Ackerman Union sees opening of new optometry center

The Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center opened a new student optometry store in Ackerman Union on Tuesday, doubling its selection of glasses and making its optometry services available to faculty and staff for the first time.

The brightly lit store, named U See LA Optometry, is tucked in the back of the UCLA Store on the B-level of Ackerman Union and replaces a smaller optometry center that operated in the Ashe Center. The new location offers about 700 types of glasses frames, ranging in price from about $50 to $250, and comprehensive eye exams.

The change also extends hours for the store, which will generally be open for the same times as the rest of the UCLA Store, including weekends.

The store will accept both the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan and the Vision Service Plan for employees. Students with UC SHIP pay just a $10 co-pay for an annual eye exam.

Construction on the store began earlier this year and cost about $450,000, said John Bollard, chief of administrative services at the Ashe Center. The project, which officials predicted would cost about $300,000 before receiving construction quotes, was paid for by Ashe Center reserve funds.

Officials planned the expansion partly to reduce wait times for students to see optometrists, which sometimes were as long as six weeks, Bollard said. Until recently, only two full-time optometrists worked at the Ashe Center’s small eye care area, both performing thousands of eye exams each year.

To prepare for the new store, the Ashe Center hired a third optometrist several months ago to its old location. With the opening of the new store, it hired a fourth optometrist to help reduce the wait time.

Another purpose of the eye center is to create new space in the Ashe Center for an expanded pharmacy. UCLA expects to begin construction next summer on the pharmacy, which will grow to fill the old optometry area, Bollard said.

Though faculty and staff can take advantage of the optometry store’s services, the store was built primarily to serve student needs, he said.

“This is still student-centered,” Bollard said. “Students will still have the first call on appointments.”

He added that by allowing faculty and staff to use the services, Ashe Center officials will be able to keep prices down for students because they will have a new source of funding.

At the new location, three optometrists will see students with appointments six days a week. The fourth optometrist, typically assigned for faculty and staff appointments, will also see students if no faculty or staff sign up.

Ashe Center officials hope to get the center’s wait time for appointments down to less than a week.

The store will pay rent to Associated Students UCLA because it is located in the student union building, providing a new source of funding for the association.

ASUCLA Chief Financial Officer Rich Delia said the new center will add another community resource to the student union and replace a greeting card and gift area in the UCLA Store that did not generate many sales.

“We think it’ll help us because it helps to get more foot traffic into the store,” Delia said. “It’s a destination – you have to walk through the store to get to the shop. That’s a positive thing for us.”

Yvonne Nong, a fourth-year biochemistry student, said she liked the new center’s design and the increased amount of space it has.

“It’s a little weird to me that the store’s in Ackerman (Union) now,” Nong said. “I associate the Ashe Center with everything health-related … but it is more accessible now.”

Nong added that she thinks the store’s prices are reasonable for students.

Jon Vogel, the owner of Village Eyes Optometry in Westwood, said in an email statement that the new vision center could have a negative impact on Westwood optometry businesses because faculty and staff may be referred to the on-campus location. Several Westwood optometry stores also accept UC SHIP and VSP plans.

“If the on-site optometric facility did not exist, there would likely be more students and faculty seeking care in another location,” Vogel said. “The Village would be the closest option.”

Students, staff and faculty can make appointments at the store in person or by calling (310) 825-4073 and selecting option one.