Anuradha Rana, OD, spent her first few working years in high-paced corporate and medical settings. “I would sometimes see six patients an hour,” she says. “There was no time to build relationships. It was complete the refraction, hand off the prescription and do it again.”
She had checked most of the boxes she had made for herself: graduate from Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry, get married, have a child. There was one left: to open her own practice.
“I always knew opening my own practice was the goal,” she says. She decided to pursue that dream during her second pregnancy. “I thought, ‘I need to do this now before I have two toddlers running around.’”
She drove by the perfect location while looking for a bigger home for her growing family—a vacated retail space that used to be a bike shop. “It seemed cozy, not too big,” she says. She and her husband decided to pause their house hunt and lease the 1,200-square-foot space for the future home of Maison de Vision.
SOFT TOUCHES
Dr. Rana worked with her interior designer cousin to bring her ideas to life. The team demolished and built new walls, ran plumbing and electrical and laid LVP flooring. The space now features an optical waiting area, two exam lanes, a pretest room, an office and space to one day have an on-site lab. She also offers ocular aesthetics, dry eye and myopia management and pre- and post-op LASIK counseling.
The feel of the space started with Dr. Rana’s “famous arches,” including in the hallway and a bookcase behind the front desk. “I love the style of them compared to straight lines—they create a warm and welcoming feel,” she says. The bookcase creates a good place to display art alongside products for sale and samples without feeling too salesy.
Soft lighting was incorporated throughout the space to ensure a relaxed mood, including undercabinet lighting throughout the optical. Dr. Rana also included a tray-style ceiling to give the feel of added height.
The optical features a variety of 400 frames, from affordable options to luxury brands that sit on custom-built frame boards. Patients can relax on a fuzzy white couch before sitting at a vintage bistro table when it’s time to choose frames. The custom front desk is finished with a textured tile on the base and a crisp white marble top.
SOME HICCUPS
Three months after opening, the practice faced a major setback. Water appeared every time it rained, leaking in from behind the walls. The culprit ended up being an inches-long hole in the roof from when they removed an old chimney. The team had to tear down the entire right-hand wall, remove shelving, reinstall drywall, repaint and rehang frames, forcing a temporary office closure.
Dr. Rana had also planned to install evil eye wallpaper in the restroom. “It looked horrible because it wasn’t sticking right,” she says. Instead, she pivoted and created an accent wall with stark black paint.
PERSONALIZED SERVICE
Since opening in April 2025, Dr. Rana has run a one-woman show. “I am the owner, receptionist, biller, technician, doctor, social media manager, content creator and, occasionally, my own therapist,” she says. “Let’s just say that the staff meetings get real interesting.”
But it also means that Dr. Rana is able to spend 30 minutes with each patient, from pre-test forms to choosing their frames. “It’s one-on-one service,” she says. “I’m able to get to know my patients, ask questions about their lifestyle and hobbies and ultimately give them a better care experience.”
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