About Us
Our Vision
The UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic (UMEC) envisions a world where all people have equal access to quality eye care services.
Our Mission
UMEC and its staff of ophthalmologists, ophthalmology residents, technicians, and volunteers make visits to hundreds of Southern California community locations annually to deliver free vision care to medically underserved communities. Ophthalmologists perform free basic eye examinations to determine the need for prescriptive lenses and to rule out the need for further treatment of any eye condition or disease. In addition to the adults we serve, UMEC strives to give young children the vision they need to succeed in school and in life by identifying, treating, and preventing vision disorders. Prescription and reading eye glasses are provided at no cost to the patients who need them.
Our History
Established in 1975 by an anonymous donor, the clinic is a community outreach program of the UCLA Stein Eye Institute. Stein Eye has the longest continuously operating eye clinic on wheels in the USA. For more than 40 years, UMEC has been supporting patient care and screening programs in neighborhoods where poverty and vision disabilities intersect. UMEC has given the highest quality care to over 300,000 patients and has a long history of working closely with homeless, uninsured, and low-income communities.
Our Achievements
UMEC was honored as the recipient of the 2015 Innovation Award for Community Service by the Los Angeles County Medical Association and the Patient Care Foundation of Los Angeles County. UMEC is recognized for its exemplary leadership in shaping the future of healthcare and improving access to health services and education for children and families in struggling communities. We were also recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a nominee at the 2016 Healthcare Leadership Forum and Awards. Furthermore, Dr. Coleman was the recipient of the 2019 Prevent Blindness Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award, recognizing significant efforts to improve public health approaches for children’s vision and eye health.