Dr. Nelson R. Sabates is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist specializing in diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous, as well as advanced cataract surgery. He serves patients at Sabates Eye Centers in Kansas City.
About Dr. Nelson Sabates
Dr. Sabates earned his medical degree from UMKC School of Medicine, followed by an internship at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Dean McGee Eye Institute at the University of Oklahoma and a retina fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School, along with postdoctoral research at Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston.
Currently, Dr. Sabates is Chairman and Professor of Ophthalmology at UMKC School of Medicine. He is also President and CEO of Sabates Eye Centers and President of the Vision Research Foundation of Kansas City.
A leader in his field, Dr. Sabates lectures internationally and has authored numerous publications and book chapters. He serves on several editorial boards and is an active reviewer for top ophthalmology journals. He also directs and participates in clinical research and trials focused on retinal diseases. Dr. Sabates has held key leadership roles in organizations such as the Missouri Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and Schepens International Society, and is the Founder and Co-Director of the Vision Research Center.
Credentials
Education & Training
- Doctor of Medicine | University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine
- Internship | St. Luke’s Hospital
- Ophthalmology Residency | Dean McGee Eye Institute
- Fellowship in medical and surgical diseases of the retina and vitreous | Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School
- Post Doctoral Research Fellowship | Schepens Eye Research Institute
Languages
English
Memberships & Affiliations
- Board Certification | American Board of Ophthalmology
- Professor, Chairman | UMKC School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology
Awards & Recognition
- Spotlight Award | UMKC’s Alumni Association
- Honor Award | American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Man of the Year Award | KC Magazine
What patients say
Reviews & ratings
Patient Reviews
No reviews yetReviews for Sabates Eye Centers
★★★★★4.8886 reviewsGoogle reviews from the "Sabates Eye Centers" Google Business Profile. Reviews describe the practice and may mention other providers at this location.View all Google reviews at this practice
Dr Walline was excellent. However my refraction was incorrect. I discovered this only after ordering two pairs of glasses! I had to go back for another refraction which was entirely different. I am still dealing with incorrect glassea
Response from the ownerThank you, Kathleen, for the 5-star rating!!Dr. B. is wonderful, patient, and thorough.
I have Sjögren's, TED, and macular degeneration. I had an appointment in November 2025 with a dry eye specialist. I have been going to Sabates for a while. I received a call from them a few weeks before that appointment telling me they had to cancel because she wouldn't be there. To reschedule my appointment I had to wait until October 2026. I received a call a couple days ago that they were canceling my appointment again because she will on maternity leave and won't be coming back. I asked him what should I do, it has been 2 years now, and he said I don't know. This has upset me terribly because the pain in my right eye is getting worse. It is evident that some doctor offices have so much business they don't care about losing a few patients. I believe it takes around 9 months for a baby to be born. Why wasn't I called in January or the next 7 months to reschedule with someone else? I tried to call the office manager about this but, of course, her mailbox was full.
Appointment scheduler(s) running the show, beyond rude and bossy. Refusing to hear about the referral, when you are in desperation of urgency and will do whatever you are told. Forcing into unnecessary appointments for work already done elsewhere (hence the referral!!!). Because "it is our policy". And only after that one, you are allowed to have the appointment for the exam your referring ophthalmologist wanted them to do (but they sent you to yet another ophthalmologist exam anyway, just further delaying the exam which needed to be done asap). When you later report that forced redundant booking, they behave surprised. And then you get to book another one. When asking what would then be done in that new booking that has not been done earlier, you get some vague "new machines, new scans". Scans were done. Evaluation was done, and why would this one be called evaluation once again. Going in circles, when you need straight answers. One never knows who books what, or who does not. If you start online account, the messaging does not work. Keeps notifying you that messages did not go through, though they did. And nobody answers the messages. The same even with the initial data before the first appointment. You give them all, but none shows in your online account. Endless loops and waste of time. Guy sends the notes to PCP, without telling me all. So, dry eyes, really? Could not you tell me when I was there? Or, "no RD", without any further comments in clinical notes even mentioning PVD. If all of that is done so badly and so mismanaged, what else is not done right? How comfortable should I be with such crew doing something more complicated? There are only two eyes on a human. And, yes, while in active stage of PVD, strenuous exercises like running, pullups, pushups are no-go. It is not just "rocker headshaking" to be avoided. And, another yes, active PVD does not earn another appointment in 12 months, but a follow-up appointment needs to be set in four to six weeks. Per USA association's guidelines, not some random Google commenter. And, third yes, yes, when cancelling, cancellation better be done both online and on the phone, just to be sure, with a confirmation number or email, based on the way the other systems were "integrated". If you just cancel online, one cannot be sure if it actually worked. It did not in this case. And, when calling, as for "one question will be asked after the call is finished", it never happened. Never. No questions or survey asked. Quite a confidence inducing environment, isn't it? Sure, now come and poke around my eyes, too.
Very professional, helpful, and patient staff
Dr. Krishna has treated my husband's glaucoma for about 30 years, I also am a patient of his, he is a wonderful, caring and kind person, we are so glad that we found him for our optometrist!🙂
Excellent
Can't seem to figure out how to schedule VA Community Care Veterans who have been referred to them AND authorized to get services. Lost an hour of my time trying to work with their schedulers and the VA Community Care representatives to try and get an appointment. Was told it would take 2+ weeks before they could schedule his appointment even though they had available appointments that were sooner.? (He has to wait because he's a veteran??) If you are a Veteran using a community care referral for your eye care needs...GO ELSEWHERE. Sabates clearly doesn't know how to use the Optum billing system!...and you will have to wait longer for appointments. You should not have to wait for an available appointment! Other service providers can get to you faster!!!
