Robert C Dickey, OD

Great optometrist. He is thorough, spends time explaining aspects of vision and choices to correct vision, and has a very nice staff, too. I like his manner and I like the atmosphere of the office. Super competent and nice.

Dr. Dickey is an amazing find. A caring, thorough Dr. With a sense of humor. He will always return a call. It isn’t difficult to get an appointment. His advice and level of care is top notch. I wouldn’t ever go anywhere else.
Be sure to pick up one of his cards, very, very funny.

My wife and I were given a recommendation from one of her coworkers to head to Dr. Dickey for eye care in the Santa Monica area. As someone who visits the optometrist biannually for standard contact lens/​glasses appointments as well as preventative glaucoma screenings (runs in my family) it was important to me to find someone I not only liked personally but felt was clinically versed in the more serious side of eye care beyond just vision correction.
Having been to several clinics in the past including specialist ophthalmology offices, my expectations were high. I could not have been more impressed by my experience at Dr. Dickey’s office — the staff was friendly, the office was modern and well-​maintained, but still much more intimate and comfortable than most offices you visit. As a doctor, his personal manner is awesome — super-​friendly, funny, and personable, and he has a unique way of translated the more complicated eye anatomy and diseases in a transparent way. At the same time, the level of analysis and equipment the office provides and his experience and clear expertise are of the highest level.
I highly recommend this office, and am confident you will have a positive experience there as well.

I rarely give five stars for anything but I’ve been going to Dr. Dickey for the past ten years and he has consistently been stellar. I’ve had a few occasions when I haven’t had time for a visit but I wanted his advice on the best eye drops or how to deal with minor conjunctivitis and he has returned my call the same day! (That’s why I decided to write a review because I was so impressed.) Dr. Dickey is very knowledgable and has put my nervous self at ease with his sometimes goofy but always good spirited humor.
Robin has also been very great at helping me pick glasses and I constantly get compliments on my sunglasses which are Robin’s own line.
The front desk staff is also very responsive, which is rare in many offices. I know my messages and questions are getting answered because they are passing them through.
I have referred a few people already and plan to refer more who have been annoyed by practices that are impersonal and nickel and dime you. In my experience, this office is the exact opposite.

My company switched vision insurance providers, and next to nobody in Santa Monica takes the new plan. Dr Dickey was one of two who did. When I saw so many stellar reviews on Unilocal,I booked my appointment but kept my expectations low — I’d had the same optometrist for 10 years and was really hesitant to change.
But I was so pleasantly surprised — Dr Dickey was more than thorough, very knowledgeable, and discussed the challenges of getting a proper correction for my 50-​year-​old eyes in great detail. The prescription he wrote me was spot-​on — no going back for adjustments necessary.
And, bonus — for a small extra charge, Dr Dickey uses a computer gadget instead of those awful dilating eyedrops during the exam.

The whole process of getting glasses and contacts can be a pain — not here. It’s quick, friendly and most importantly great service.

I have been seeing Dr. Dickey for about twenty years! He is kind, patient, wise,
and incredibly knowledgable! He is always up to date on the latest care and treats you like
family! I couldn’t recommend him any higher!

I have never been to an eye doctor who was as knowledgeable and able to correct my vision as efficiently and effectively. After one visit I learned I was using the wrong prescription for years. He took great care of me and was able to get me seeing better than I thought I could. Thanks Dr. Dickey!

Seldom experience a doctor actually willingly listening to his or her patients and having a true «dialogue/​exchange» about their health issue. Dr. Dickey is the exception. A co-​worker referred him many years ago. I have found him to be present. .. authentic. .. and very skilled at his profession. I highly recommend him.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Dickey’s for close to a decade now. If I’m willing to drive through LA traffic from the east side of Pasadena all the way to Santa Monica, that should show the lengths I want to be a patient.
I never met another eye doctor who was nearly as knowledgeable about my profession (in the computer art field) and tailors their prescriptions to my line of work like he does.

My eye had some swelling and pain and I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to get it checked out because we were going out of town on vacation for a few days. I found Dr. Dickey online and went to see him as a walk-​in on Saturday. My experience was A+ from the first phone call with receptionist Erica all the way through my visit (and follow up) with Dr. Dickey. This office treats you like you want to be treated. Even though I had never seen Dr. Dickey before and he had a busy day on Saturday, they said he would find time to see me. Dr. Dickey is warm, easy to speak with, funny, and practical. We made a plan for the remainder of the weekend. He asked when I was leaving on my trip and told me to call him on Monday and check in if it had not gotten better. I called him today to tell him that I didn’t think it was any worse but that the swelling was still there this morning and I was wondering if I should make a plan since I am leaving tomorrow for our trip. He invited me to come in and have him take a quick look. I went in, he saw me right away, and assured me that he thought my eye was improving and that I could call his office from our trip, if necessary, and he could always call in a RX for me. I left feeling like I was in VERY good hands. I have found my new eye doctor! He runs his practice the way a doctor’s practice should be run… making the patients feel important and cared for. Kudos to Dr. Dickey and his staff.

I have been seeing Dr. Dickey for over 20 years. I recently moved to Massachusetts and I still travel back once a year and have my annual checkup with Dr. Dickey. I trust him implicitly to always take the best care of my vision. He’s the best there is — and I had seen a lot of eye doctors before meeting him. He’s smart, caring, patient — and has a great sense of humor.

Fantastic office. I am an out of town patient and they were able to fit me in and provide help immediately. The front desk staff were incredibly helpful and nice. Highly recommend!

Longtime patient. Since around 1997. Very very happy. Highly recommend!

Super understanding of my specific needs and vision care background. Efficient use of time. Explained each step of the exam, which I had a basic knowledge of but he made it relevant to my situation. Found his office after an annoying, terrible experience somewhere else. Love his staff, extremely friendly and accommodating. Deducting a star for getting charged the extra $ 25 for my eye exam for the fancy retinal scan… wish I had known to refuse this part (most eye doctors can just look with a scope).

Dr. Dickey is extremely thorough and thoughtful with his eye exams. He really tries to troubleshoot the best way to accommodate my needs as I age and my eyes change. I also like that he gives me options/​choices and let’s me decide what’s best for me. But he will also give his opinion if you want it; no wishy-​washy stuff here.
Robin, the optician, is super attentive in helping you choose frames and does great glasses adjustment. Office staff are friendly and efficient. And office is open Saturdays, which can be a blessing.

I have been seeing Dr. Dickey for 22 years and I wouldn’t go anywhere else. He recently found a problem in my eye and suggested I see a retinal specialist which I did. Dr. Dickey had told me what he thought it was but felt I should be checked by a specialist and after going to the Jules Stein Eye Center at UCLA, the specialist said exactly what Dr. Dickey thought and I was fine. Dr. Dickey is caring, considerate, and a great doctor!

Bob, Robin and their staff are great. I have been going to Bob Dickey since he opened up shop, and even though I moved from Santa Monica to the hills of Sherman Oaks (I lived 3 blocks away from his office) I make the trek. He has always provided first rate work, yeah, we both like to chat, and Robin has always been very helpful as well.
‘Wouldn’t go anywhere else!

I’ve been to Dr. Dickey once for my annual check up. The experience was fine, no complaints. A solid 4-​star experience.
This review is solely based on my last experience I had with Robin, the frames specialist. For anyone who has been to an Optometrist before, I’m sure is aware that it’s a common practice for the Optometrist’s office to give a 20% discount on frames and sunglasses to their patients.
I ordered a pair of Ray-​Ban aviator sunglasses through Robin. When I went to pick up the sunglasses, Robin advised me that the price was $ 345 and that he was going to actually give me a greater than 20% discount, bringing the sunglasses down to $ 245 total. More than 20% off? I was excited. I didn’t think anything about the cost at the time, paid for the purchase and walked out. It wasn’t until I sat down in my car when I felt that the price was not right, so I looked it up on Ray-Ban’s official website.
As it turned out, Ray-Ban’s everyday retail price was $ 245. I should have received 20% off of $ 245, not $ 345. I went back into the office and advised Robin about the price mistake. His response was, «that’s the price ($ 345) in the book.» I told him that I looked up the price on the Ray-​Ban website. He then said that prices on reseller websites could be lower. I advised him that the I was referring to the price on Ray-Ban’s official website and showed him the webpage. He became agitated. I asked him if he could adjust the price and charge me 20% off of the correct retail price of $ 245. With an attitude, he told the girl at the front desk to refund me the difference. Afterwards, his final words to me in an angry tone were «I’m not going to do this again!» I was thinking to myself, do what again? Rip off your customers?
Note, Robin never offered an apology for the overcharge and was only defensive when confronted with the error. I’m a firm believer that anyone can make a mistake. A simple and immediate apology would have been sufficient and would have showed in my eyes that this was just an oversight, plane and simple. Robin, becoming defensive, agitated and angry without an apology, leads me to believe the overcharge was intentional.
The take away here is this… if you need basic optometric treatments and exams, Dr. Dickey is fine. No complaints. If you’re thinking about purchasing frames or sunglasses, BE VERY AWARE, do your research and know the actual retail price of your frame, so that Robin doesn’t try to rip you off.
Unfortunately for Dr. Dickey, having such a dishonest employee on staff has caused me to obtain Optometric care elsewhere.

I’ve been going to Dr. Dickey for several years since my last eye doctor retired. A friend of mine had raved about Dr. Dickey, so I decided to give him a shot.
Dr. Dickey runs a small practice, and it’s noticeable in the personal way that he and his team interact with you. Don’t let «small» dissuade you – he gives one of the most thorough eye exams I’ve ever had, starting with a test to check peripheral vision, another that scans your eyes to check for macular degeneration and other things. Dr. Dickey will spend a good amount of time with you – I never feel rushed. He takes the time to really make sure you have the right prescription. Additionally, he makes sure you are an informed patient, explaining the scan so you know what he’s looking for, tell you about his treatment plan for you, etc.
I’ve never ordered glasses, so I can’t speak to that personally, but ordering contacts has always been a snap. I always enjoy my visits with Dr. Dickey and look forward to seeing him again next year!