Veterinary Eye Institute Anaheim

Fantastic doctor and office. I was skeptical about all the 5 star reviews but I understand now. They always pick up the phone quickly and answer calls. Everyone that I interacted with was great. I can see why their office is so busy. We were blessed to get an emergency appointment and Dr Esson was such a huge help. You can tell he knows his stuff and cares about his patients. My dog finally got the help he needed. He had surgery earlier today and already seems to be in less pain despite his stitches. My only regret is that I didn't find this doctor sooner. We will be lifelong patients and supporters for this wonderful office. Update: It's been about 2 weeks since surgery and my dog got his stitches out. He is doing fantastic. My dog is an entirely new dog since his surgery. He is playful, energetic and active again. He seems much happier. The medication Dr. Esson provided is also helping to save his other eye and relieve his discomfort. During his checkup today, they reported that his eye pressure has gone back down normal in only 2 weeks! Thank you so much, Dr. Esson and staff!! My family bought my dog an adorable pirate costume for Christmas, so please enjoy a pic of our happy pirate boy.

My husband and I adopted a blind dog and the rescue didn’t have much information about what caused his blindness. After doing some research on local veterinary ophthalmologists, we decided on VEI Anaheim to help us assess his condition. We’ve had about 3 appointments over the course of 4 months, and every time we have been so appreciative of the level of service and professionalism of the staff here. Dr. Esson and Dr. Wimms are very knowledgeable and thorough in their examinations and have helped us understand how Kona’s blindness came to be and what is considered normal for his condition. Of special note, Dana, a tech there, has been so accommodating and empathetic towards us (she has a rescued Mexican street dog too, just like Kona!). Kona is dog reactive, so we usually wait for our appointments outside to prevent him from rehearsing his reactive behaviors around the other dogs coming and going in the lobby. During a technician appointment, Dana offered to call my cell phone when it was his turn to be seen, and she even met us outside. In addition, even though technician appointments don’t normally have doctor’s notes or dictation letters, she responded to my request when I emailed the office to clarify the medical terminology she had used during the appointment. We are just so blown away by her level of care, and we are so grateful to have found VEI and its amazing staff!!

Highly recommend. I recently adopted a senior dog who was blind due to cataracts. Dr. Esson and his team did a fantastic job of making sure he was a good candidate for surgery. They explained everything well, so I was prepared for all possible outcomes. The surgery was successful, and it has been so rewarding to watch Buddy realize he can see again. He loves looking at his own reflection now! Thank you to Dr. Esson and the staff at VOC.

Dr. Esson is the best of the best! I brought Cooper into VOC for a biopsy and was greeted by the friendly staff and amazing Receptionist (Koral). Cooper was immediately brought into the room to begin the appointment. Dr. Esson finished the biopsy perfectly and Cooper was pain-free! I will always bring my dogs to Dr. Esson Thank you VOC!

Our female German shepherd "Lady" has a genetic eye issue that if not treated she'll go blind... but the vet had caught it early enough that we're able to use eye drops daily, and vet said she's doing excellent!!! This doctor is the best and Ladies eyes are in great health. 🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏👏👏😎

How lucky were we to of found Dr. Esson and his incredible team?? Bailee had several eye surgeries at this office because she had RELENTLESS inverted eye lashes. Each and every time we came in, we felt that she was truly in the best of hands and care.. having had a traumatic experience with previous vet offices, we were in total peace with Dr. Essons guidance. This team is truly the BEST and they are AMAZING at what they do. This is a long over-due THANK YOU to the Dr. and his well renowned team. We are grateful for each and everyone of you. <3

The staff are nice, but this place is run like an assembly line. You pay $245 for a consult (not including tests), and Dr. Wimms spent about 5 minutes with us. When we tried to ask questions, she was literally inching out the door. We had to push just to get basic answers, which was honestly demeaning—especially when discussing our dogs’ vision and potential surgery. We gave them the benefit of the doubt the first time because they said they were busy. The second visit (which they recommended for our other dog) was exactly the same, even though they were not busy. This is just how they operate. The bigger issue is the quality of care. The treatment plan we were given was not adequate based on what we were later told and it carried real risk. We were told that one of the medications was being used at a dosing level that would likely have minimal effect on the condition and the medicine itself has significant risks (so we were taking on risks with minimal potential benefit because the dosing was inadequate based on what we were told). Another medication she insisted on once-daily dosing, whereas we were later told it generally requires twice-daily dosing to properly suppress the autoimmune process. Otherwise, the tear glands could be attacked for part of each day. We were specifically told that underdosing in this situation can allow ongoing damage to the tear glands, potentially leading to permanent, irreversible loss of function. Based on what we were told, that would mean our dogs may end up needing a complex surgery of redirecting their saliva to their eyes... what a horrible outcome! She also pushed a $3,000+ surgery that we were later told was not necessary. We were completely ready to go forward with it, only to find out that it was not needed. Surgery has real risks... some dogs don't wake up from surgery as our new vet reminded us. We got a second opinion at The Veterinary Eye Clinic in Pomona based on our general vet's recommendation after we told them about our negative experience at this clinic, and it was a night and day experience. We were told our dog had minimal hair involvement and did not need surgery at all. The plan was safer, more appropriate, and actually explained to us. The vet took our goal—restoring vision—seriously and worked with us. They made it obvious that they actually cared about our dogs. I also later learned Dr. Wimms is recently out of training. That alone doesn’t mean anything, but combined with our experience, it’s relevant context. I was initially going to leave 3 stars because I thought the main issue was the rushed, assembly-line approach. When I found out the treatment plan itself could allow ineffective treatment and risk irreversible damage, I dropped it to 2 stars. When I learned the surgery recommendation was unnecessary, it became a 1-star review. I wish I had seen a review like this before spending so much money here. It’s worth the inconvenience of driving further to get thoughtful, thorough care. This review is for pet owners like us who want to know what they’re walking into before booking.