Dr. Earl Stern

Dr. Stern is hands down the most caring, professional and competent pediatric opthamologist in the Bay Area. All 4 of my kids, at various ages, went to Dr. Stern. His non-​pushy nature made every one of them ecstatic to see him each and every time. And as for Carol, she was a joy to work with, given I had plenty of interactions, I know she is on top of the administrative end of the business. Highly recommend without a doubt.

If you have insurance call your insurance and make SURE that you are covered.
Otherwise the office will haunt you to pay a high fee for their service.
I recommend COSTCO for eye exams that are basic!!!

Dr Stern was very entertaining, with lots of interesting toys and tricks that made my 4-​year-​old cheerfully cooperate. Except for the eye drops, I’m sure my son couldn’t tell that he was being examined. I’d definitely recommend him for kids who are uncomfortable with doctors.
This is a very old-​fashioned practice. Handwritten receipt, no credit card machine, no computer in sight, limited hours, just Dr. Stern and his office manager.

Dr. Stern is the best pediatric ophthalmologist! You will be so thankful that you took your child to see him. Note that that none of the negative reviews below have anything to do with Dr. Stern himself and how comfortably he works with little kids.
My son is very hesitant about going to the doctor’s office. Dr. Stern made him feel right at home, letting him sit on my lap the whole time and bringing out two very old children’s toys that amazed my iPad-​obsessed son. Dr. Stern is patient, gentle and knows exactly how to talk to children. Even the tools that he used to evaluate color-​blindness and depth perception were adorable. It was like Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. In the end, my son said he was very excited to come back.
Regarding the scheduling process, it was a breeze. Dr. Stern even agreed to accommodate us on a Saturday! Who does that? I would recommend that you take the reviews below with a grain of salt and base your decision on this, our very recent experience. Who knows? Maybe things have changed for the better. That’s the point of Unilocal

I called to make an appointment for my daughter for Monday, 4÷16÷12 at 9 am. The person who answered my call said Dr. Stern is only available during the morning hours, so we had to skip my daughter’s school and my job. The secretary also warned us that there will be a penalty for late arrival/​no-​show. Once in the building, we had a hard time finding the office because Dr. Stern’s suite had a door plate saying «urology» or something to that effect. We knocked on the door and were greeted by a lady who informed us that Dr. Stern won’t be in today. What?! I went on explaining that we had an appointment, but she said, «No, your appointment is on Wednesday». I was shocked and outraged. It turns out Dr. Stern called (her?) and confirmed (with her?) that he’ll see us on Wednesday. Nobody bothered to inform us about the cancellation, much less to ask if Wednesday (or any other day) would be ok with us.
I don’t know id Dr. Stern is a good specialist, and honestly I have no desire to find out. I’ll look for a doctor who keeps his appointments and has enough decency to notify his patients about his sudden changes of plans.