Dean R Hirabayashi, MD

Got appointment quickly. Got good care. Can recommend.

Really enjoyed my appointment with Dr. Hirabayashi. He took the time to listen to all my questions and thoroughly answered all of them. His staff was great too.

Trust all other Unilocaler’s reviews before me…

Last year, I found Dr. Hirabayashi through Unilocal.He was puzzled by that, since the old school way to find a doctor is to ask a family member, friend, coworker, or another physician.
Dr. Hirabayashi is a very personable and professional doctor. Maybe some would perceive him as a touch too paternalistic, but I really appreciated his knowledge and trustworthiness as a doctor. Therefore, I recommended him (the old school way) to my husband for his eye care needs.

This guy found out my problem in a few minutes, then performed a painless same day surgery to remove a metal speck from my cornea. Best Opthalmogist ever.

The reviews were true– Dr Hirabayashi is very kind and knowledgeable. I had a fleck of steel in my eye– my goggles had slipped while grinding metal. It was 5 days later and I had no insurance.
Dr Hirabayashi was very welcoming and professional. He kindly explained to me what he would do and told me not to worry. He scooped the metal and the rust out of my cornea painlessly and sent me on my way– for a much more affordable price than anyone else had quoted me.
I wish there were more doctors with his kind of presence, although my concern was slight– I felt completely cared for and at ease. Definitely the kind of medical experience everyone deserves.

Simply, Dr. Hirabayashi is professional, friendly, and the Pro From Dover. I trust my vision to him.

Dr Hirabayashi is extremely competent and polite. I went to him for a second opinion on a condition I was diagnosed with and he gave me some great advice. Not only is he a very intelligent doctor, but he has great bedside manners as well. He took the time to explain how each medication I’ve been taking works and ultimately recommended the medication that would work best for me. He also gave me a full years prescription, which is awesome!
I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a new ophthalmologist.

What starts out as a yearly allergic but mild eye condition lead this year to a full scale bout with mother nature. My wife’s face became so swollen I could hardly recognized her.
Each day the itchy eye and swelling of the soft skin around her eyes became worse and worse. It was positively frightening.
Calling other Opthamologists was a joke. Please leave a message.
Dr. Hirabayashi’s receptionist, Kana was polite and efficient. She listened and understood the problem and made an appointment for my wife to see Dr. Hirabayashi that very day.
What a breath of fresh air. A staff and a doctor that actually cares.
My wife was home with the proper medication in less that three hours. Relief was immediate on her take the medication.
My wife and I love the clean unhurried atmosphere of the office and Dr. Hirabayashi bedside manner is from times past.
We love Kana too.

My daughter was complaining pressure in one of her eye and went to see Dr. Hirabayashi. He determined that there is nothing wrong with her eye and dismissed her.
Her pain got worse and we decided to bring her to get a second opinion from a highly regarded eye surgeon. Turns out she had a huge tumor behind her eye and had to have surgery ASAP to have the tumor taken out. The Dr. also noted that if she did not have the surgery soon, she might go blind in that eye. Even today, her eye does not dilate properly.
She was at Yale at the time and had to fly back to get the surgery done.
I do not think Hirabayashi is competent and should be avoided.

I went to Dr. Hirabayashi today to have a weird vision episode checked out. The services provided were prompt and wonderful. Dr. Hirabayashi was friendly, professional and reassuring in his approach. All the other support staff were equally professional and friendly. Though my appointment was of an emergency nature, I was seen according to the appointed time and I was out of there and back to work in pretty short order. I heartily recommend Dr. Hirabayashi and his staff.

I dislike being negative in reviews but here I go.
Doctor Hirbayashi and his staff are nice. However, Doctor Hirabayashi is always short with me and I’ve been seeing him for three years. Every time I’ve been seen, it feels like I’m always being an inconvenience and rushed out, especially when I ask questions. I like doctors to be thorough. Furthermore, I like doctors who don’t assume things. Nothing is more infuriating than a doctor saying along the lines of «You’re only having these symptoms because of your lifestyle.» Right, because you know my lifestyle so well. Every time I leave I feel like I wasn’t given the satisfaction that I was actually seen as a patient. Aside from his bedside manner, he is very generous on eye drops and samples.

Was referred to Dr. Hirabayashi by someone that I know dearly and I would say that I’m thankful for the referral! Before this, for many years I had always just went to a LensCrafters and got any random doctor available there. I see this doctor maybe at the most once a year for my exam, but when I do it’s always nice to see him and a pleasure talking to him about the Hawaiian islands and Japan. Very professional, easy to talk to and makes you feel completely at ease. And Marilyn always makes my time there pleasant too and she never fails to provide great service, along with Dr. Hirabayashi. Definitely the best ophthalmologist I’ve had so far and someone I would strongly recommend to anyone out there looking for one!

Dr. Hirabayashi is truly a doctor with excellent bedside manner. No air of arrogance, very easy to talk to which is what all doctors should be. Took the time to explain all options with details. I did not feel rushed at all, and I am not the kind that asks stupid questions just to waste people’s time. Dr. H is very upfront and not into selling unnecessary surgeries. Very generous with the samples-​giving too. Highly recommended.
A nice young woman by the name of Marilyn that assists Dr. H was there to prep me for the consult with Dr. H. Marilyn, very knowledgeable and pleasant, was able to answer a lot of my questions. Right of the back, she put me at ease. I know with a good assistant like her, the doctor must be someone special.
Great office overall. The front office staff are all pleasant too.

This was one of the best medical experiences ever! Dr. Hirabayashi has a profound knowledge. He is super polite and friendly. He explained everything in the right amount of detail. His office and equipment are in superb condition; everything seemed new.
I finally found a doctor that I will be happy to come back to – every time.

Went to Dr Hirabayashi today for an eyelid issue. His office is in a fantastic location. Check in was flawless. I got there early and the Dr. welcomed me as it was before official office hours, and gave me the package to fill in and welcomed me personally. The appointment was on time. He was very professional yet warm. He took his time to thoroughly explain the diagnosis and his recommendation. Wasn’t just about the medical procedure but how it might impact any work related activities because there could be bruising. Overall a wonderful experience for not such a fun thing.

I had a horrible experience with my previous Dr. (dr. lillie mossadegh) and went to see Dr. Hirabayashi instead. Starting with the warm, welcoming and friendly receptionist the entire experience was great. Dr. Hirabayashi is gentle, thorough, patient., considerate of your time (doesn’t make you wait for ever like my last dr.) gives you a very objective diagnosis.
I couldn’t wear my contact lenses for the last 6 mos. thanks to the incompetence of my last doctor but after seeing Dr. Hirabayashi my eyes have improved so much, I don’t have allergic reaction and I can wear my lenses again without trouble! When I called to ask a question he immediately called back and didn’t make me trudge over to his office. I’m very happy with him and highly recommend him.

I went to Dr. Hirabayashi from his reviews here on Unilocal… Wow, you all were right! He’s a great doctor.
He has a good background and has gone to the best school and has trained with the best doctors. He will very likely know whatever problem you have and the best way to treat it. He has good connections, so if he can’t help you, he’ll be able to refer you to the best people who can.
I found him to be very patient and very thorough. He did not act rushed in any sense of the word… in fact, he gave me 100% of his attention and made it clear he was thinking only of me and my well being during our time together.
His schedule is not jam-​packed like other ophthalmologists, so you should be able to get in to see him quickly. Wow, being able to see a kind and generous doctor in a reasonable time period? How lucky can you get!

MY BOSS: *signing my sick leave form* «You know, you really need to date an Ophthalmologist!»
ME: «Yah, think???»
Corneal Abrasions, Conjunctivitis, Pinguecula, etc, etc, etc…
In the past year, I can’t even count on my two hands how many trips to the Ophthalmologist I’ve taken, let alone how many hundreds of dollars I’ve spent on co-​payments and prescriptions.
After having one frustrating visit after another at Pacific Eye Associates in Pacific Heights (i.e. long wait and rude staff), I decided to revert to Unilocal last month when I had sudden eye redness yet AGAIN! I was lead to Dr. Hirabayashi and with 4 Stars, I decided to give a shot. That morning, I called when they opened at 9 AM and the receptionist was nice enough to squeeze me in the same day.
Upon arrival, I did have to wait about 30 minutes to be seen which didn’t phase me as I’ve had to wait up to 55 minutes at Pacific Eye Associates. When my name was finally called, Dr. Hirabayashi nicely introduced himself and led me to one of the exam rooms which were exceptionally clean and equipped with the latest eye examination equipment.
Dr. Hirabayashi went through the normal protocol of asking various medical questions and then checked my eye for abrasions which unfortunately I’m prone to. He was gentle, thorough and explained step-​by-​step what he was doing.
Diagnosis?
Just another case of eye irritation. Dr. Hirabayashi wrote me a prescription for Lotemax and off I went, not before grabbing a boatload of sample Genteal Dry Eye Drops which he encouraged me to raid. I’m not the one to raid samples, but each sample is worth about $ 8, so you best believe the Asian me was going to come out!
Last week, my left eye became red again so I called Dr. Hirabayashi’s office. I explained that I had visited their office 6 weeks prior and she was nice enough to ask Dr. Hirabayashi if they can refill my prescription. They were able to which saved me yet another trip to the Dr.‘s office!
Friendly staff: CHECK!
Professional and knowledgeable doctor: CHECK!
Clean facilities with the latest examination equipment: CHECK!
Sadly, with all my eye «mishaps», my boss is right… time to get a FasTrak and put that baby to use by going to UCB’s School of Optometry! I kid, I kid…

The eye doctor and everything associated with the experience petrifies me, much like people feel about the dentist. Maybe it’s cuz I have 20/​20, I have other health issues to deal with. I go to Dr. H for eye allergies and he’s a very kind and pleasant man. Even though I have to practically hypnotize myself to get through the experience, I always find it was easier than expected. Wait, except this last time when his assistant poked me with what looked like flat wooden coffee stirrers to turn my lids inside out (great way to wake up!). I almost convulsed.
Because eye allergies come up any time, his office is great about getting you in within 24 hours.
My only gripe (minus one star)? They be never on time… s’all good. I’ll keep coming back with my itchy eye balls. Dr. H always has the cure in a teeny bottle (he’s a good sample guy, fyi).