Jitka L. Zobal-Ratner, MD

"I have taken my Grandson to this Doctor for more than 10 years and have been completely satisfied with our treatment by staff and Dr. Zobel-Ratner. Unfortunately, when I called earlier this year, the receptionist said he was too old to continue to be seen in this practice. I thought she was a pediatric doctor. My Grandson only recently turned 16. The receptionist didn’t even refer us elsewhere."

"I had my elder daughter see Dr Zobal-Ratner a number of times since about 14 years ago in the Slingerlands office, which is closed now. She is knowledgeable and caring. She speaks very fast but alway get on the point. Now I have my younger daughter come to see Dr. Zobal-Ratner again. She always consider patient’s needs first. Her technician is a guy now. He is also professional and nice, and asked me questions and explained the reason of his questions. I completely trust this Pediatrician eye doctor and her team."

"Arrived for apt and wasn't even seen until 2 hours past apt time. Very pushy dr. Doesn't spend the time she should with patient. Not good with children at all. My son is seen once every 8 weeks for the past 2 years and it's the same deal every time we go but unfortunately there are no other ped optamologists in the insurance network..."

"I have mixed reviews about the practice as my 2 year old son saw Dr. Barry a couple months ago following an abnormal eye reading during his well child visit. Dr. Barry was phenomenal, thorough, and accommodating. My son felt very comfortable and I was confident he was receiving excellent care. However, my son was admitted to the hospital last night for preseptal cellulitis with a possible corneal abrasion. This possible abrasion was seen by his pediatrician who was confused by it, but not seen by the ER doctor at Albany Med, so the existence of this abrasion was pretty slim. They sent us to the ophthamology clinic to get it looked at. We saw Dr. Zobal-Ratner and the experience was HORRENDOUS! She was the first person out of 3 days of Dr visit after Dr visit who required my barely 2 year old to wear a mask. (We kept trying with the mask, but he's so little it's hard to keep it on, especially when it was rubbing where his eye was swollen from infection. A few doctors even told him he could just keep it off.) She was rushed and not at all accommodating for his age. We told her he was having pain from the infection whenever anything touched his eye. They put numbing drops in his eyes then flouroscene, this was his third experience with the dye. She didn't even try to allow him to open his eye on his own like they did in the ER. She immediately had us and her technician hold him down and force his eye open. But she was being so rough with his eye that the inside of his bottom lid kept bulging out and she couldn't see much. Even her technician told her she was pressing too hard. She tried to tell us that they were not causing him any pain at all, even though he was screaming in pain. The infection was in and around the eyelid, not in his eyeball.. Then, because he was "not cooperating" she wanted to put a speculum in his eye. She poured a ton more drops in his eye without warning then tried to explain how she wanted to hold his eyelids open, even though she didn't see an abrasion. We immediately told her no, but she didn't want to listen and interrupted us to explain what she wanted to do, even though we all understood exactly what she wanted. She also tried to tell me she does it with adults all the time and they let her do it with no problem. Again, my son is TWO! When we still refused and tried to tell her other doctors could see a lot more of his eye without forcing him she tried to tell us she understood why we wouldn't want to with "emotions running high after the hospital stay" which was not at all true. We all walked into her room in good spirits. My son was not scared at all until she traumatized him to the point where he wouldn't let her even look at him at all. She did not try to accommodate for his age, she just wanted to rush in, do what she wanted to do, and get out. By the time she was willing to even try to treat him like a 2 year he was completely traumatized. My husband and I were shaking with anger when we left the office. This woman should not be working with children if she can't treat them with respect, they are human beings, too! Never again will we let her near any of our children!"

"I am so disappointed to have to write this review, but I think it is the most responsible thing to do to help others who are seeking care for their children. I brought my son here in 2016 because his eyes were beginning to turn in. He was almost 2 at the time. He was diagnosed with bi-lateral amblyopia and given a very strong glasses prescription. Dr. Zobal-Ratner was a tough pill to swallow in regards to her bedside manner and ability to treat children. He would not wear the glasses, and when he would, he would either look out from under the bottom of them or look over the top of them. We went back a few months later, and I shared my concerns with her and she stated that kids are stubborn and gave me eye drops that would make his vision blurry so that he would be forced to use the glasses. Fast forward to August 14, 2018...I went for a second opinion exam with a different Pediatric Ophthalmologist, and he took time with my son and carefully examined him. My son does not, in fact, have bi-lateral amblyopia; he has strabismus in both of his eyes, and his vision is 20/20 in one eye and 20/10 in the other. I am so glad I followed my instinct and did not make him wear the glasses Dr. Zobal-Ratner prescribed him. He would cry when we'd make him wear the glasses. He will have surgery at the end of this year to correct his strabismus, and he will never have to wear glasses. All parents bringing your child to this doctor, please use your judgment. I know doctors are human and make mistakes, but this would have been a horrible misstep to make my son wear glasses his entire life. It would have deteriorated his vision and not corrected the real problem."