San Diego LASIK Institute

I took my wife here to have her lasik completed and she is seeing great with no complications after the procedure. The doctor took his time to ensure everything was double checked before proceeding with the procedure. She is seeing near ²⁰⁄₂₀ the day after the procedure.
Dr. Darrow was extremely friendly and helpful with the initial and post exams and I would recommend their office for anyone looking for a top notch practice for Lasik.

My experience at San Diego LASIK Institute was truly first class and top notch, from beginning to end. Their office is very clean and professional, with April O’Neil providing snacks and refreshments upon entering. I initially met with Richard Bloom, who walked me through some tests to ensure I am a good candidate and then watched a 24 minute video which provided some background information about LASIK. I decided to proceed and booked my second consultation, where I met Dr. Darrow who performed a more thorough test/​mapped my eyes. Dr. Darrow and Richard were able to answer most of my questions, but me being the extremely particular engineer that I am, I insisted scheduling a third consultation so that I could meet the man himself. The one who would transform my life forever. And by forever, I mean the last 8 months.
I met with Dr. Pham and brought with me a stack of articles from scientific/​health journals, papers, and studies. I was doing tons of research, reading papers comparing results between Dr. Pham’s equipment (both flap maker and actual correcting laser) and other LASIK surgeons’ equipment within San Diego. For everyone’s information, the results are nearly negligible, with regards to longevity of results and corrective quality in higher order aberrations, etc. Dr. Pham spent a significant amount of time from his busy schedule to talk everything over with me, answering all the questions and concerns I had from my research. In the end, with the equipment being nearly negligible between other LASIK centers, it came down to the surgeon. I felt very comfortable with Dr. Pham. Not only was he very compassionate and knowledgeable in his craft, but he is a perfectionist (like me). And someone I am handing over my sight to, I wanted him to be just that. (By the way I did see another very popular LASIK center in San Diego. This wasn’t the only one I went to but it was the one I ended up with (clearly))
For those wondering, my personal experience was great. I didn’t feel any discomfort during the surgery, just minor pressure (but not an uncomfortable amount) during the actual surgery. After I was done, I was able to read the clock on the wall inside of the operating room. I was SO EXCITED but I wanted to limit the amount my eyes were open since I wanted to ensure a perfect recovery. So I sealed them shut for the next 10 hours. I went home that day, went to bed, and woke up at nighttime with ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision (confirmed the next day). When I woke up at night, I DID notice halos when staring at the lampposts in my neighborhood. Those were the only NEW things I noticed. I noticed starbursts as well but I always noticed those pre-​surgery. Nothing else was noted during nighttime and during daytime, it was crystal clear, no symptoms then. The following week during my follow-​up, my vision improved to ²⁰⁄₁₅. A couple months later, the halos were gone. Since then, I have had absolutely NO symptoms, nighttime OR daytime. I would recommend being extremely strict on yourself during recovery post surgery. Use lubricating drops like they are free. They are cheap enough and your recovery and future symptom-​free eyes depend on your discipline. I think that helped speed my recovery. I never actually felt dry eyes but I would just use them like crazy anyway. Why not? I already paid for them ($ 20 at costco). If you have any questions on my personal recovery, ask Dr. Darrow. She knows all about my recovery (Hi Friend!).
I have since recommended multiple friends and coworkers to Dr. Pham and the staff at San Diego LASIK Institute (Hi April!). My experience couldn’t have been any better. Thank you Dr. Pham and everyone (April) for a pleasant experience. If anyone has any questions or concerns prior to their surgery or meeting with Dr. Pham, feel free to contact me. I love helping people out. Because I am a good person/​philanthropist.
Oh also, this message is to Dr. Pham and the San Diego LASIK Institute. The ONLY bad thing/​thing that I would recommend you guys work on is your WEBSITE. It looks ANCIENT and cluttered. I feel like I am on a Geocities/​home shopping website hybrid nightmare. Bring it up to date please. It looks so outdated and doesn’t represent your business establishment well. Just looking out for you!

Dr. Pham and his team has given me all in all a comfortable, swift, and very informative experience. Throughout the whole process from consultation to procedure to understanding post op appointments, it has been an easy and they have been absolutely accommodating. Many of my colleagues and recommended San Diego LASIK Institute as they had absolutely positive results years after and I had to go here. I flew all the way from SF to get it here because not only of the positive responses I have received, the research I’ve done looking for good services, and also the price! And most importantly, everyone make you feel comfortable throughout the process, everyone is absolutely friendly and are always asking what more they can do to make you feel at home. I think that’s important for people who are nervous for any procedure and to gain trust that you are in great hands. Thanks to Dr Pham and the whole team!

Very pleased with the professionalism and attention to detail the team here provided. They gave me all of the information I needed and made me feel from the moment I walked in that I was in good hands. This was especially important because, after all, it’s my eyes were talking about!
For anybody considering LASIK, I HIGHLY recommend giving the San Diego LASIK institute a look.

I received PRK less than a week ago at San Diego LASIK Institute, and I have been nothing but pleased with their friendly and amazingly talented staff. All the doctors were amazing and made me feel very comfortable during the surgery. I am now in the healing stage and I can not wait to see the finished results as I’m told just gets better after time. Great experience this far, and would highly recommend to any one considering LASIK or PRK.

Can’t say enough good things about The San Diego LASIK Institute. My wife had her PRK surgery done here. The whole staff was awesome from start to finish. They were very flexible with our busy schedules. They made my wife feel really comfortable and at ease with the whole process. Would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to have LASIK or PRK done.

After checking out four different lasik clinics, I decided to trust San Diego Lasik Institute with my eyes. Dr Pham didn’t disappoint! I have stable ²⁰⁄₁₅ six months later and I couldn’t be more happy with my vision. Everyone in the office is friendly and professional. Dr Pham gave me his personal cell and told me to call if I had any issues at all. This came in handy when I misplaced some of my post-​op antibiotics. Dr Pham wrote me a prescription and called it in on a Saturday for me. Awesome! They’re also very competetively priced with the other San Diego clinics I looked at. Not the absolute cheapest, but bottom basement price wasn’t my main priority when making this decision — they’re my eyes after all!

Just had my LASIK procedure yesterday and had the most amazing experience! Dr. Pham is a very patient surgeon and strives for 100% accuracy in completing the procedure. Dr. Pham is caring and warm and makes sure that you are feeling comfortable at all times. Everyone in the office makes you feel at ease and is available to answer all of your questions. I am so glad I decided to go through with LASIK at the San Diego LASIK Institute. I will definitely be recommending Dr. Pham to anyone who is considering LASIK in the future. Thank you Dr. Pham!!!

Dr. Pham, Dr. Darrow, and the entire staff were extremely nice and helpful.
My LASIK surgery went very smoothly.
There’s some burning a few hours after the procedure, but that’s normal. They give you Valium to help you sleep.
I recommend you go to sleep ASAP to feel less of the burning.
My vision was about –5.5 with bad astigmatism. The day after I’m ²⁰⁄₂₀ and my vision is expected to clear up as time passes. I highly recommend this place.

So glad I chose this place. Every single employees in this office was so nice and professional. They made you feel so comfortable that when I went in for consultation, I booked right away for the procedure and ended up cancelling my other 2 appointments some place else.
Day of procedure, went in. They did a few more exams, just to be sure (which made me feel good that they cared enough to be perfect (no mistakes whatsoever was going to happen). Everyone asked how I felt along the way. The procedure itself felt like 5 minutes or less.
At home, I knocked out but woke up (not sure how long I slept for) and there was stinging in my eye and I freaked out (they explain all this to you during consultation and even during exam day so it was me) so I called in and Dr. Pham calmed me down and explained what I should do. I told my husband to go buy me Benadryl and that knocked me out till the next morning. Woke up and I feel great. No more stinging.
Im back in the office right now for my post checkup. Again, both gals here are so nice and friendly. Everything looks good she said. I’m good to go.
Would definitely recommend this to everyone and anyone considering it!!!

Definitely money well spent. I couldn’t be happier with the results of my LASIK procedure. And the staff at Dr. Pham’s office are amazing.
From my initial consultation to my follow-​up appointments, these guys really took care of me. It was incredibly easy to schedule the initial consultation. It’s a very inviting, no-​pressure environment where they show you a video, talk about the day of surgery, and check your eyes to make sure you are a candidate for surgery. Richard, the business manager, does a great job outlining how the process works, the pricing, payment options, and what to expect the day of the procedure.
Dr. Darrow, the optometrist, is a sweetheart. She’s got a great disposition and does a good job explaining what to expect after surgery and the vision changes you’ll encounter.
Finally, Dr. Pham. He’s excellent at what he does and really knows how to get his patients to relax. On the day of surgery, my pupils weren’t dilating as quickly as they normally do, even after dilating drops, so Dr. Pham had me hum a song and voila! Dilation. Within minutes the procedure was done and I could already see a difference in my vision.
The entire process from my initial visit to surgery day was about 7 – 10 days as they want you to be out of your contacts for 7 – 10 days. I scheduled my procedure on a Friday so that I could go home and just knock out afterwards without worrying about having to work during the day of recovery. They give you a Xanax half an hour prior to the procedure and let you rest up in a room, then send you home with a Valium for pain relief. I had no issues with pain and no issues with dryness afterwards.
And the cherry atop great results and outstanding customer service? Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and all the great snacks they’ve got in the lobby and the little viewing area for the videos. ^_^

I just had my follow-​up appointment after my Lasik surgery, Guess what? I CAN SEE! (²⁰⁄₁₅). Dr. Pham, Dr. Darrow, and the wonderful team at San Diego Lasik Institute were all friendly and took great care of me during the entire process. On your first appointment, they see if you are a candidate for Lasik. You go through several easy test and exams. You then meet with Victoria to go over payment options and logistics. (easy conversation, no pressure to make a decision). Second appointment is to dilate your eyes, more exams, and have you sign lots of papers and pick a date for surgery. I was ready to run out of the door after hearing and reading about all the possible things that could go wrong. But don’t worry; Dr. Darrow saves the day by answering all your many questions, and reassuring you that Dr. Pham uses the top of the line technology and your precious eyes will be fine. :)
I knew when I first walked into the facility that I was going to love this place because they have all my favorite snacks. Not only are snacks in the reception area, but in almost every room I went into had snacks and water. The way to my heart is a soft cookie, and they had a tray full of soft chocolate and M&M cookies. I probably ate more than I should have. OK I digressed.
Day of Surgery Dr. Pham and the team walk you through every step of the process in full detail. I didn’t feel nervous at all. And felt no pain during the surgery. Dr. Pham is a very meticulous in his craft which makes you feel like your eyes are in the best hands possible. If you’re looking to get Lasik, look no further than Dr. Pham and SD Lasik Institute, they use the top of the line equipment and they truly treat you like family. Will update after 1 week appointment.

Lasik was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I would recommend anyone who decides to get the procedure should go to Dr Pham! I found them very professional, passionate about what they do and take the time to understand everything about your eyes before they proceed with surgery. it’s been 3 months since my surgery and I have perfect vision, no side effects, and can see the little details in life I couldn’t before. make the right choice and call Dr Pham!!!

I have been wearing glasses and contacts since I was a young teenager, and before surgery my vision was BAD. I also have astigmatism, and now I am seeing clearly and it is unreal to me still that I am seeing so clearly with my OWN eyes!
I was pretty nervous and excited to go in the first time, but things could not have gone smoother for me, and while I know everyone’s experience is different, everyone at Dr. Pham’s office was incredibly easy and helpful to work with. They were very clear and detailed with any questions you have, and even if you don’t know what to ask, they will go over anything and everything you can think of so you have all the information you need.
The day of surgery was a little scary, but it went SO smoothly, and was over so fast, and next thing I knew I was seeing more clearly than I ever have in my life! Be prepared to sleep all day after surgery, and take it easy for a day or two after, but really you can work the next day and I was seeing clear from day one, but the next day waking up was by far the most «wow» moment.
Even now, I just completed another follow up appointment and everything is healing up nice, and I am still amazed about how clearly I can see, and about how smoothly everything has gone. The technology today makes it so smoother and easy to get lasik, and even though it does cost a lot, it absolutely pays for itself in my opinion, if not because of the better vision, because contacts and glasses do still add up over a lifetime.

Dr. Pham and Staff are the best. Had my surgery over 14 months ago and my eyesight is better than ever. Everything about the process was worry free and seemless. Surgery was painless, recovery was minimal. The check ups are fast and convenient. I really can’t say anything negative about my business with Dr. Pham and the San Diego LASIK Institute… A+ all the way around.

I first came to San Diego Lasik Institute and Dr. Pham after a coworker had his procedure done with them and gave a good review. When I knew I was finally ready to get the procedure done, I set up 4 consultations around San Diego. I had one with NVision and one with SD Lasik Institute. After both of those, I had a much better feeling about SD Lasik Institute than NVision and decided to cancel my other consultations and set up my surgery with Dr. Pham.
The consultation was great and everyone there is very nice. As most other reviews note, there are snacks everywhere so if you come hungry, you won’t be disappointed. I had a second appointment with Dr. Darrow (their optometrist) to check my eyes again since I had been wearing Toric lenses (have to be out of Toric for 2 weeks leading up to surgery FYI!!) so they wanted to double check my eyes again. Scheduling the surgery was easy and the payment plan and cost are pretty much the same as other places in the area.
On the day of surgery, they give you a Xanax to chill out and check your eyes again before surgery. The surgery was way easier and faster than I thought it would be. There is slight discomfort when they make the flap — more of pressure/​discomfort — but no pain whatsoever. Dr. Pham is great and talks you through the whole thing and tells you exactly what he’s doing, what you will feel, and how long each step will last. The entire surgery was about 5 minutes long for me. When I got up off the chair, I could see! Everything was completely clear as if I were wearing my contacts. They give you a couple valium, eye drops, and tell you to go home and sleep (pretty easy after 2 valium).
I’m now 2 weeks past my surgery and LOVING the new vision. I haven’t had much dry-​eye or other noticeable complications. My eyes were fairly uncomfortable for about 6 hours after the surgery but after that, I was good to go. The day after surgery I was seeing ²⁰⁄₁₅ which is great! I’m about to go in for my two-​week appointment and am feeling good about my vision so far.
This has been one of the best decisions and investments I’ve ever made and would highly recommend San Diego Lasik Institute and Dr. Pham!

At the San Diego LASIK Institute they really take the time to understand you and your vision needs. Dr Pham was great in helping understand what would happen the day of my surgery.
The rest of the staff was always super helpful and friendly. Would and have recommend the San Diego LASIK Institute.

Just quick note to confirm what the vast majority of other Unilocalers have had to say regarding the San Diego Lasik Institute.
I had my Lasik surgery done April 1^st 2016, and it only dawned on me that day that it was April Fools. Ha! I brought my lucky four leaf clover and rabbits foot and went ahead and had it done anyways. All I can say I am totally pleased with both my results and my experience. From my initial consultation to my post-​op appointments I felt I was in good hands.
I would recommend them to anyone searching for a Lasik solution, And yes, as the others have said the waiting room is full of snacks so eat before you go or you’ll gain a few pounds while you wait.

Stop looking – you’ve found the best place to get Laser Eye surgery in San Diego! My experience here has been top notch since the moment I first walked through the door for my free consultation. The front desk staff and Victoria made me feel very comfortable during my check-​in and initial screening tests. Everyone who works there is extremely friendly (and in my opinion, good looking which doesn’t hurt haha!). And the doctors are straight up PHENOMENAL.
I was referred to NVISION in La Jolla by my optometrist, but I definitely wanted to get at least couple consultations done and do a lot of research. I wasn’t able to get a consultation appointment with them for about a month, so I decided to schedule another appointment at SD Lasik Institute as well and got in much quicker. My corneal scans showed some irregularities so Drs. Pham and Darrow recommended I come back a week later after being out of contacts. They determined that I was not a candidate for LASIK but that Dr. Pham would be completely comfortable doing PRK on me. Obviously, that wasn’t the news I hoped for because the recovery is much more difficult with PRK.
After going to my second opinion at NVISION, I was told that I was a candidate for LASIK but I got a very weird vibe from that office for multiple reasons. I left that appointment confused – PRK or LASIK?! – so I emailed SD Lasik Institute wanting some clarification about PRK and Dr. Pham called me personally within a couple hours to discuss all my questions in depth! I was so impressed. I still got a third opinion at another place, but ultimately am so thankful I went with my gut instinct and scheduled my surgery with SD LASIK Institute.
Fast forward to surgery day. Dr. Pham made me get dozens of scans of my eyes to send the laser machine – Richard told me that most offices only require 5. Translation: Dr. Pham is extremely thorough and careful. Don’t know about you, but that’s exactly what I wanted in my eye surgeon haha! During surgery, though I was extremely out of it thanks to the lovely Xanax they gave me, Dr. Pham explained everything as he went. Though I trusted Dr. Pham in my gut before going into surgery, I KNEW I made the right decision when he explained how much corneal scarring I had on my right eye. He went above and beyond to give me a perfect eyeball and said if I had gotten LASIK, the flap would have most likely come off due to the scarring (YIKES!!!).
It has been 2 weeks since surgery and I am feeling great! I still have some discomfort, my vision is continuing to get better and better, and am just extremely overjoyed that I got PRK. I just talked to Dr. Darrow this morning less than 15 minutes after leaving a voicemail. She’s so wonderful and patient.
Lastly, THE SNACKS IN THE OFFICE ARE LEGIT AND AMAZING. Minor plus :)

My husband wore glasses his whole life, he decided last year he would get lasik surgery so he wouldn’t have to bother with them again, also he just wanted a change. As we were researching places, a friend of ours who got lasik surgery suggested we check this place out. So glad we did. We had several consultations 1^st seeing what lasik surgery is, what his vision is like, if he qualifies for the surgery etc, the other consultations were of us asking all the questions we had possible, doing a eye exam, going over insurance costs, etc. We also watched a video of what it would be like on surgery day, the do’s, and dont’s, etc. My husband decided to move forward and get lasik surgery here.
We were not pressured to use them, they actually encouraged us to research other places to get all the information, and feel comfortable with our decision whatever it maybe. I really admire that there that confident. The staff here is very passionate, professional and thorough. Dr. Pham is amazing. He’s very personable, and took away all my worries/​fears I had for my husband. Love seeing all the credentials on the wall, as they are a reputable business. The receptionist will make an appointment with you after surgery making sure your vision is doing well.
The waiting room is very relaxing, and inviting with water bottles, and a variety of snacks, magazines. They also have a flat screen tv.
We will continue to recommend Dr. Pham to family and friends.