Centennial
Salus University has been providing the Philadelphia community with the highest standard of vision and eye care since the early 1900s. It was in 1919, that the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO) opened its first one-room clinic. Shortly after, PSCO expanded to open the Brandywine clinic in 1924, which at the time had 14 exam rooms. A few years went by and in 1927 the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry’s eye care service was considered the largest in the country with increasing demands.
By 1930, the clinics took care of 7,000 people with over 21,000 patient visits annually. Not even a decade later, as of 1936, 18,000 people were cared for annually with 1,500-2,000 glasses dispensed free of charge.
As our patient base continued to grow, construction of The Eye Institute (TEI) began in 1975. The 50,000+ square foot facility soon became a regional resource offering a personalized continuity of care for patients. In the early 2000s, The Eye Institute added two satellite locations to better serve its surrounding community. After a multi-million dollar renovation, The "New" Eye Institute opened in May 2011 with a state-of-the-art design for high quality patient care that also respects patient confidentiality.
Since our first beginnings, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (as the founding college of Salus University) still provides care for thousands of patients yearly through The Eye Institute and its satellite clinical facilities. This past year, more than 36,375 patients received comprehensive eye care between the Oak Lane, East Falls, and Chestnut Hill locations.
The Eye Institute’s talented doctors and staff continue to provide the highest quality vision care to its patients through the collaboration and expertise of optometric physicians, ophthalmologists, opticians, ophthalmic technicians and optometric interns. While the clinical sites have grown significantly over the century, TEI is proud to maintain its tradition of serving the people of Philadelphia for many more years to come.
Below is a summary of The Eye Institute’s patient demographics for 2018.
