Mt. Airy Eye Institute to move to Chestnut Hill

The Mt. Airy branch of The Eye Institute (TEI) of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry will be relocating by summer’s end. TEI’s Mt. Airy branch, located at 7145 Germantown Avenue, will move to the Chestnut Hill Plaza, 7630 Germantown Avenue.

The $350,000 renovations have already begun inside the former TLA video shop and are expected to be completed by the beginning of September. The relocation will increase the branch’s space from 1850 to 3100 square feet.

“The need for more clinical space is the main reason” for the move, stated Alexis Abate, Marketing Coordinator for the Eye Institute. The new site will feature six examination rooms – an increase from the four at the Mt. Airy location. TEI also plans to eventually bring diagnostic and therapeutic technologies which are not currently offered at its satellite branches to the Chestnut Hill site, such as vision therapy for focusing problems.

TEI has its main site in West Oak Lane and another branch location in East Falls. In total, TEI serves around 45,000 clients, with 3080 of those patients seen in its Mt. Airy branch. Abate said that all clients will be notified of the relocation by mail and TEI anticipates no interruption in services.

The extra space will allow for the optical department to expand its eyewear selection and offer patients a dedicated waiting room. The Mt. Airy location has only three display cases which are crowded within a small waiting area.

Abate said proximity to Mt. Airy was a critical consideration in the decision, so that TEI would be able to continue to serve that neighborhood’s clients. Chestnut Hill Plaza has its own parking lot, providing free parking for customers. “It’s so much better,” enthused Abate, who said that most of the Mt. Airy branch’s clients park their cars on Germantown Avenue. The new branch location will continue accessibility via SEPTA’s Route 23 bus service.

The move will leave yet another vacancy in Mt. Airy’s commercial hub. Marcy Deitch, of J. Russell Winder Realtors confirmed that no new tenant has been lined up for the retail space.