Haroutun Hovanesian,MD

My mother has been seeing this doctor for more than a year. She has macular degeneration, is elderly and lives alone. I came to town recently and I realized that she’s not been taken care of AT ALL by this guy. He has spent ZERO time talking to her, testing her, explaining things to her. Totally dismissive. While I was in town, I got her an appointment with a really good eye doctor, which was difficult because she has this horrific SCAN policy (which also nobody should have!). We met two people in the waiting room who had also been to Havanesian and had the exact same complaints. What he has done is just underbid for the SCAN contract, and does the absolute minimum for his patients. NOBODY should go to him if they have any real problems with their vision. And I’m getting my mom out of SCAN because they have allowed this to happen.

From a referral by my primary care doctor in Eagle Rock, I drove out to the office in West Hollywood to see Dr H Hovanesian for an eye exam to diagnose a chalazion. I don’t believe I have ever received more unprofessional, cursory and rude treatment from a doctor in my 40+ years. The office staff who checked me in and did intake were excellent, friendly, professional, welcoming and knowledgeable. However, Dr Hovanesian seemed to not have looked at the intake information at all, did a perfunctory and seemingly inadequate exam of my eye (did not even look at the lesion under the lid), gave me a confusing explanation of my diagnosis, and showed absolutely zero patience when I asked questions for clarification, to the point of becoming hostile and rude. He and the staff sent me off without a single word in closing (just left me alone in the office!), or any documentation of the diagnosis or prescribed treatment. I gathered my wits before driving away and went back for some kind of documentation, and Dr Hovanesian refused to make eye contact with me and ordered the office staff to write up the diagnosis/​prescription on an Rx slip. I’ve never left a medical facility without being given documentation of the visit and outcome! I won’t ever go back to this office for ophthalmology. It was a really awful and disturbing experience.

I agree with the other review and am looking for another referral. He didn’t even do my exam someone else did and she had the biggest attitude! He basically looked at my eyes with a flashlight and wrote the prescription which I don’t even think is right!

Worse doctor I’ve ever been to. Make me fill out all these papers and then they don’t even read it and ask you the questions all over again. At the office in Simi, they don’t take cards, so you can only pay in check (something that is obsolete for anyone under 30) or with cash (unsafe to carry around, easy to steal). My appointment was for 2:20 not 3:15 (when I finally saw the doctor) After making me wait an hour to finally see the doctor, he doesn’t even look at my eyes properly, he says «because I don’t have any symptoms wrong with my eye at the moment, nothing is wrong with you». That has to be the worse fucking answer I ever got from a doctor. I explained what else was wrong, he seemed to be completely incompetent. When I mention putting tubes in my tear ducts, he said he doesn’t do that, that’s some other doctor in the building. I stormed out, he is a pathetic excuses for a doctor. I wouldn’t see him anymore, I also refuse to pay the copay, I will only pay for the proper service I expect, which was not met.