Dr. Jimmy Cheng was born and raised in Los Angeles, receiving his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of California, Irvine. He then decided to leave the sunshine and moved to the gorgeous city of Boston, Massachusetts, where he graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 2005. His studies also took him to Wenzhou, China, where he continued to train with renowned ophthalmologists at the Wenzhou Medical College. Following another clinical externship at the VA Hospital in Fresno, California, Dr. Cheng returned to Boston where he was in private practice before eventually moving back home to Los Angeles in 2007. Dr. Cheng joined Drs. Silver and Taketa in 2008 and lives in West L.A. with his 2 children.
Sandi Avila
Front Office Staff
Sandi has been with Drs. Silver and Taketa for over 25 years. She runs the front office and is the "go to" person. She has been an essential part of the practice. Sandi is a California native. In her free time she likes to enjoy spending time with her large family.
Kristy Soto
Front Office Staff
Kristy has been with the office for over 20 years. She processes all patient insurance claims and helps backup the front desk. Kristy was born and raised in Los Angeles. She is a wife and mother of a beautiful daughter, Emma and a handsome son, Ernie.
Natalie Carrillo
Front Office Staff
Natalie has been a wonderful addition to the office the past 4 years. As a receptionist in the front office, she is responsible for checking patients in and out, as well as scheduling appointments. Natalie was born and raised in Culver City, California. In her free time Natalie enjoys shopping, and spending time with her family and friends.
Tom Hirata
Ophthalmic Technician
Tom has been the contact lens technician of the practice for over 25 years. He is responsible for maintaining thousands of different diagnostic contact lenses and solutions. Tom places, checks in and validates all contact lens orders. He is also responsible for guiding patients to the exam room and performing all pre-exam tests. In his free time Tom enjoys cooking and baking for the office and playing his taiko drums.
Nelli Nikonova
Ophthalmic Technician
Nelli is a certified contact lens technician. She has been working with Drs. Silver and Taketa since 1996. Her responsibilities include pre-testing patients, validating contact lens orders, and teaching patients how to properly insert and remove contact lenses. Nelli also takes excellent retinal photographs and corneal topographies. Outside of work, Nelli enjoys traveling with her family and training her parrot.
Bobbie Sera
Optician
Bobbie has been a career Optician and has worked in our office for over 25 years. Her expertise is in both frame selection and lens design. Currently, she is working on a part time basis enabling her to spend more time with her family.
Robert Edelberg
Optician
Robert has a degree in optics and has been in the optical industry for over 30 years - over 15 years with Drs. Silver and Taketa. Robert enjoys selling unusual and unique eyeglass frames, and feels people should have fun with their eyewear. Glasses are the first thing people see when they look at you, so they better be nice. Robert looks forward to working with you.
