Animal Eye Consultants Elgin, Illinois

**I'm not sure why my original review was removed so I am posting again for all pet owners***** AEC operated on my dear friend's dog. She died 2 days later. Part of their charged services on the day of surgery was diabetic management. We sent her insulin and food with her on day of surgery as instructed. They sent it home with us. The dog was lethargic after surgery which they said was to be expected. At the next morning's follow-up, we were told to rush her to the ER at the VCA because her glucose was extremely high. She developed in less than a day, diabetic ketoacidosis and renal failure. What purpose does their diabetic management serve if this is the outcome?

I once too read all these so-so and negative reviews and was hesitant to bring my fur baby to a place that had so many discouraging reviews... but I am glad I trusted my instinct to know that most published reviews will most likely be negative because the positive folks walk away happy and content. I'm taking the time to write my positive story and settle some of those hesitancies because this staff is wonderful and caring and deserve some recognition and thanks. First and foremost, pets are EXPENSIVE. There are costs in maintaining. These doctors and staff are trained professionals who have much more experience than your local vet. It's like going to see a family physician versus a surgeon. Are you going to let your pediatrician perform your child's eye surgery? NO. You pay for what you get for and if you aren't comfortable spending that money up front, consider pet insurance because it will save you a ton of $$ in the long run. My 1 year old pug developed an eye ulcer and was referred to a specialist by my primary veterinarian. My primary vet could not diagnose why his ulcer returned and suggested a try a local ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, during COVID times, it was nearly impossible to get in; all of Chicagoland had a wait of nearly 3-4 weeks for next available appointment. I called every day until an opening was available. The reviews concerned me, but I had to get him in. Upon arriving, the staff kept me informed of every step of the way. I could not enter the building, but they came out to speak to me in the car often. Dr. Kecova diagnosed his condition right away and was able to perform cryoepilation on his eye that afternoon. There was a positive and noticeable difference in him the next day, and when I had a concern midweek about some squinting, the staff was very responsive and called me multiple times. They worked with me via phone and email photos to determine whether or not I needed to bring him back in. Turns out I was just a paranoid pug mama. His eye has healed beautifully and I am extremely grateful for the quick diagnosis and fix. Even my vet was pleasantly surprised to hear the outcome. I feel that the cost of the procedure was very fair, which also included all the medication and two follow-up visits with no office charge. So maybe I paid a bit more upfront to get him into the initial office visit versus the normal primary vet office visit, but considering the follow-up visits, medications, and time spent on the phone following the procedure balanced out very well in the end.

Very rude staff. High demand practice in a speciality field gives them the opportunity to charge an arm and a leg for their services, but this would not be so bad if the quality of service and professionalism of the practice met the same standard of their charges. Very busy practice that often left me confused in my conversations with the techs and Dr. Lindley, despite being a medical provider (in the human field). I had to have pathology sent directly to myself and our regular vet to be reviewed to confirm that I was being told several different versions of the wrong story. When an appointment needed to be rescheduled there was no issue until they called back to tell me that since I prepaid for the post surgical follow up I would lose that fee and be charged a second time; however when they had to reschedule the time of his initial follow up, I did not charge them a fee? When asked to speak to somebody about the policy it was handled by a young and very unprofessional office manager. Save your money and stress, go elsewhere. If you have any intent of being allowed in with your pet, good luck. You are left in the parking lot for an extended period of time while they take your pet from you to treat them despite the state being opened for weeks now. For a medical practice, they are antiquated in their COVID-19 policies which is just the cherry on the awful ice cream sundae that is Animal Eye Consultants.

I read the (mostly bad) reviews and decided to give them a call anyway to see if they could get my dog in earlier than the last place I called (who was booked out about 4 weeks), figuring I might need to go somewhere else for a second opinion anyway since my current Vet cannot figure out what is wrong with my poor pup. So the lady answered and sounded like she was in the car, it was very difficult to hear her. She told me they are booked out for 1.5 - 2 months, so I inquired about an emergency visit. I was informed they could possibly do an emergency visit, she'd have to call the doctors and ask them... and then she told me the fees are SLIGHTLY higher than a regular visit. Want to know the emergency fees?$700 to get an emergency appointment, PLUS $290 for the visit, PLUS the pressure test and tear staining test (which they WILL do in the office, you don't have a choice). PLUS any other things needed are extra. So she said there is a $990 non-refundable fee just to book the appointment (that she said they only MIGHT be able to get me in for...!!!). If that is only slightly higher than a regular visit, I'd hate to see what they charge regularly. Nice way to take advantage of situations when pets need help. Absolutely ridiculous. I understand charging extra for emergency services, but $700 just to get an appointment is really taking advantage of people. Do yourself a favor and listen to all of the other reviewers and don't even bother calling this place.

Very deceptive and manipulative. I’m actually seeing a attorney Monday. The things they put us through can’t be legal

Came from out of town and 1.5 hour drive. Left at 9am. Was originally told we could leave so we did. Well they wouldn't do anything with the dog until we came back. It is now 1:30 in the afternoon and still waiting for her procedure to be done.

Don't believe the negative reviews here, in fact those reviews made me want to write this one. This clinic is first class all the way. Dr. Lindley was super professional as well her staff were very caring and treated my dog with lots of love. Moreso than my regular vet actually. Dr. Lindley took the time to re-explain the procedure and diagnosis to me, and was very assuring. They treated my dog with great care handling her and making her comfortable with such invasive procedures. A lot of love from the staff. I'll also add, that when I first made my appointment it was a month away until they could get my dog in. But they ended up calling me just a few days later to tell me of an opening due to a cancellation they had the this very week! The facilities are also excellent. Great place.

In trying to do everything we could for our loving 20+ year old tabby, our vet recommended we see Dr Lindley. Our experience with the Elgin staff and Dr. Lindley was wonderful. Everyone was thoughtful and caring including Dr. Lindley. …

I was very happy with my experience at Animal Eye Consultants. They did a thorough examination and were very up-front with options, possible complications, and cost. I found Dr. Lindley to have a very scientific and matter-of-fact approach. I appreciated that she was able to answer all my questions. My dog Lily was bit on the face on Thanksgiving. After 1 week of care at my normal vet, they recommended a specialist. Animal Eye Consultants were able to see me that day. She ended up needing her eye removed as it wasn’t healing and had ulcers. But, now she is doing great. Thank you!

They definitely know their stuff but be prepared to pay and to accommodate to their schedule. Our dog had glaucoma and needed help right away. Animal Eye Consultants was the closest specialist for us but I should have figured something was up when they asked for money up front before the appointment (non-refundable). They were able to help our dog but at a great financial cost. Our dog had to have an eye removed and the way they made it sound, only they could do the procedure but we loved our dog and wanted to help him. $5000 later our dog was better. However, this meant he had to have checkups and medications for his remaining eye. This meant $150 to $200 visits plus medications and when I told them I needed afternoon appointments, they made you feel like you were asking for the world and I got cussed out one time by one of the employees for for asking for an afternoon appointment. I'm sorry but with these vet bills, I can't take time off work. Within the last few months I found out our dog had to have his other eye removed and after talking to our own vet, found out they could do it for $700-800. What was the last straw was Animal Eye Consultants, after finding out about my dog's other eye, wanted me to either take the dog to another location of theirs further away for an expensive procedure or to have them remove the eye (another $5000) and did they try to make me feel guilty when I told them no. Needless to say, I had our own vet remove it with no problem. After all this, I'll never have any dealings with Dr. Lindy or her staff again nor will I recommend them to anyone.

I was referred to Animal Eye Consultants by my vet clinic after we couldn't get my cat's condition under control with just medication. I brought her in to see what the best course would be for her best quality of life- removing the eye or trying to continue to treat with meds. The front staff was super friendly, the vet tech was kind and thorough, and Dr. Lindley took her time and was informative. She examined the eye, explained what she was seeing and why she thought removing the eye would be best in her situation. She was very upfront about the fact that I could also choose to have my regular vet do the procedure, but took the time to explain to me how they do pain management at her practice. She gave me an estimate for the costs of surgery, anesthesia, blood work and tests, and two follow up visits. Since they're specialists, I knew it would be expensive, but honestly it was not as high as I thought it would be, so that was nice! I happened to be there on the day they do surgery, and she had an opening that day. They called me when she woke up, and when I came back in to pick her up, they went over her discharge information and answered all of my questions. They also called the next morning to see how she was and answered more of my follow up questions. They called me as soon as the results of her histopathology and all of the tests they ran came back. My sweet kitty has her appetite back, she's cuddly and playful, and she's not in pain! I'm so grateful.

Please help me in reporting this practice to the AVMA... Carole Jordan Director of Illinois AVMA Office in Schaumburg on Meacham Rd. I've had it with this Veternarian and her staff. The list of abuse to animals as well as the owners has …

We were referred to Dr. Lindley by our local vet. We were so worried, especially about our dog Lucy losing the vision in that eye. We stopped by to talk about an appointment on Friday and they immediately gave us an appointment for the following Monday. After examining Lucy's eye, Dr. Lindley assured us that it was just an ulcer that she could easily treat. We are so happy to report that everything came out perfectly. You can't even tell which eye was treated.

I'm glad I read the reviews before putting my dog through that kind of unprofessionalism. There's a eye doctor vet in st Charles if you need one close to elgin. Thanks fpr the reviews

Dr Lindley is very harsh unprofessional and condescending. She is like this to her staff and clients. They are all afraid of her, she berates and scolds employees for misspellings as they type report in room. I honestly have never seen …

If you care about your dog please do not go to this place!! Dr. Lindley is one of the most unprofessional people I have ever met. I am a Nurse and I have to admit she has terrible bedside manner, and all she cares about is money. I took …

They all make over my basset with a missing eye.they treat us like family they even come out of their office so they can see us!!!!

Have an emergency. Soonest appointment was a week out. You'd think an eye clinic would have emergency appointments.

My Dog had Glaucoma. Had to have his eye removed. After going home he was in pain & wouldn't eat for a couple of days. He was on pain meds. They called me on Saturday & Sunday to keep up with me on his condition. They were there with …

My dog love going here every one is very nice

Dr. And staff could not be happier with everything they do for me.

Very professional and friendly at the same time. Best of all, we had good results with the problem we went in to get fixed. Our dog had indolent corneal ulcers on one eye.

We went in for the OFA eye exam. We were in and out in no time.

Staff at the Elgin office are helpful & caring with the animals.

Specialty vets??? This vet group is ultra special in every way! From the kind and knowledgeable staff to the excellent diagnosis, surgery and after care with the veterinarians, I highly recommend Animal Eye Consultants. P.S. The Elgin office is one of the most beautiful offices, DR or Vet, I've been to !

I recently brought my dog (Drea) in for an eye checkup. Dr. Lindley and her assistant were absolutely wonderful! Drea really liked them too. They were really compassionate and caring during their exam. I would recommend them in a heartbeat. Thanks Dr. Lindley for your services.