Gary Bonnin OD

Dr. Bonnin asks you about your life and your job, and will give specific advice relevant to your situation (i.e. specific eye strain risks, etc). He is efficient and to the point, but also thorough and personal. I visited Dr. Bonnin for an exam a couple of years ago and had a good experience. When I needed a new eye exam, I decided to schedule with him again, despite the fact that I had moved away such that his location was no longer convenient. With every optometrist I have ever visited in the past I never felt like I was «their» patient in the same way that you do with other sorts of physicians; I always felt the experience was simply transactional. With Dr. Bonnin I feel like I am his patient. I highly recommend him, and will continue to drive across town to see Dr. Bonnin when it is time for my annual eye exam.

I have been to so many optometrists over the years and never had one that made me feel like I should care to see the same Doctor again. Tuesday I walked in to a busy office hoping for a walk in with two staff members who informed me they had a full schedule but would do everything in their power to get me in. In about 45 minutes I was in with Dr. Bonnin. We started with a photo of the back of my eye which showed me I have early signs of degeneration so we will follow that every year which eases my mind. We went over everything from my distance/​computer/​reading to golf glasses and where I keep my computer in relation to my face. We also went over the care of eyelids and eyelashes and he explained why my eyelids itch occasionally (I will spare you the details). He was extremely thorough and informative. I was treated like a friend immediately from walking in the door until I walked out. Incredible staff and incredible Doctor. I would not see another doctor if you paid me. DONT EVER RETIRE DR BONNIN!
(I should mention they don’t take insurance but gave me an item receipt to submit and even called my insurance to verify they would reimburse me before I headed in to the appointment) Great job staff.

Had a terrific experience with Dr. Bonnin. He was kind and patient and had a lot of great information and tips for me — I need annual eye exams because of a medication I take, and I also work at the computer 8 – 10 hours a day which can cause strain. He understood the condition and the medication I take, the nature of my job, and he gave me sample eyedrops as well.
The office visit itself was pretty average, the staff weren’t particularly friendly but not rude either. They were running behind just like every other medical office, but it wasn’t horrible. I think from the time I checked in until the time I left I was there for a little over an hour. The place was busy but clean and fairly efficiently run.
One note — at first I was suspicious about the retina photography and paying extra for it, but I’m glad I did. It is actually really cool — instead of dilating the eye for the exam to look at the health of your inner eye, they do this photo that documents the entire inner eye. Dr. Bonnin showed me the images which show if you have issues with the macula, how the nerves look, etc. I don’t have to do it every time, but in the future if I have problems he can compare a newer image with this last one he took to compare the two to detect changes. And I GLADLY paid the extra $ 30 to avoid dilating my eyes!
I really liked Dr. Bonnin and will definitely be back the next time I need an exam.

After years of long waits for appointments and expensive exams with an ophthalmologist, I finally opted for the ease of visiting an optometrist at Costco. My shopping philosophy has always been, «If you can’t buy it at Home Depot or Costco, you probably don’t need it,» so at least I’m being consistent. And my preference for an MD over an OD has waned as technology at everyone’s disposal has improved. Thus, Dr. Bonnin. I’ve been seeing him for annual check ups for a few years and could not be happier. He’s an older fellow and is especially good dealing with questions involving aging eyes… he’s been there. His work week is limited, so I’ve also seen others in the office with good results.
By the way, I recommend that you consider doing the retinal scan at least once to create a recorded benchmark for the health of your eyes. It’s relatively inexpensive and it is much more than a sales tactic for a pretty picture as was implied by another reviewer (my motive for writing this review). Extremely important if you have concerns about issues like macular degeneration…
And yes, my wife, who strongly disagrees with my whole Home Depot/​Costco shopping philosophy, now sees Dr. Bonnin as well.

I normally go to the Costco Dr.‘s office at the Beardsley location, with Dr. Olish, but have since moved and decided to try the Paradise Valley locale. I figured they would all be similar in professionalism and expertise. I was given a choice between two optometrists, a Dr. Bonnin (male) and Dr. Busch (female). I told them to pick one for me as I didn’t know either of them. Of course, like all offices, they said both were excellent. So, I got an appt. with Dr. Nancy Busch.
The place was jammed up with patients; way too many. I checked in with the receptionist for the Drs., Noelle (very polite and friendly) and met Samantha, their tech assistant. I was on time, but had to wait 20 minutes to get in. Almost immediately, they both started pitching me, however nicely, on how I «really should get» a special retina photography scan. They didn’t have this at the other location. It’s basically just a pretty picture of your eyes, not as good as having your eyes simply dilated… but it costs extra; $ 30 extra, on top of the $ 59 basic exam. Hmm. I passed.
Then they started telling me about their special eyelid wash for blepharitis (which many people have to some degree). Samantha pulls out some huge rubber version of the mites that are in everyone’s eyelashes and says «you know, these are what’s in your eyelashes.» lol Really? I told them I had already seen an ophthalmologist about it all and it was fine, but they persisted. That tiny bottle was going to be another $ 20. Hmm. I passed again.
But wait, there’s more! They also told me I «really should get» this special eye lid scraping/​buffing called BlephRx (looks like a kind of Dremel tool for eyelids) and how it feels like «a spa visit for your eyes.» Right… That was another $ 65 per eye. Hmm, I passed again… for the third time now.
In between trying to up-​sell these three items that I «really must have,» I managed to get a quick glaucoma air pressure test in the office. Then, I finally got to see the Dr. Yay.
Dr. Busch, who was friendly and chatty, began telling me all over about these three «must have» products and procedures, as well as telling me about her friend’s writing career, and then about her dad’s travels around the world. That would be fine if we both had lots of time. In between all of this, I managed to get a very abbreviated eye exam, much shorter than over at Beardsley. I had some serious questions about my actual, oh I don’t know EYES, that I needed answered. I barely got answers to those, my prescription hadn’t changed (she said) and she proceeded to tell me, again, how I really needed those three items they were selling. They must make quite a mark-​up on them (they don’t get a cut of eye glasses or contacts; that’s Costco’s money), so I was left wondering if my prescription really didn’t change. Three whole minutes of my time with her was about my eyes; the other 15 or so was about «stuff.»
So, the only real benefit I feel I got was that Maurice (outside Costco optical) changed out my nose guards on my current glasses. That’s it. Considering the positive review for Dr. Bonnin, perhaps he would have been better? But then again, it’s his practice, so I doubt he would have objected to the «hard sell.»
When I went to pay for the exam, Noelle said the bill was $ 79. Huh? The doctor had gone ahead and added the eye wash when I said I didn’t want it over and over. Wow. I had her take it off, of course.
Because I had no faith in this «exam,» I ended up paying for a SECOND eye exam over at Bearsdley with Dr. Olish, who was, as usual, very professional and thorough. No up-​sell, no rush, and very in-​depth about MY EYES. I guess I’ll have to eat the cost of the Bonnin office «exam.» Total waste of time and $ 59, but a lesson learned.

1^st, Dr. Bonnin is located in PV Costco at 4570 E. Cactus Rd. Phoenix. Behind PV mall.
Noelle (ofc. mgr.) was very patient and helpful because I hadn’t checked to see if they were covered (they do not accept insurance). She called and sat through what I consider to be a tedious automated phone system with my insurance and confirmed that I would be reimbursed minus a tiny out of pocket amount.
The pre-​exam lady (will find out her name and update) was pleasant and efficient.
Dr. Bonnin was funny, patient, great active listener, and informative. I learned things I didn’t know about eye strain, etc. Hint for those who are on the computer like me more hours than I am not: How you hold your book (lower than eye level) is the most comfortable position for our eye’s focus. So if you can adjust your monitors to be below you, do it!
Highly recommend this office for a great customer experience and low prices. Even if I wasn’t covered, their prices are highly reasonable and I’d still come here. Do an internet search of his name to find out more.