1 reviews | Active since Jul 2025
Experience with Sandton Eye Clinic
The staff and doctor were friendly. It’s overall a friendly environment. - I just want to make that clear.
I went for my consultation on Friday the 25th July and was prescribed 3 separate eye drops then specifically and only told to bring them on Thursday 31st (day of surgery) I’m writing this now on the 29th (2 days before the surgery.)
I messaged “Hester” who I believe is someone who was supposed to communicate with me prior to the procedure. I asked her the same day I bought the prescribed eye drops which was day of consultation. If there was ANYTHING I had to do prior to the surgery she said verbatim I’ll try to attach WhatsApp screenshots if I can, “only the online consent form” which by the way was never even sent until Monday. As it was a Friday I didn’t make a big deal out of this so Monday they asked me if I’d like to confirm for Thursday the 31st I said yes and then asked AGAIN word for word, “Is there anything else that wasn’t mentioned before that I should or shouldn’t do pre-op?” They completely ignored this message and responded the next day which is today just confirming the booking and a prescription for more medicine to buy day of the surgery. I acknowledged this and ONCE AGAIN asked word for word “I just wanted to confirm that there was no medication or eye drops, anything like that, that I am supposed to take prior to surgery?”
They FINALLY somehow read and managed to answer this question by asking me “Did you start using the, Dexagel, FML and Optive Mega Dr. prescribed to you on the 25th of July?” I responded “No I was not told to use it, just to bring it on Thursday” They responded “Can you please start using these 3 drops immediately from today, then the script I send to you, must bring with on Thursday.” I asked “Was I supposed to start using them from the 25th?” Their response “Yes, but if you can please start using it from today.”
This was an INFURIATING exchange as I’m not sure how this entire time they’re only telling me now (2 DAYS before surgery) that I had to do this. So I responded saying “This is extremely poor communication. I asked on Friday (the 25th) and even after that if there was anything else I had to do before the surgery.” And immediately cancelled the surgery to which they responded with a cold “My apologies for that, I will cancel your surgery.”
Now in the grand scheme of things I probably dodged a bullet because I cannot understand how between the technician who tested my eyes, the lady who did further tests, the receptionist who provided the initial prescription that I was supposed to use prior to the surgery, “Hester” who I was communicating with after my consultation and finally the doctor(Dr Coetzee) between 25th and finally 2 days before the surgery no one could tell me that I had to use the prescribed medication before the surgery but just simply to “bring it day of surgery”. It’s terrifying to think.. What if I didn’t continuously ask if I had to take anything? If it’s this difficult to communicate with something so minuscule what if I have a complication? Or worse? Coming from Pretoria spending over R7000 between hiring drivers, purchasing the prescribed medication, and the consultation itself. This is extremely disappointing.
I was fully prepared and had organised an entire 2 weeks dedicated to recovery. The Sandton eye clinic has good reviews but it’s really disappointing that I have to go through this process again with a different doctor. Ultimately maybe worth it because with such a life changing surgery it’s incredible how poor communication is. I would not recommend this place and suggest spending more money finding a better doctor and clinic. If I hadn’t asked repeatedly, no one would’ve said a word. That’s not just careless, it’s dangerous. This was completely unacceptable and negligent.
We’re glad to hear that you found our staff and environment welcoming, and we’re sorry that the communication around your prescribed drops did not meet your expectations. We understand how disappointing this must have been.
To clarify: not all patients are required to use eye drops before surgery. However, in certain cases, particularly where signs of dry eye are observed during the consultation, our surgeons may prescribe drops to optimise the ocular surface ahead of the procedure. This is done to ensure the best possible visual outcome.
In such cases the surgeon usually explains the condition to the patient and that they will receive a prescription with drops to be used prior the procedure. The prescription is usually handed to the patient directly after the consultation by the receptionist, with instructions to fill it at the pharmacy next door and begin use immediately. We understand from your message that this was not clear to you.
The staff member you contacted, while responsible for surgery bookings, is not part of the clinical care team. When you asked her about anything else you should do she responded with surgery related steps only.
We are reviewing our communication process and will implement a new step to ensure that all patients who receive a pre-operative prescription are reminded by both the clinical and theatre booking teams, where applicable. Your feedback has highlighted an area for improvement, and we are grateful for the opportunity to make that change.
Please be assured that no procedure would ever go ahead unless the treating surgeon is fully satisfied with the condition of the eyes on the day of surgery. Our procedures are elective, and we fully respect a patient’s choice to cancel or postpone, no one is ever pressured to proceed.
We regret that your experience led to such disappointment, especially after the effort and resources you invested. While we did not meet your expectations this time, we remain committed to continuous improvement.
Thank you again for your feedback.
Warm regards,
Sandton Eye Clinic
We’re glad to hear that you found our staff and environment welcoming, and we’re sorry that the communication around your prescribed drops did not meet your expectations. We understand how disappointing this must have been.
To clarify: not all patients are required to use eye drops before surgery. However, in certain cases, particularly where signs of dry eye are observed during the consultation, our surgeons may prescribe drops to optimise the ocular surface ahead of the procedure. This is done to ensure the best possible visual outcome.
In such cases the surgeon usually explains the condition to the patient and that they will receive a prescription with drops to be used prior the procedure. The prescription is usually handed to the patient directly after the consultation by the receptionist, with instructions to fill it at the pharmacy next door and begin use immediately. We understand from your message that this was not clear to you.
The staff member you contacted, while responsible for surgery bookings, is not part of the clinical care team. When you asked her about anything else you should do she responded with surgery related steps only.
We are reviewing our communication process and will implement a new step to ensure that all patients who receive a pre-operative prescription are reminded by both the clinical and theatre booking teams, where applicable. Your feedback has highlighted an area for improvement, and we are grateful for the opportunity to make that change.
Please be assured that no procedure would ever go ahead unless the treating surgeon is fully satisfied with the condition of the eyes on the day of surgery. Our procedures are elective, and we fully respect a patient’s choice to cancel or postpone, no one is ever pressured to proceed.
We regret that your experience led to such disappointment, especially after the effort and resources you invested. While we did not meet your expectations this time, we remain committed to continuous improvement.
Thank you again for your feedback.
Warm regards,
Sandton Eye Clinic