Mann Eye Institute

4.7

11779 reviews

10494

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A L. Via Yelp - Fannin Location

9 years ago

This is a review in two parts. As far as the MEDICAL procedure, Mann Eye Institute was great. My LASIK procedure went off without a hitch, I now have 20/15 vision, & I feel like I was given good support, lots of information, & that Dr. Mike Mann was the exact right Jedi surgeon to lightsaber my eyeballs. No regrets on any of that. But as far as the BUREAUCRATIC procedures, I have been really disappointed. My surgery manager, Dina Owens, was difficult to get ahold of when I had questions about financing. And the "24-month interest-free" financing that Mann Eye offers? Is actually a product of GE CareCredit and they are AWFUL. You can pay them online - but only using a checking account (a what?). Were you planning to pay for your LASIK with your HSA account? Well then, for each & every monthly payment you will have to call a customer service representative and pay $10.00 for the privilege. Over 24 months, that will be $240 in service fees for your interest-free loan. I realize this is not Mann Eye doing this, but they are the ones offering this CareCredit service. Buyer beware. One other minor quibble - who the heck hands out tiny bottles of medication labeled "Magic Drops"? What if I had some sort of allergic reaction to them? Do I hand the bottle to the EMT & tell them "I was blinded by magic"?

James B. Via Yelp - South Austin Location

9 years ago

My wife had cataract surgery here. The doctor was great ! The rest of the experience was horrible. We should have known our out of pocket expenses up front. Mann Eye utilizes SurgiCare of Austin to perform the surgery and there is a huge disconnect. We did not know how much we were paying SurgiCare until the day of ! We thought we just paid Mann Eye and they paid SurgiCare, or if there was any other incidentals, we would find that out. We end up paying $3k to SurgiCare, and just under $2.5k to Mann Eye ! Our insurance calculates and reports to us what amount we owe out of pocket, it shows we were over charged and they contacted both SurgiCare and Mann Eye for refunds. Great. We never heard anything from either company, so I had to contact them. They have no record of owing any refund!? We also get a bill for over $600 more from SurgiCare ! I call and they give a long winded answer about amounts not submitted to insurance since they knew it wouldn't be covered, so we still owed more than the insurance company states we need to pay out of pocket... :o In any case, I think a professional operation lets you know what your costs are up front. Mann Eye should know the fees from SurgiCare and if they mark those up, fine. But the bottom line is we should be given the total amount due, pay one company, in this case Mann Eye. Mann Eye can pay SurgiCare. Done. Be wary and make 100% sure you know what you are getting into and there is no hidden fees ! These facilities should submit the total to insurance and let the insurance company come back with what they will and will not cover. Then, the patient knows exactly the amount they are to pay out of pocket ! June 2014 - Update Ok, so it seems most of the confusion was on SurgiCare's part. Mann Eye did help rectify, so I bump them up a couple of stars !

L. W. Via Yelp - South Austin Location

11 years ago

I have a lot to say about the subject of LASIK and Mann Eye Institute, but after reading the mostly thorough reviews already provided here, I will try not to reiterate too many pros/cons. The front desk staff is hands down the best I have ever come in contact with in any doctor's office. If this rating were for them alone, I would give 5 stars. Now if the surgeon & technicians would only take a note or two from their friendliness . . . Scheduling all my appointments was very easy. So was applying for the CareCredit they offer, which - along with the Groupon deal - allowed me to afford the surgery with 24 months interest free payments. The initial free consultation made everything seem incredibly simple, painless, and easy breezy. I am now exactly two months out from my surgery. For me the actual LASIK procedure was quite painful, much more so than I felt they prepared me for. This is of course subjective, due to everyone's differing pain thresholds. Had I been prepared for this potential pain, it wouldn't have been quite so scary when it was happening. The valium didn't have much time to take effect, and I wasn't able to sleep afterward, so I didn't "skip over" the worst of the healing - as they advise. The whole procedure feels rushed, as if they have this "get in - get out" mindset. There was no time to ask questions or get a report from your surgeon following the surgery. I basically walked out of surgery and was pointed to the office exit. In my case, this was seriously disturbing, because the surgery had been so painful I was sure something had gone wrong. I also hated that I was walked out of a traumatic procedure and straight into a cluster of waiting "observers" for the patient who was getting LASIK right after me. Couldn't they allow a few minutes in between surgeries to transition people with a bit more privacy? When I raised the question about the excessive pain, they expressed concern, but basically blew me off by saying everything had gone "perfectly." I have other friends who had their procedures performed elsewhere and reported they experienced none of these frustrations: they were give higher doses of valium, sent home with painkillers as needed, were talked through the surgery by their doctor, and were walked to a private waiting room afterward for a brief followup with the surgeon. All things Mann Eye could add to their procedure routine fairly easily. Overall, they were not particularly receptive of me questioning their methods, however politely. When I asked about painkillers, they said they never prescribed them and had never heard of any office that did. As I stated before, they never really addressed the pain I complained of or provided possible reasons why this might occur. It was if doing so would somehow be an admittance of error on their part. I am quite disappointed with my surgeon, Dr. Lisa McIntire. One of the reasons I selected Mann Eye was because of the institute's leading qualities in their field. I cannot comment on either of the Dr. Manns, who have obviously established Mann Eye's solid reputation, but I very much dislike Dr. McIntire's "bedside manner." I realize that personality is subjective, and don't mean for this to be a personal attack, but I have found her bordering on rude, relatively unhelpful, and impatient. She seems annoyed when I question her about anything, and has actually interrupted me, either assuming she knew my question before I got to ask it or because I was taking to long for her liking to get to my point. I didn't meet her until 10 minutes before she performed my surgery, and the office has been inflexible in allowing me to see someone else for my followup visits, insisting I need consistency in my treatment. I would highly recommend selecting an office where you meet your surgeon ahead of time, and feel comfortable with all of the doctors who will be participating in your care. As a final note, I've been back multiple times for severe dry eye and light sensitivity, both effects of the surgery. After finally being diagnosed with TLS (transient light sensitivity) and prescribed steroid drops, I'm starting to feel like I have my life back. Not everyone will experience these complications, but it is good to be aware of the potential and ask questions. Don't expect them to educate you on everything that could go wrong - they are ultimately trying to make a sale here - do your own research and make your own decisions. And be advised that in addition to the surgery fee, you will shell out at least several hundred on eye drops (required pre & post-surgery antibiotics/steroids). The actual surgery itself and my disappointment with the surgeon aside, the Mann Eye Institute has provided timely and efficient care. Mann Eye wins for front desk staff and ease of scheduling and financing options. They could really work on everything else . . . and that's the important stuff!