Dr. Vandhana Sharda, OD

I've had two optometrists that I like at this practice. Met with Dr. Sharda due to convenience of scheduling. Wish I had not. Really unpleasant: Dismissive, irritable, critical. Measuring eye pressure has always very challenging for me. One prior OD offered a workaround with different equipment, and the last one was so extremely good at her job that I was able to do the evaluation. Dr. Sharda pushed, physically forced my eyelids open, scolded me, and ultimately said, "The data is going to be all over the place for this test. I'll have to redo it later when you are more relaxed", and she never did! A consultative conversation about an eye care decision I am considering really did not go well. She lectured me. She answered my questions brusquely and lectured me in a way that was narrowly focused and leading me to certain specific products. Said I would walk away with a pamphlet and a link, which I did not get. That day I booked a followup, but have since canceled. I'm going to an opthalmology practice in a different different medical system whose advice and customer care I can trust. I understand that this office is short staffed, that is common right now, and there will be some quality and time details to manage, but I strongly feel that patients should avoid Dr. Sharda if they can.

This doctor is one of the worst experiences in my life. I've never met someone so unkind and dismissive. I have been having recurring eye infections. I have been to this same office SEVERAL times with the eye infections, and I've been TOLD I had eye infections. I came back because they have not been remedied, and this is the first time I saw Dr. Sharda. First of all, I explained to her that I suffer from a severe anxiety disorder, and it is triggered when my eyes are being poked at. She was NOT gentle with me at all, and my anxiety just amped up to the highest level. I actually felt like I was going to vomit. As she tried to flip my eyelid up, she just kept yanking at my lid, and she said "If you don't cooperate, I'm going to pull all your eyelashes out." This did not help. How does a doctor know nothing about how to treat a person with anxiety? I'm a college professor at a medical school, and I teach my students about bedside manner and compassionate care routinely: was that no