I first saw Dr. Tepper over six years ago, after relocating from California. That’s where I discovered I had glaucoma in both eyes. I also have a thin cornea, so my eye pressure has to be a bit below "normal" to preserve my vision.The first ophthalmologist I saw in Chicago didn’t specialize in glaucoma. (Something his office failed to tell me when I made the appointment.) Turns out that was for the best. He referred me to Dr. Tepper and Dr.T. is fantastic!In Cali, I had been prescribed two very strong (and very expensive) drugs to keep my eye pressure from destroying my optic nerve and blinding me. Even so, Dr. Tepper told me right away that he thought I had been medicated too aggressively given my age and overall health (54 at the time). He asked me if I would consider alternate medications that are not as caustic.I went for it and he monitored the results. The bottom line is that my eye pressure remained under control just as well as it did with my previous "designer" meds! Also 10X cheaper! No exaggeration. The cost went from $300.00/Mo to $30.00/Mo.Because of Dr. Tepper, I was able to get off of two separate corporate drug assistance programs (which are bureaucratic nightmares) and just pay out of pocket. This really simplified my life. More than that, I’m getting first rate medical care. One visit I wondered out loud if my blood pressure was too high and Dr. T took a reading on the spot. I never had an ophthalmologist take my BP before! Dr. Tepper factors in all aspects of my health and fitness. He is not a shill for big pharma like a lot of doctors. He stresses a healthy lifestyle instead of solely relying on meds alone. He also shares info about leading edge treatments, studies and breakthroughs relevant to my condition. His practice is busy, but Dr. Tepper never makes me feel like he is in a hurry to see another patient. He is extremely personable and sincere. Because of this and his expertise, I referred my mom (age 95) to Dr. T. She is super picky about doctors and SHE chose Dr. Tepper for cataract surgery. That says it all! More
I am surprised to read about bad experiences at this practice. I called two weeks ago on a Thursday because my 15 year old son lost vision in his left eye. The administrative staff was courteous on the phone and said since this could be a serious situation the doctor could see us on Friday morning. I had been calling opthlamologists for two hours Thursday morning and none would see us immediately or even within a week. Upon check-in, the staff was courteous. Our insurance doesn’t cover eye exams, so they asked for payment up front, which was fine. We had to wait for about an hour before we were seen, which was fine since they got us in within a day of calling for an appointment. My son had an eye exam with an assistant and was given drops to dilate his eyes, and we waited about 30 more minutes before we were seen by Dr. Tepper - again, fine. Dr. Tepper was courteous, fast paced, but thorough. My son was diagnosed with a detached retina. Dr. Tepper referred us to a retinal specialist, his staff called to set up an immediate appointment because of the seriousness of the situation, but that specialist was out for the day. He made a second referral to a retinal specialist at UIC eye clinic. His staff called and notified them of our situation and the doctor at UIC was ready and waiting for us when we arrived. My son had surgery that Monday. Because of Dr. Tepper’s willingness to see us quickly, his diagnosis and referral, my son might regain most of his vision in his eye. If there is one thing I have learned about seeing a specialist, through this and previous experience, it is that they often run behind because they make concessions for emergency appointments, meaning maybe they are overbooked. Doctor’s also get held up with patients who have a number of questions/concerns/problems. I would rather know my specialist is committed to his patients, than churning them out as quickly as possible. By the way, we have seen our retinal specialist twice since my son’s surgery, and the first time he was on time, but we waited two hours the second time. He happens to be one of the best retinal specialists, and worth every minute of our wait. I can say the same of Dr. Tepper. More
Changing Surgery dates without asking Patience first - Doctor is very professional and very care but when I did an Appointment for cataract surgery with a month in advanced someone call me and tell me to call back when I call back 3 days later, i just found that the date of surgery changed, without let me know first. Too much effort from my part to get days off at work for nothing. More