Balentine Jennifer, MD – Northwest Eye Associates

My vision had been deteriorating and I needed a thorough eye exam. I have a history of RK and LASIK which further complicates my eyes history so, rather than an optometrist, I decided on an ophthalmologist to examine my eyes.
The receptionist at this office was pleasant enough and I was able to get an appointment within a few days. Once in the office I didn’t have to wait long to be seen. It is nice that the office validates your parking ticket so parking is free.
Now the downside. My eyes were actually examined and measured by a staff member– not the doctor. It was the fastest wham-​bam eye exam I’ve ever had in my entire life. No chit-​chat, no explanations, no-​lol-​eye contact. Dr. Balentine popped into the room after the eye exam to introduce herself she spent all of 2 – 3 minutes with me answering any questions. I was beginning to think I would have been better off going to an optometrist at Costco. I’ve been there and at least the optometrist does the eye exam.
FYI…If you have had prior RK or LASIK surgery and later need contact lenses for vision correction you need to know BEFORE you make an appointment that not all ophthalmologists or optometrists have the equipment necessary to accurately map out the surface of the cornea for the purpose of doing «complicated» contact lenses fitting. Not only does Dr. Balentine lack such equipment, she also contracts out an optometrist to come in once a week to do all her patient contact lens fitting.
On appointment #2– The optometrist who comes q Weds looked like she was in her late 20’s and primarily works at the VA in Portland. She brought with her a little case a generic «sample» lenses and tried two different lenses which, of course, would not work with my complicated flat cornea. She suggested I find a doctor who specializes in post RK and LASIK custom fitting. By now I am starting to get irritated and perturbed.
Dr. Balentine, if worth her salt, would do her own exams or at minimum confirm her staff member’s eye findings. I find it difficult to believe that after my exam and the history intake that Dr. B couldn’t tell I needed to go elsewhere for contact lens fitting. Dr. Balentine did originally tell me if she could not fit me in contacts she would refer me to a doctor that specialized in fitting contacts post RK/​LASIK. Later however, when I asked for a referral I was told (through the receptionist) that Dr. Balentine knew no one to refer me to!!!
I called an eye clinic in Bellingham (4 hours north from me) who does indeed specialize in «complicated contact lens fitting» and left a message. The same day a very pleasant doctor from the clinic called and appeared more interested and spent more time with me than the very brief few minutes Dr. Balentine spent with me in her office. He went on to give me not only the names of 5 promising referrals, but also their telephone numbers and location. He also discussed pricing and which would be cheaper. He even got on the computer and suggested the Pacific University in Portland which is much closer to me and would be less expensive. At this point I was really kicking myself for wasting my time with Dr B. This doctor who isn’t getting paid just spent a good 10 minutes with me and gave me 5 referrals and the doctor I paid spent less time with me and would not bother giving me any referrals. This speaks volumes about this doctor.
From my experience here I cannot recommend this doctor to anyone and I would especially not trust her to do surgery on me or anyone in my family.

Dr Jennifer Balentine is a real nice ophthalmologist. She and her staff are real nice and polite and educational. I never have problem with the appointment that i need to wait for a long time to get to my turn. They manage their schedule well. She also makes herself available to talk to you on the phone to answer your questions during regular business hour. Her office is located on Lovejoy street in the yuppy nw 23^rd street. Parking is free with validation from the clinic office.