SUNY Optometry Breaks Ground on Center for Pediatric Eye Care

SUNY Optometry vice president for
clinical administration Liduvina
Martinez-Gonzalez and president David
A. Heath lead groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center for Pediatric Eye
Care, August 18, 2019.

NEW YORK—The State University of New York College of Optometry held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new Center for Pediatric Eye Care on Wednesday, April 18, 2019. The new 5,000 sq. ft. facility is on the tenth floor of the College’s midtown Manhattan campus, and will consolidate pediatric-related services to accommodate the growing number of children and families receiving care at the University Eye Center (UEC). It will include eight new exam rooms, all opening into a collaboration zone for interprofessional care coordination, an exam room for children with special needs, a quiet room, a child-friendly waiting area, and a dedicated space for optical dispensing.

The College’s capital campaign for this new facility, Our Vision for Children, secured $2.5 million toward construction, equipment, innovative diagnostic technology and modern furnishings for the new Center. The College also received $1.5 million from the State of New York’s NYSUNY 2020 Awards, and the college’s affiliated foundation, called The Optometric Center of New York, secured a $200,000 grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

SUNY Optometry president David A. Heath said, “Our innovative clinical care environment will also provide a state-of-the-art educational environment that incorporates clinical research and evidence-based practice to train future eyecare professionals. We will have a pediatric service unlike any other in the country and provide for the children of New York City and beyond thanks to the generous support of our many donors.”

The new Center for Pediatric Eye Care is set to open in early 2020.


SUNY Optometry president David A. Heath leads groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center for Pediatric Eye Care, August 18, 2019.	SUNY Optometry’s senior administration and academic, clinical and institutional advancement teams join AllCon Contracting Corporation during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center for Pediatric Eye Care, April 18, 2019.