University Eye Center Los Angeles

University Eye Center Los Angeles Ketchum Health's University Eye Center Los Angeles is a clinical teaching facility of the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B.

Ketchum University.

03/24/2022

WORLD OPTOMETRY DAY POSTING

Happy International Women's Day MBKU!Join us in honoring the social, cultural, economic, and political achievements of w...
03/08/2022

Happy International Women's Day MBKU!

Join us in honoring the social, cultural, economic, and political achievements of women all around the world, and right here at MBKU.

This year's theme is - aimed to raise awareness behind gender biases and forge a world where differences are valued and appreciated.

Today, and everyday, let us celebrate the marvelous accomplishments of women everywhere. 👏🎉

Congratulations to MBKU's Dr. Judy Tong on receiving the 2022 COA Educator of the Year Award! 🎉Dr. Tong received the pre...
02/11/2022

Congratulations to MBKU's Dr. Judy Tong on receiving the 2022 COA Educator of the Year Award! 🎉

Dr. Tong received the prestigious honor for her passion, commitment, and dynamic work on residency education across the country and in the state of California, amongst many other achievements.

Let's give Dr. Tong a well deserved congratulations, as she makes us ! 🥳

#2022

Happy finals week MBKU! Your drive, perseverance, and dedication have shined bright throughout this quarter. As we appro...
02/10/2022

Happy finals week MBKU! Your drive, perseverance, and dedication have shined bright throughout this quarter. As we approach the finality, we wanted to be mindful of the recurring visitor this time of year: Stress.

Stress is inevitable, but that doesn't mean it isn't manageable. Here are 5 tips to help you find balance and get back to a clear mind.

1. Unplug from social media. Information overload can induce stress, more-so during the time of studying for finals. Make an effort to disconnect from the digital world.

2. Make time for you, you deserve it. Take intentional time to unwind with your favorite hobby, activity, or interests. Set periodic breaks to step away from the task at hand and refocus.

3. Connect with others. If you are feeling stressed, one thing is for certain - you are not alone. Stop and talk to someone. Your mental health is more important than your grade.

4. Take care of your body. Meditate, eat well-balanced meals, take deep breaths. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, a 10-minute walk may relieve as much stress as 45 minutes of rigorous exercise. Aside from staying safe, stay healthy.

5. Sleep well. The answer is simple in theory, but difficult in practice: Get more sleep. A lack of sleep can lead to insomnia and increased stress levels. Avoid caffeine in the evening hours and prioritize getting a full night's rest.

When Dr. Monica Trivedi, Professor in the College of Pharmacy at MBKU, received the news that she was eligible for the C...
02/04/2022

When Dr. Monica Trivedi, Professor in the College of Pharmacy at MBKU, received the news that she was eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination, she booked her appointment right away at a site situated in a local fire station. On the day of her first shot, she arrived to discover a line of cars stretching for miles, wait times many hours long, and a beleaguered vaccination site that had overbooked that day’s appointments a few times over.

In that moment, she immediately recognized two very large needs: one was for trained vaccinators who could meet the demand of the millions of adults who were eligible and yearned for their vaccinations, and the other was for a community health organization that could help alleviate the logistical challenge of administering so many doses.

Naturally, Dr. Trivedi realized that MBKU was primed to meet both needs, and she became one of many faculty and students who volunteered at vaccinations sites throughout Orange County.

After completing all of the CDC training modules, student volunteers were able to serve in multiple roles, screening and checking in individuals, mixing and supervising doses, and of course, administering the vaccines themselves.

They were surprised to learn that the recipients weren’t the only grateful ones. When MBKU students began working events, many of them felt uniquely empowered after a year of remote learning to be with each other and with people they could deliver care to. “Our students were super eager to be a part of these events,” says PA Andrea Galdamez, Professor in the School of PA Studies (SPAS). “They got to talk to patients and feel really connected to being a part of the recovery of this pandemic.”

Health care workers from multiple disciplines coming together to serve their local population is the very picture of what MBKU strives for as an institution of inter-professional education, and Southern California College of Optometry was very much in that picture.

Click the link below to read more about MBKU's dedication to service, available in Ketchum Magazine.

Link: https://www.ketchum.edu/about-us/publications

Happy Lunar New Year MBKU! Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, is celebrated by 1.5 bill...
02/01/2022

Happy Lunar New Year MBKU! Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, is celebrated by 1.5 billion people every year across many Asian countries around the world.

According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the year of the Tiger. The tiger embodies courage and bravery, and the new year could symbolize resilience and strength — even in times of struggle. The celebration marks a pivot toward refreshingly good change.

The festival begins on the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon. Because the celebration is based on the cycles of the moon, the date changes slightly from year to year.

The festival has different pronunciations around the world, including:
China - Chunjie, 春節
Vietnam - Tet, Tết
Korea - Seollal, 설날

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Year of the Tiger, from all of us here at MBKU!

When Melissa Contreras, OD, MPH, FAAO, was appointed MBKU’s Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusio...
02/01/2022

When Melissa Contreras, OD, MPH, FAAO, was appointed MBKU’s Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion last year, she was tasked in part with taking a 1,000-foot view of how the concepts relate to the University’s goals of producing exceptional health care providers, and to explore and enact initiatives designed to keep MBKU ever an innovator when educating students with sensitivity and purpose. In this way, MBKU’s development of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has mirrored Dr. Contreras’ own understanding of it.

“When we say that we are patient-and student-centered, we want to make sure that there is this thread of belonging and inclusion throughout that is always held as a pillar,” says Dr. Contreras. “I learned that my Spanish was a useful thing to me as a doctor. I could make a deep impact on my patients’ lives by responding to their health needs in a way that acknowledges and honors their cultural backgrounds. And so now I’m hoping to have a bigger impact across the professions to make sure our graduates, whether SCCO, SPAS or College of Pharmacy, have a deep understanding of the principles of DEI, and the improvement in health outcomes we are aiming for through the pursuit of a diverse workforce to serve diverse patient populations.”

For truly exceptional learning institutions, DEI programs often represent a refinement and refocusing of the good work they already do. At MBKU, one such example is two medical Spanish courses: one is a required course in the College of Pharmacy, and the other is an interdisciplinary elective that is optional for all MBKU students. Dr. Contreras co-teaches the course with PA Sandra Fineman, Director of Clinical Education for SPAS, and Dr. Michal Mingura, Assistant Professor from the College of Pharmacy.

Ultimately, one of the primary goals of the medical Spanish class, and of the DEI programs at MBKU, is to help students become sincerely interested in the diversity of experiences represented by every patient they encounter, and to learn how to communicate and treat them successfully as they deliver the most personalized care.

Click the link below to read the full article in Ketchum Magazine. Available for download now.

Link: https://www.ketchum.edu/about-us/publications

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities and health care institutions were thrown into a new reality – one ...
01/28/2022

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities and health care institutions were thrown into a new reality – one that combined taking extreme protective measures out of an abundance of caution with shifting many practices online. This was particularly true for the places that were both educational and a health care institution, such as MBKU’s clinical facilities. Ketchum magazine sat down with Dr. Mark Nakano, SCCO’s Associate Dean of Clinics for Ketchum Health, and Dr. Brandon Grove, Director of Medical Clinics to talk about the challenges and the accomplishments of the past year and a half.

Ketchum magazine: "Can you talk a little about how your clinic has been able to continue its service to the community over the past year and a half?"

Dr. Mark Nakano: "The clinic was closed a very limited amount of time — about one week — as we delivered urgent and emergent care to the community. Once we became comfortable delivering care with PPE, new safety protocols and new processes, we were able to bring the faculty and students back to deliver care in a safe environment. We modified the elements of exams to decrease exposure for patients, staff, faculty and students."

Dr. Brandon Grove: "I’ll add that technology has been central to our ability to serve. Telemedicine combined with parking lot assessment of sick individuals has helped to limit the scope of coronavirus infection in our university community."

Ketchum Magazine: "What would you say was the biggest challenge you faced in the clinics during this time?"

Dr. Brandon Grove: "Educating our University members about the specifics of infection and reasoning behind policy updates has been a significant challenge. The Office of Student Affairs in coordination with University Administration has arranged “town hall” meetings over this time frame to communicate a consistent message about how our University will move through and beyond this pandemic."

Ketchum Magazine: "This issue of Ketchum magazine explores the theme of “service” at MBKU. In your view, why is service such an important part of MBKU’s clinical identity?

Dr. Mark Nakano: "Being available when the community needs you the most is important and demonstrating that to our student-interns is equally important. We all signed up to be doctors, so we have to get over any fear we might have to help our patients and our community."

Click the link below to read the full interview between Dr. Nakano and Dr. Grove, and their dedication to serving the community.

Link: https://www.ketchum.edu/about-us/publications

There likely is not a multitude of places where the worlds of veterinary medicine and optometry overlap, so it is safe t...
01/24/2022

There likely is not a multitude of places where the worlds of veterinary medicine and optometry overlap, so it is safe to say that Finn the Hedgehog was unique. One of the top employees at Redmond Eye Clinic in Redmond, Wash., Finn was a mascot, a model and a creative way for Dr. Jeff Binstock and Dr. Kim Skyles to connect with their community, humanize the profession of optometry, and make children more comfortable before their eye exams. And even though Finn passed away last year, he is remembered fondly, as an exemplary hedgehog, and somewhat ironically, as an example of how Dr. Binstock and Dr. Skyles see their clinic as prioritizing people above all else.

Dr. Binstock is another rare case of overlap. He went to veterinary school and practiced veterinary medicine for a brief time, before his strong interest in ocular health combined with a lifelong goal to own a business inspired a major career change to optometry. He decided to enroll at Southern California College of Optometry.

It was at SCCO where he met Dr. Skyles, who found in optometry a captivating profession where one was rewarded for an equal interest in science and in people. They married shortly after graduation, and a couple of years later found a great opportunity to take over the Redmond Eye Clinic.

Dr. Binstock and Dr. Skyles were both drawn to SCCO for much the same reason: They wanted an optometric education focused on developing students as excellent clinicians. “One of the things I learned from the profession of veterinary medicine is that it’s not necessarily all about your book knowledge,” says Dr. Binstock. “It’s often more about your clinical skills, your bedside manner, your ability to communicate effectively, and your ability to get a patient to believe in your recommendations and to trust you have their best interests at heart. SCCO had a lot of that training instilled really quickly, because you’re learning clinical skills so soon. They prepare students to hit the ground running.”

Read more about Finn the Hedgehog, Dr. Skyles, and Dr. Binstock in the latest edition of Ketchum Magazine, available for viewing and download here: https://www.ketchum.edu/about-us/publications

The outstanding work of MBKU's own, Dr. Angie Chen, was prominently profiled in the .med Department of Ophthalmology Ann...
01/19/2022

The outstanding work of MBKU's own, Dr. Angie Chen, was prominently profiled in the .med Department of Ophthalmology Annual Report!

Dr. Chen is leading "an American Academy of Optometry-funded U.S. multi-center clinical trial on vision therapy for intermittent exotropia (IXT)."

IXT occurs when one eye turns outward, causing misalignment of the eyes and loss of depth perception when the eye is deviated. It is the most common form of childhood-onset exotropia. If left untreated, it can have a severe negative impact on a child's quality of life.

Click the link below and see page 4 for more details, as Dr. Chen advances the profession of optometry forward by sharing evidence of the effective care optometrists provide. Dr. Chen makes us ! 🎉

Link:https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/ophthalmology/documents/2021_AnnualReport.pdf

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” - Martin Luther King Jr. Happy MLK day M...
01/17/2022

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy MLK day MBKU! Today and every day, let's honor Dr. King’s legacy by advocating for love, inclusion, and unity in and outside of the doctor’s office.

In 1966, the U.S. Department of Defense ordered the Doctor’s Draft and granted optometrists the same status as physician...
01/14/2022

In 1966, the U.S. Department of Defense ordered the Doctor’s Draft and granted optometrists the same status as physicians and other vital medical personnel to enter the U.S. military as officers. With the escalating war in Vietnam, this order gave the 1966 graduating class of Southern California College of Optometry (then called Los Angeles College of Optometry) a choice of either volunteering to enter military service or of being drafted into the service. Of the original 30 graduating class members, eight were already veterans and 22 chose to volunteer for service. They became “the class that served.”

The general consensus of the new graduates in uniform was that they were welcomed into the service. They now had an income, a place to live, a job in which they were needed and the camaraderie of fellow medical professionals. It was like being in a residency program and a fantastic learning experience. Upon their honorable discharge from the military, they were fully qualified and ready for private practice. They now held a considerable advantage over optometrists who did not serve in the military: They had medically treated eye anomalies, infections and injuries.

Each member of the Class of 1966 has a distinct story of service and sacrifice, and their accounts could fill this magazine many times over. Some of their experiences were shared, others were unique, but there is no doubt that they were shaped by their time in the military in lasting ways. One member of the Class of 1966 whose story represents the dual distinction of a LACO alumnus and military veteran is Lt. Col. Bob Gmelin. He received an ROTC Commission and served several years of active and reserve duty in the military police and Army aviation before moving to Los Angeles in order to attend a small but highly regarded optometry school.

Read more about the "Class that Served", and their heroism in the latest edition of Ketchum Magazine: https://www.ketchum.edu/about-us/publications

Address

3916 S Broadway
South Los Angeles, CA
90037

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+3232349137

Website

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