New York Eye & Ear Infirmary – The Ear Institute

I just do not get such dissatisfaction from the rest of the Unilocalers on here!
I had surgery on my throat about one week ago and am home recovering with strict voice rest. With that being said i think that this is a world class operation with some of the best doctors and nurses NY has to offer.
I was in at 9:45am and out by 2pm and could not be happier with their service to say the least. Everyone that i had encountered was nothing but professional, kind and courteous.
These people are just another reason why I am proud to be a New Yorker and am thankful for their service and health care.

I don’t exactly what is gooing on with the negative reviews below. Sounds bad. Howver my experience was far better. We walked in a bit late, yetnthe receptionist fit us in. Had about a 15 minute wait, as I filled out some forms.
Finaly had 4 consecutive and very thorough tests done. One of the doctors (?) Conducting and eye sight exam was fast-​pacing it a little, but seemed she got the results she wanted. 4 tests later, another doctor comes it to explain the results and options. Very thorough and patient with questions. Equipment seemed new and the staff alert and responaive.
Thanks.

This is a review of my interactions with various staff and departments, as part of my pre-​arranged cataract surgery.
From the time I first arrived at the hospital until the time I checked-​out after my surgery, about three hours passed, which was exactly what my doctor had told me would likely be the amount of time I’d spend there.
I first checked-​in with building Security in the North building, then with the registration desk on the first floor (to fill-​out some paperwork, provide ID and insurance card, handle co-​pay and any deductible, etc.), then went to the waiting area on the 5^th floor (just behind the check-​in desk near elevator), then to the changing area on the 5^th floor (change into gown and leave my personal items in an assigned locker), then went to another waiting area on 5^th floor (located just across from the recovery room), then briefly met with a nurse on the 5^th floor who took down more information and asked me additional questions, then gave a urine sample which I had to provide to the desk located just outside 5^th floor recovery room, then down to 4^th floor where I was prepped for surgery. All the aforementioned interactions were ‘unremarkable’…the staff were all nice and professional. Granted, I WAS often asked the same questions over and over by subsequent staff, but I interpreted this as the hospital’s wanting to ensure that nothing was overlooked… that no mistakes were made. However, I would like to comment further down below regarding one instance of unprofessionalism, and then the surgery itself…
As mentioned, a nurse on the 5^th floor asked me to provide a urine sample. I used the bathroom just behind a staff desk inside the recovery room. A few problems with the urine sample process: 1) no reminder instructions on PROPER technique to give a urine sample, 2) no wipes provided to clean yourself before giving the sample, 3) I was not given a CUP, but rather a skinny test-​tube type vial (have you ever tried to aim pee into a skinny test-​tube vial??!) 4) naturally getting pee all over outside of vial (and my hand), I then had to wash outside of vial before placing it in Ziploc bag provided to me 5) neither the vial nor the bag had my name or any identifying information written on it 6) I went to desk just beyond the bathroom and multiple staff there were not paying any attention (area seemed rather unorganized…) 7) I finally handed my sample to a woman there who seemed unconcerned when I told her that my sample was not labelled. she didn’t even ask for my name and said they’d ‘take care of it’ All in all, a VERY unprofessional way to handle a urine sample…
Regarding the surgery itself… as I waited outside the room on a gurney, the anesthesiologist came over, then later a nurse came over, and then the assistant to the anesthesiologist (I think his name was ‘Tim’). I had a good feeling about all of them… they all seemed very serious, competent and professional. Surgery itself was over in ‘no time’…I didn’t feel a thing… and on this, Day 2 post-​surgery, all seems to be going well… I know that with each day, my sight will continue to improve. I’ve had no post-​surgery discomfort to speak of… just a slight feeling of ‘scratchiness’ (irritation) yesterday, on the side of my eye where the incision was made, but today I no longer feel that scratchiness.
All in all, I had a good experience with my pre-​planned surgery at NYEE.

I feel very sorry for many many bad reviews for NY Eye & Ear infirmary so I decided to upload my own review with great experience yesterday at here /​April 25, 2016.
My surgery was on my some uvula part removing & soft palate trimming.
I think only deference between these very bad reviews & my good review is that I was a patient with an appointment.
Also check their site! seems like they no longer accept urgent patient anymore starting from April 25, Monday.
BTW,
I was told to come at 10.15am & my surgery start at 1.15PM. I got admittance area at 9.45am.
Right after she asked my last name, she pronounced my hard to pronounce lfirst name right away with beautiful smile. There are a few file books of patients of the day with names on it, so she said she could call my first name right.
After I waited only 5 minutes, the other lady called me into her room to paper preparation which took about 15 minutes. She was also a very soft spoken with beautiful smiling lady who made me so comfortable.
Now, I was told to go up on 7^th floor /​waiting room with surgery ready pajama style.
I was at waiting room at 10.20 am which was too early but they said I have to change it to pajama already.
One minor problem here. This room is for 2 patients divided with minimum size curtain which is not good privacy at all & the room temperature was kind cold enough for thin pajama so I needed to ask blanket. The blanket itself was already has some heat which was felt like heaven.
Now, waiting, waiting and waiting. more than one hour later, finally nurse stated to check on me with some usual questions. She was also so friendly & soft spoken relaxed lady.
I go back to waiting room across the hall way & waited another half maybe 45minuts.
Time for IV, He failed on my arm at first. Ouch!
Then I was transferred to 2^nd floor with wheel chair.
Now, my Dr. B was waiting for me with big smile. I like his smile so much anyway and we go in operation room.
Time for general anesthesia. I don’t remember anything at this point.
I was at middle of hall way when I wake up with obvious pain in my back of throat.
Back to 7^th floor /​waiting room & I found my escort was there.
One minor problem here. I was told my escort can come around 2.30PM but the time I was discharged was almost 8PM. because they forced me to drink 2 cups of cold drinks but it’s not so easy since my throat had so much pain right after the surgery. I had to take so long time to taste one small spoonful of water means takes so much more time to finish over 2 cups. I felt sorry for my escort. She could come like 6PM instead of 2.30PM.
My first surgery experience in my life (I’m 65) so I was very scarily & nervous but because of all these great workers, they saved my life. they’re so professional.
Why not 5 stars is that I got too long waiting time & the waiting room was too cold & not so good privacy.
Except those, I am happy & my pain today already came down a lot though still struggling to drink water.
Thanks every worker I met!
All the best,

Ok so my mom works at the hospital and I’ve been living in the resident building for 18 years with my mom so I know some of the people that work there. Let me tell you the guards are assholes and so rude and condescending (except 2 Spanish ones they’re the homies). My mom is friends with all the nurses and the nurses there and so nice and sweet (especially the Filipino ones). The people that run the hospital though are so rude and uptight. The majority of the doctors who live in the resident building are straight out of med school and all they do is complain about their patients. I’ve gotten tonsillectomy done here and the only good things were the ice cream and the nurses. Besides that the people can suck my ass

Terrible. I called after putting on hold for 20 min, then was confirmed that I could get the urgent care I need. I walked in, the staff bought me to different rooms and staff asked me repetitive questions, registered me and made me wait. The staff told me that I couldn’t get what I need (cauterize the wood in my nose) It’s an urgent care! I waited for an hour, and they went out for lunch… Then they told me to wait and see the doctor, though they can’t do anything but give me PEACE OF MIND. Thank you.
I recommend CityMD two blocks away (the one on 14^th between 6^th and Broadway). Hard lesson leant.
This hospital just didn’t care…

Don’t bother. This place is a circus. If you care for yourself and loved ones go somewhere else. Only residents available

Awful, awful place. If you are handicapped or have mobility issues stay away. This building is NOT friendly to handicapped people. My dad was there for a transplant. We asked for a wheelchair and none was available. Then he had to go to 4 different locations throughout the hospital during the day. If my mother and I had not been there he would not have been able to manage the day. No place to park a wheelchair, even if we had one. No arms on chairs in waiting rooms or exam rooms. Wait times were excessive. Information was lacking. I will say his surgeon was great but contact time with him is so minimal is it worth it? No.

I am self-​employed always in a hurry. Eye and Ear Urgent Care was a good place for me to come for help. Next day I was leaving NY for vacation with intention of scuba diving. None of my dr. works after 5:30 pm. Wait time about 2 hours, so bring a book. Staff was nice dr. was fast, fixed my ear. I was able to relax with glass of wine while packing my suitcase.

Got fitted for hearing aids. I asked what other companies they represented. They only had Sieman. They fitted me and I lost one. Went back. Oh, the technician said it was fitted wrong!!! Yet, I was charged!!!
The ones I have now are thick pieces of plastic stuck in my ears. I was told to get use to them.
I never wear them… out a lot of money.

I wish that zero stars were offered, because that’s what this facility deserves. I could write an entire book about my awful experiences here, but I’m going to keep it brief. My entire experience in the last six weeks has been one long nightmare. The first day I went, with an emergency eye situation, I spent SEVEN hours in the building. Surgery was scheduled for the following week at 2 PM, but I didn’t enter the OR until after 6:30. On subsequent follow-​up visits, I’ve never spent less than FIVE hours waiting to be seen. Last Friday, with my eye finally healing nicely (the surgery was on August 19^th), I was able to read the first four lines on the chart. By the time I left, after three people treated the eye with unnecessary roughness, I could no longer see the wall where the chart was located, and I was told that my retina was again detached. I was scheduled for a second surgery for tomorrow, and was told I would get a call today between 2 and 6, advising me at what time to report. I got no call, so at 6:15 I called the hospital, only to be told that I’m not on the surgical list for tomorrow, October 7^th. After that, I could get no further answer, because the woman who answered the phone said, «I’m new here.» I called back the main number, and all offices are closed.
I would not take a domestic pet for treatment at this facility, and I’m wondering if I’m now going to be blind in my right eye for the balance of my life.
EDIT 10÷7÷15: The doctor called at 10 this morning, telling me to just come to the hospital for surgery. I advised her that I couldn’t, because I told the friend who was going to be there with me (at the hospital’s insistence, since I was to have general anesthesia) to go to work, since I was NOT scheduled for surgery today. Besides, the stress that I’ve gone through since Friday has left me physically ill, and in no condition for surgery. The doctor then told me that she called me herself on my land-​line yesterday, and left a message as to what time I should report. I told her that was impossible, since I have no answering device on that phone! When I asked her what number she called, the number she gave me was ONE DIGIT off from mine, which means that a totally disinterested party got my message. If you go to NYEE, please be prepared to expect that EVERY possible thing that could go wrong WILL go wrong. Better yet, go elsewhere.

«Urgent eye care» but no so urgent… You will love this place if you don’t mind waiting 6 (or more) hours to see a doctor, that won’t have anything important to say anyway. This place truly is like being in a 3^rd world country.

Read the reviews carefully. This place really is a nightmare and the model of the progressive left Obamacare healthcare reform utopia. A disaster.
A red tape nightmare. Grumpy workers. Only 1 doctor on shift. Over 5 hours from the time you walk in and register before treatment actually starts for an eye emergency.
Got here on a Saturday evening, only about 4 people ahead and yet the wait is 5+ hrs.

If you have an urgent eye or ear problem, do not under any circumstances go to the «urgent care» facility at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. There is nothing urgent about this place. Even with symptoms of a detached retina – a medical emergency that can lead to blindness if not treated immediately – I still had to wait almost four hours to see a doctor. And that’s with a nearly empty waiting room. I can only imagine how long I would’ve had to wait on a busy day.
When I finally got to see a doctor, he gave me a fumbling, uncomfortable examination (I’ve had lots of eye exams before, but this is the first one that was painful), and he completely missed the fact that my retina was torn! He said it was fine. Fortunately, I went to another doctor days later; he spotted the tear immediately and sent me to have emergency laser surgery that day.
Then the hospital waited almost 18 months – yes, 18 months – to send me a bill, which turned out to be wrong, of course. They had neglected to submit the claim to my insurance company, meaning that at this point it was too late to file an insurance claim and I was stuck owing the entire amount, plus they overcharged me by several hundred dollars. Twice I phoned to question my bill (by the way, the phone number for billing inquiries operates exactly four hours a day), twice I was told a supervisor would call me back, and twice I waited in vain for a call.
I had been to NYEEI before, and though my previous visits weren’t quite as horrific as this one, nearly everyone there – from the desk clerks to the doctors – seems to treat patients as if they’re an annoyance. To NYEEI’s credit, eventually they agreed to drop the charges. For that they get one star. But it won’t get me to return.

The Dr had to do my detached retina twice, and the 2^nd time he scratched my cornea deeply and now I can’t see. It’s been a horror ever since I went to this place. I’m so upset by the way they destroyed my eye. They kept sending me to the Cornea Clinic and gave me a list of Cornea Specialists of which not one of them would take my insurance. They treat patients like crap. One day I waited there from 9am-​6pm and then they told me to come back the next day. I hate them.

DO NOT, as I did, make the mistake of going to the Urgent Care clinic (the one that’s open for 24 hours, after the main clinic closes at 4.30pm) unless your matter is truly urgent ie. your eyeball is hanging on a thread.
I was misdirected here by Callan Lorde clinic («We refer tons of people there! You might have to wait 15 mins») for an eye irritation that had been going on for a week. I soon learned this is called a «chronic condition» not an «urgent condition.»
After 3 hours I was still sitting there — having filled out a sheet here, a page there, a rudimentary «read-​the-​chart» — four different bodies — and astoundingly, this was considered a slow day, with only 3 patients in the waiting room at any one time.
The final insult was the doctor telling me exactly what I knew already from past experience, but could not prescribe a single thing because it is against their policy — you are just an emergency patient with no clear follow through, so no prescriptions for you.
She also me, that even if you DID book into the main clinic, the wait is 4 – 9 hours — mine was considered a quick wait.
Seriously, don’t go here unless it’s a true emergency (e.g. you rip your eyeball apart with the corner of a scalding pop tart in a drunken state at 3am).

If you’re going to NYEE with your private insurance to see one of the doctors in their private clinic upstairs, I’m sure it’s fine.
if you’re a medicaid patient and you’re going to the ENT or allergy clinic downstairs find somewhere else before you waste your time. It takes over a month to get an appointment. If you need to be seen earlier you have to show up during «walk in hours» and you will wait three hours at the very least (read: over half of your day will be wasted.) The receptionists are at least friendly and honest and let you know what to expect. I got into the habit of checking in and then going to run errands and eat lunch before coming back and waiting another hour to be seen. There is no continuity of care, you’ll see a different doctor, PA, or NP every time you come who will ask the same questions again and again. The allergist I was referred to cancelled my appointment FOUR TIMES because he wanted to go to a conference, had a «staff meeting», or was «sick» on a Friday. The last time he cancelled on me I was already in the waiting room, having shown up 45 minutes earlier to check in. After I spoke to a patient rep I found out the same doctor has a private clinic upstairs where he sees people every other day… he just cancels on his medicaid patients. I had to go back to my primary and ask for a new referral. That kind of behavior is unethical, rude, and puts people’s health in jeopardy. Given these kind of experiences I would never trust these doctors to do any surgery.

Had to have eye surgery and they were amazing. But the cattle call leading up to that feels almost third world. The 8^th floor needs more space and more Drs. Expect to wait 3 – 4 hours PAST your appointment time just to get seen. Or longer. Feels more like a free clinic that a world class hospital.
That said, my Drs and the surgery area were fantastic.
But if there’s another place with good Drs, is avoid this place. A+ doctors. D– facilities.
Real time update. My appt was 10:15. It’s now 2:00 and still waiting. My fifth visit here and always the same.

I had to take my son here because he did not pass his hearing test when he was born. The dr we saw is very very patient and took her time examining my baby. Also, the receptionist was courteous and friendly.
Overall, my experience was pleasant and the Dr we saw was extremely nice! Glad my son was in good hand.

«were you ever hit in the head really hard as a kid?» this is what the handsome doctor asked me as he stared deep into the dialated pupil of my right eyeball.
Um no i dont think so? Why do you ask?
I had no idea what he was looking for or what was happening. I had come down to see him at the clinic in a panic. What happened was. I was staring at the computer screen at my summer internship when suddenly i realized this black fly was darting around my right eye.
Then I realized it wasnt a fly. It was a black dot just in my periphery and it moved anywhere I looked. it wasnt a «floater» that drifts on its own merry way across your field of vision, it was moving with my eye. WTF? I started to get a throbbing headache behind that eye.
sO I left work and went down to the clinic terrified. I sat there around an hour and a half, two hours. I was the last patient. i got excellent attention. I cannot remember the doctors name. Some of it was scary, like when he was looking into my eyeball with a device pressed against my eye and asked me «were you ever hit in the head really hard as a kid?»
He was very thorough about asking me every possible question to rule out various conditions and referred me to a great opthalmologist Dr. Leeber Cohen for follow up care to make sure I wasnt developing glaucoma (so far not, thank heavens)
The treatment I got here was great. I saw a lot of people with serious eye conditions getting great treatment while I waited. I was impressed with the efficiency of the place. They are open 365 days a year. We are incredibly lucky to live in a city where there is a walk-​in opthalmology clinic that takes any insurance. and if you dont have insurance charges less than 200 dollars for out of pocket expense on seeing you without an appointment. this place may not be spa-​like, but they care and they want to help you. do you know what an emergency room visit costs?