Edwin S Chen, MD

I had been referred to Dr Edwin Chen for cornea issues related to my Keratoconus …
My cornea had torn and the result was water passing and staying in the eye, and swelling. Unfortunately the pain was a 8 on a ten scale (the eye is vulnerable to pain much more than other organs and parts of the body due to its much higher amount of nerves)…and I desired pain rx relief — I had been taking Otc Tylenol and ibuprofen — which did not cut it at all. When I asked him to help, he was not empathetic at all, and refused to prescribe anything —
all he could say was that «the pain from this condition does not «typically» need stronger medication… a very generic response and certainly not accurate at all for me. I was given an appropriate diagnosis and sent home with some prescription eye drops to dilate the eyes and gel to prevent infection and miro 128 salt eye drops. Dr Chen was very accommodating on fitting me in on a short notice.
But the main concern I had was having to suffer the immense pain for 10 days+ — and this was while dealing with not being able to see out of the eye. It makes absolutely no sense why Dr Chen refused to do what my other Corneal specialist ultimately did 10 days later (see below) and to have me live with an unnecessary amount of pain during a hard time of not seeing is ridiculous.
It has been 10 days now and I saw a much better and much more experienced Corneal specialist in La Jolla who could not believe Dr Chen did not prescribe pain meds, and said while they do not do it all the time —-they certainly do it when necessary and upon looking at my eye — easily understood the need to give them to me.
Plus this much better Corneal specialist in La Jolla also noted Dr Chen prescribed miro128 salt eye drops while it should have been gel instead — which lasts longer and much more effective (a rookie mistake for young Dr Chen in my opinion).
This Dr also was much more empathetic, listened and took his time to see me, plus knew much more about the condition and how to treat it and took time to explain it thoroughly.
Dr. Chen is a poor communicator and was very rushed. When I asked questions, they were briefly answered in a condescending manor… as if I would not understand it. He ignored my pain and generically placed me in a category of others not taking into consideration that every patient is unique.
I highly recommend not using him at all.
He is young and inexperienced and poor «bed side manner».

Dr. Chen and his staff are fantastic! New to this area, I needed an ophthalmologist for urgent eye care. I was seen right away and recieved excellent and kind care. Dr. Chen is very knowledgable and thorough. He is the perfect blend of professional and personable. His staff was also so friendly and helpful. I recommend Dr. Chen highly!!!

Dr. Chen, and his staff, are easily the BEST that medical care has to offer.
The excellence started for me when I woke three days after an eye injury to hazy vision and terrible pain and discomfort. I knew that I was in trouble and needed to move my care from an Optometrist to an Ophthalmologist. My husband and I started calling various offices in the area… but only one took our call immediately, and upon hearing my symptoms, saw me right away! This was NOT because Dr. Chen is not busy. This is because his staff is trained to recognize an emergency, and mine was just that.
Upon arrival, I was immediately brought into a dark room while I waited. This was to keep me comfortable as light was practically unbearable.
I hardly waited more that two minutes… and each subsequent visit was just like this. No waiting… always as I was walking in… someone was walking out and vice versa. Again… this was not a sign of a staggering practice, but rather a sign of an impeccably run practice.
Dr. Chen was unbelievably thorough, professional, patient, compassionate and concerned. I mean TRULY concerned. In fact… because I had to see him every day for over a week, I could actually see his concern lift as I got better! He became more relaxed and talkative… and I realized he was relaxing because i was healing! (thanks to him).
All the while his staff is truly as remarkable. Equally as caring, warm, friendly, and VERY supportive of their doctor. They know how he likes his office run, and they take that very seriously. This office is immaculate, clean, and exactly the way you would want ANY doctors office, especially when your EYE is exposed with infection.
Lastly, is an example of what I think says the most about Dr. Chen and his professionalism, expertise and quality of care. I was scheduled for an annual family vacation 5 days after I went to see him for my Corneal Infection. I asked him if I could go on my trip… and you know what he said? No. Plain and simple. Not because I would endanger my eye… but because he said «I know the state of your eye. I understand your infection and how your eye is healing. You have been under my care and I would be concerned at this time when your eye/​vision is not stable having your care be moved to another doctor. Please remain here where I can monitor you daily and be sure we get you healed.»
Thank you Dr. Chen!!! Most doctors would be so busy trying to please the patient they may put them at risk. Your assertive care and definitive direction was both comforting and imperative in my quick healing.

Let’s start with this: every medical office could take a lesson from Dr. Chen’s! What a great experience. When a close friend told me she LOVED her family’s eye doctor, I’ll be honest thought the enthusiasm was a bit much. Now, having been there, I totally get it.
The office is modern and clean and the staff is very friendly. Then, miracle of miracles, my appointment started right on time! (ahem, cc: EVERY OTHER DOCTOR IN SAN DIEGO!) Dr. Chen came in to see me right away, and was extremely generous with his time and insights. He thoughtfully answered the few questions I came with (bonus points for not telling me off when I hadn’t had my eyes checked in 10 years), and made some good recommendations for how to keep my eyes healthy for the long term.
Honestly, he spent more time with me than all the doctors I’ve seen in the past year, combined! Super smart but very approachable. Total win.

Old fashioned medicine! Dr. Chen is the kind of Dr. we all want and need. He is warm, friendly, thorough, and extremely knowledgeable. have a chronic problem that is not very common, and Dr. Chen was very well educated on what I had and needed. He explains everything in a clear and understandable way. He is a breath of fresh air in the medical community. From my first visit, I felt like I was a long standing patient. He and his staff knew who I was, again, like it used to be with a family Dr. Shannon and Amy, are equally as warm and caring as Dr. Chen and make you feel like you are truly a valued part of their practice. It is a pleasure to go to their office. In all my years wearing glasses, Dr. Chen is the only Dr. that understood the difficulty I had having a stigmatism in my prescription and made an adjustment that made wearing them effortless. I have nothing but the utmost confidence in Dr. Chen and am so thankful that I found him. His office is easy to find and very accessible to anyone in San Diego.

Dr. Chen is a great ophthalmologist. Very professional, thorough, and an all around nice guy with very friendly staff. I had a terrible cornea infection that I originally thought was pink-​eye. When it didn’t go away with basic antibiotics I was referred to him. I was pregnant at the time and worried about being on a bunch of meds, but the infection got really, really bad. He took wonderful care of me and monitored me very closely, always keeping in mind my concerns and answering all of my questions. He genuinely cared about my progress. Also, I rarely waited more than 5min to see him.

Dr. Chen and his staff were very friendly and personable. Even though I just had an annual eye exam, I can tell right away how much he cares about his patients because he would take the time out to thoroughly answer all of my questions/​concerns and make sure I was comfortable.
I bring my whole family here because I wouldn’t trust anyone else! I would definitely recommend him!
Any problems with billing just means their insurance didn’t cover it. Eye exams aren’t free – duh!

Dr Chen is one of the most thorough, caring, and attentive physicians I have ever seen as a patient. His knowledge base is impressive as he spent quite alot of time explaining the problem my eye was having and was able to make a diagnosis that others had missed. I have also sought references on his surgical skills which I have been told to be exceptional. The issues with insurance and billing are simply a reflection of booking error or front desk staff mistakes. Do not let the other reviewer’s comments deter you from getting a top notch examination and care by an exceptional doctor. And if you need a corneal transplant, go no further. Dr. Chen has written over 40 manuscripts on the topic and is considered THE expert on DSEK or partial corneal transplantation… that’s an impressive resume!!!

I’ve been looking for a great optometrist in San Diego for the past 4 years. I’d have to say, I never found one– but Dr. Chen is one hell of a ophthalmologist.
He’s tremendously knowledgeable and a physician! Very personable and caring. You can just tell when a doctor really cares about your well being.
The office interior is very modern, more high tech equipment than I’ve seen in other optometrists.