The History of Vantage Eye Center

Vantage Eye Center continues a long tradition of the best in eye care on the central California Coast. With the opening of our new 20,000 square foot facility located at Abbott and Los Palos Streets in Salinas, Vantage Eye Center stands alone as the premiere center for comprehensive eye care and services in central California.

Vantage Eye Center has its roots in Salinas Valley Eye Associates, which was created in 1980 when Dr. Stuart Paul, MD joined the practice of Dr. Glenn Smith, MD. Dr. Paul had completed his medical school training at Thomas Jefferson Medical School in Philadephia and his ophthalmology training at Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Hospital. In the first years of their partnership, the office was a small facility with just two full time employees. There was no computer system, nurses or technicians to assist in the care of the patients.

Over the past two decades Dr. Paul has introduced many new techniques to the central coast, but perhaps his greatest contribution has been that of the modern technique of cataract surgery. In the early 1980's, cataract surgery took two hours, ten stitches, and required a three night hospital stay. Intraocular lens implants were not widely used at that time, which meant that patients had to suffer with thick "Coke bottle" eyeglasses after their surgery in order to see well. Dr. Paul was the first on the Monterey Peninsula to perform phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation, a cataract extraction technique which greatly improved patient care and which is now accepted as the standard method of cataract surgery. Today, cataract surgery no longer requires hospitalization, takes only 10 minutes to perform, and requires no sutures. Vision improves in a matter of days and thick glasses are no longer required for excellent vision. Dr. Paul's pioneering work in this area has truly benefited thousands of patients over the past two decades.

Asit "Tony" Pruthi, MD joined Vantage Eye Center in 1994, bringing with him new and innovative microsurgical techniques from the nation's most prestigious training institutions. Dr. Pruthi received his undergraduate degree at Harvard University, and went on to graduate from Duke University Medical School with the highest honors. As a result of his exceptional work at Duke, he was selected for membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He went on to receive his training in ophthalmology at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. At Wills, Dr. Pruthi mastered the latest in cutting-edge techniques in the fields of cataract, glaucoma, pediatric, and oculoplastic microsurgery. Since joining Vantage Eye Center, Dr. Pruthi has been instrumental in raising the standard for ophthalmic microsurgery on the Monterey Peninsula. Generous with his knowledge and skills, he has taught several local surgeons his techniques as well as surgeons-in-training through his affiliation with Stanford University School of Medicine.

Since 1990, Vantage Eye Center has enjoyed a close relationship with Stanford University. Dr. Mark Blumenkranz, MD, chairman of Stanford University Department of Ophthalmology joined Vantage Eye Center in 1994. Dr. Blumenkranz is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the area of retinal surgery, with special interests in new microsurgical and laser techniques. Dr. Steve Sanislo, MD, later joined Vantage Eye Center. Dr. Sanislo is Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Stanford University. Dr. Blumenkranz and Dr. Sanislo specialize in the medical and surgical care of the retina, including diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, and retinal detachment. Dr. Ming Lu joined the retinal team in July of 2005, providing additional expertise in medical and surgical retinal treatments, including the very latest and most advanced microsurgical techniques. Vantage Eye Center’s retinal program is able to provide the most advanced treatment of retinal disease, as well as investigational treatments and surgery not available at other centers.

Jane Medcalf, OD joined Vantage Eye Center in 1996 after 14 years in solo practice. Dr. Medcalf specializes in contact lenses, and has particular expertise in the fitting of rigid contact lenses, which provide the best vision in certain eye conditions such as keratoconus or after corneal transplantation. She works closely with Dr. Jones in the visual rehabilitation of patients who have undergone corneal surgery. In addition, Dr. Medcalf fits specialty lenses for astigmatism correction, cosmetic eye color change, and bifocal contact lenses.

Matthew Jones, MD joined Vantage Eye Center in 1998 in order to provide expert cornea and refractive surgery services. Dr. Jones completed medical school at University of California at San Francisco, one of the nation's top healthcare training institutions. After graduating from medical school, he stayed at UCSF for his residency training in ophthalmology. After completing his ophthalmology residency, he was invited to perform a fellowship in cornea and refractive surgery at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. In September of 1998, Dr. Jones performed the first corneal transplantation in the history of Monterey County (Prior to his arrival, Monterey County patients needing this delicate operation had to travel to UCSF or Stanford for their eye care). Dr. Jones' training also makes him the only fellowship-trained refractive surgeon in Monterey County. He has performed thousands of laser procedures including LASIK and PRK.

With the growth of Vantage Eye Center over the 1980's and 1990's, space issues became an increasing concern. From a small office with just two doctors and three employees, our practice grew to six doctors and over 30 full-time employees. Over these years, our practice has acquired more and more modern equipment to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease. Although the addition of a second office in 1996 temporarily relieved space concerns, parking in the area around Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital became increasing difficult because of the continued growth in the area. A change was needed in order to meet the needs of our patients and the community.

In the mid 1990's, Dr. Paul and Dr. Pruthi predicted that the rapidly expanding equipment needs necessary for modern eye care and the growth of the Monterey County population would limit the ability of local residents to receive modern eye care by the year 2001. They envisioned the development of a large scale facility, solely devoted to the medical and surgical care of the eyes. Vantage Eye Center was developed to provide patients of the central coast with medical and surgical eye care as good or better than that available at most universities. With partner Dr. Jones, they considered several locations and designs for their new center. The site for the new facility was secured at 622 Abbott Street in September of 1999 when the Ford dealership moved from that location to the Auto Mall in North Salinas. The large two acre Abbott Street lot was ideal in many ways. The acreage provided sorely needed parking space for the our patients and staff. Highway 101 and Highway 68 are easily accessible, making visits easier for our out-of-town patients. Finally, the lot was large enough to hold the 20,000 square foot eye center, which includes an outpatient surgery center, clinic building, laser vision correction suite, conference center, and optical shop. The center opened in March of 2002, ushering in a new era in eye care for Central California.