eyes, shouldn’t you be overly cautious?) patience goes a long way. Your clients have been waiting nicely for you, it would go a long way if you give them the time of day and acted like you cared, too. Apparently that’s hard thing to come by here.

I’ll try to keep this simple. This review is for Lasik.
SERVICE
— Very long wait times. My consultation/​exam appt time was 830am and I wasn’t seen until 10am. Not cool.
— Very friendly and helpful staff
— Once the exam gets going it’s fine and you aren’t kept waiting a long time between steps, but the exam is lengthy. I started at 10am and didn’t leave until nearly 1pm.
FACILITIES
— Decent waiting room, sometimes a little chilly so bring a sweater
— No wifi so bring a kindle/​book/​magazines (one mag ain’t gonna cut it with those waiting times)
— They have one of those nespresso or kreug coffee pod machines and it’s free so that’s really nice. They have green tea for non-​coffee drinkers like me.
— Parking is expensive at $ 14
PROCEDURE
— When they tell you it’s quick they’re not kidding. I was in the «surgical» room for about 15 min. Most of my time spent at the facility was waiting.
— Painless. The most uncomfortable bit is when they’re creating the flap and there’s some kind of suction cup thing on your eyeball that feels… weird and unpleasant, but not painful by any means.
— Recovery. As easy as can be. After the procedure you leave seeing as if you were underwater, you go home and sleep for a few hours (they give you meds to help), you wake up and feel pretty normal. The most discomfort I felt was the night of the procedure and it feels similar to having a contact that is really dry. You put eye drops in and it feels better.
PRICING
This is an expensive place, but for me it was worth it. With my UCLA alumni discount I paid $ 4000 for lasik on both eyes. I know there are places in ktown or wherever that get good Unilocal reviews and are as low as $ 1600 for both eyes. I wasn’t taking any chances with my eyesight so I felt okay paying more. And if you’re on the fence about this I have a coworker who went to a $ 1600 place (4 – 5 stars on Unilocal) and would highly recommend that dr/​center BUT she does not have ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision. Obviously everyone is different etc etc but we started with very similar prescriptions (−6÷7 range with astigmatism) and I’m testing at ²⁰⁄₂₀. My halos are already dissipating where as hers are not.
Of course, that could just be me trying to justify paying so much more so take it with a grain of salt!

After several months of research, I opted to have LASIK surgery at the UCLA Laser Refractive Center last month; Dr. Rex Hamilton was my surgeon. I selected to have the surgery done here for several reasons, including, but not limited to the following: 1) Dr. Hamilton and his staff made me feel very comfortable; 2) the tests I took prior to the surgery seemed very thorough (during my initial consultation I took more tests here than I did at any other surgeon’s office during initial consultations); 3) I read amazing things about Dr. Hamilton and 4), the customer service was phenomenal.
I had the surgery done on a Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning, I had better than ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision! I can’t believe I put this surgery off for so long. I highly recommend Dr. Hamilton. By the way, be sure to ask about the UCLA alumni discount.

I had my LASIK done with Dr Hamilton just over two weeks ago and love my new eyes! His front staff and support staff were fabulous. I did my evaluation and pre-​op same day and they did the surgery a week and a half later. Dr Hamilton put me at ease and did a fantastic job. I am amazed every day driving to work how great my vision is! I could not be happier!!!

I’ve been a delighted recipient of «world class» retinal treatment and professional service regimen by Dr. Steven Schwartz and Associates at Jules Stein Eye Institute.
Over time it became apparent a byproduct of this continuing treatment had been an acceleration of Cataract activity within the affected eye. The effect of this progressing Cataract was a continuing decrease of light entering that eye. Quite frankly, many times I’d find myself rubbing that eye and repeatedly cleaning my eyeglasses, thinking this would eliminate the experience. My «remedy» for this light deficiency did nothing to improve the condition.
Cataract surgery was suggested and Dr. D. Rex Hamilton recommended. From my initial contact and through to recovery, Dr. Hamilton and Staff provided a reassuring sense of confidence and comfort by promptly responding to my every inquiry — including the «silly» ones.
The surgery schedule was established — and along each step of the way during the run-​up dates it was quite pleasing and rewarding to receive the generous attentions of Dr. Hamilton and his efficient, informative and professional Staff.
Two Cataract procedures were scheduled, first for the affected eye and then, one week later, for the other. Dr. Hamilton was patient with my many questions and took great care to advise and inform what each procedure involved, explained the options for lens selection and provided professional and tailored recommendations. Dr. Hamilton’s direct, patient and personable responses helped to alleviate my apprehension and went-​the-​distance in putting my fears to rest.
I’m pleased to share both procedures were, as anticipated, successful!
There are only reasons to applaud Dr. Hamilton and Staff — and not one reason to complain.
In my opinion you could not make a better decision and choice!

The Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA is one of the three best eye care facilities in the world. And the only one of this ranking in the U.S. west of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
Dr. Rex Hamilton, Director of the Laser Refractive Center at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute, is an Ace of a fighter pilot, a rock star among eye surgeons.
I’ve been a patient at Jules Stein for more years than I care to remember, and have been Dr. Hamilton’s patient from almost his first day on staff.
My eye problems are far more serious than nearsightedness. So much so that I lost my sight — twice. Sadly true.
But each time, it was Dr. Hamilton who went where most eye surgeons will not or cannot go to bring my eyes back from the dead. Again, true.
Today, with special contact lenses I see BETTER than ²⁰⁄₂₀.
If this DaVinci among surgeons did this for me, just imagine what he can do for you …

Dr. Rex Hamilton is the man. I had PRK done roughly 2 years ago and both eyes are ²⁰⁄₁₅! However, I am going to go back for an enhancement just because my right eye is slightly worse than my left and it’s bothering me :) Being the picky person I am, Dr. Rex Hamilton was supportive and happy to take on this enhancement. He said he wanted to make sure I was happy. It’s also nice it’s under my 2 year post up warranty :)
Dr. Rex Hamilton puts you to ease and takes care of you in and out of the surgery room. I would and am recommending him to anyone who is looking to perform eye surgery.

***Preface***
Had PRK completed in January 2010.
Using the most high-​tech equipment and skilled hands, they have rebuilt me. They have made me better. I can see farther. I can run, well, the same speed.
Of course I joke, but what they’ve done is nothing short of a medical miracle in todays age. They have reshaped my corneas by ablation, using a rapid laser system, a team of skilled doctors & other medical professionals, and a football. I’ll get more into that later.
***Background***
I’ve worn glasses since I was 10 years old. It started with the Lions Club and getting free glasses.
A major factor for the surgery was that my vision coverage through my job SUCKS. It allows me to receive an eye exam for glasses, not contacts, and covers frames up to $ 60. That’s it. Glasses are usually a minimum of $ 130. Secondly, I wanted sunglasses — which are very expensive to add prescription to, and usually very fragile.
Eventually, I did some research. Why do some places cost $ 300 an eye, and some $ 3000 an eye? Well after some internet work, I found out why. It’s the doctor. Some places are like sweat shops. They pump out laser eye procedures, one every 15 minutes. This was not attractive. It means the work ethic here is money. Faster the better. Very little before, during or after care. The more expensive places offer a more customized care. They spend time with you, explain things, plan your follow-​up visits and let you know what to expect. Problem: Where do I get $ 6,000? I’m not rich. I don’t have credit cards. So what to do? Easy. «Flexible Spending Account!». It’s an amazing tool my workplace offers to help pay for general medical expenses. (Thank you Vince for this idea!)
Then I thought, why not go to an institution where they teach? I’ve taken friends with no insurance to UCLA School of Dentistry to have work done that would have otherwise cost a small fortune. These teaching schools offer supervision by leading doctors in their field, standing over students who are bright enough to get into UCLA. So, I looked up to see if UCLA has a school of Optometry or Opthamology.
THEY DO.
I called the UCLA Laser Refractive Center and started to ask questions. Do you have student doctors: yes. Are you cheaper than other places: depends on what you’re looking for. Great.
The associate doctors are already full fledged MD’s, but learning the laser system so they can take it to their practice. They are supervised by Dr. Rex Hamilton, a pioneer in many aspects and genius in the rest, who teaches his technique to doctors from around the world. I felt confident in his ability, even seeing a student doctor, because he would be in the room supervising. The machine does the majority of the work, but needs a skilled hand by a doctor.
***First Contact***
Made my first appointment with Vince Hall. He guided me through 90% of the process with such skill and understanding. He was there the entire time. Then I met Dr. Timmy Kovoor, who was the most amazing doctor I’ve ever met. He was very thorough, and unlike most doctors, not afraid to speak in technical medical language using the big terms. I can appreciate that. I want to know what’s going on, and not in child terms. Let me know what ablation means and I’m good. Don’t tell me you’re going to shoot me in the eye with a magic beam of light that grants wishes.
The price was great. $ 1,500 an eye, $ 3,000 total. This included all pre and post follow-​up visits for the 1 year process. This cost is to see an associate doctor, and not Dr. Hamilton himself. He was much more, I think $ 6,000 total.
***Surgery /​Procedure***
After several visits and consults, it was time for the big procedure. The staff took my payment (thanks to Jessica A for your help!), and we walked into the pre-​op area. Once seated, lots of numbing drops were put into my eye, and we waited for them to take effect. 10 minutes later I’m being walked into the operating room and lay on this long squishy table with my head under the microscope. There, I am greeted by the staff who tell me that this is the best part and it’s almost over. I absolutely loved their professionalism, since I was at their mercy and my eyesight in their hands. Oh, and they have me hold a football to keep my hands and arms from moving me around.
They applied some drops to my eyes to essentially disolve an upper layer of the epithelium, since my corneas were too thin for the intralase procedure. Then as my vision blurred, they announced that the laser was ready. After 5 seconds in each eye of «magical lightning beams» (lol), I had vision.
***Conclusions***
It’s been two years and I am 100% satisfied with their work and would recommend EVERYONE come here first. Best money ever spent.

I spent years researching my options for LASIK and never really felt comfortable with the idea of going through with surgery until I visited the UCLA Laser Refractive Center. The staff made sure that I felt comfortable with the surgery and I received perhaps the most thorough eye exam in my life. I was comforted by the fact that the chief specialist was Dr. Rex Hamilton (yes that’s his real name), who has an excellent reputation using the Wavefront-​guide LASIK, which is a computer-​corrected guide to correction vision with less halos and/​or reactions to light. Here I am a year down the road and I am happy to report I won’t need glasses for a long while and will donate my frames (which is a good feeling).
Just a note: If you choose to go for LASIK anywhere, you probably should start looking into it when you’re in your late 20s and early 30s to get the most benefit from the procedure.