The University of California, San Francisco began in 1864 as a proprietary medical school run by Hugh Huger Toland, a busy surgeon with a carriage trade practice in downtown San Francisco. In 1870 when the school ran into financial trouble, Toland offered to donate it to the University of California as the "Toland Medical Department". This name was rejected by the Regents of the University of California, killing the deal. A compromise was reached in 1873, paving the way for the creation of the University of California Medical School. The main amphitheater was named Toland Hall and Toland became Chairman of Surgery. In 1898 the campus moved to Parnassus Heights on land deeded by Adolf Sutro, former mayor of San Francisco. The present campus occupies 107 acres on the slopes of Mount Sutro. The name was changed from University of California Medical Center to University of California, San Fransisco when medical schools were later established at other campuses of the University of California.

The Division of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology within the Department of Surgery at the University of California Medical School was directed by Professor N.J. Martinache, who served from 1873 to 1881. He was succeeded by Professor A.M. Wilder (1882-1886) and Professor George H. Powers (1887-1912). Ophthalmology became established as a department separate from otolaryngology with the appointment of Dr. Walter Scott Franklin as Chairman in 1912. Each faculty member maintained a private practice, and served on a part-time basis at the University of California Eye Clinic. In this manner, the tradition was born of clinical faculty in private practice volunteering for University service. Graduates of the medical school with a special interest in ophthalmology served a preceptorship with faculty members in their private offices. For example, Dr. Frederick Cordes began working in 1919 in Chairman Franklin's office to learn ophthalmology. Later Dr. Cordes joined him as an associate in private practice and eventually became Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology.

Under the leadership of Dr. Frederick Cordes (1934-1959) and Dr. Michael Hogan (1959-1975) the Department of Ophthalmology at UCSF grew steadily. Its strengths were clinical ophthalmology, resident education, and eye pathology. To expand the Department of Ophthalmology's activities in basic vision research, Dr. Michael Hogan conceived of a comprehensive vision center, with clinicians and scientists working together for patient care, education, and research. To accomplish this goal, in 1971 he founded a philanthropic organization called That Man May See to raise funds for construction of an eye center. Thanks to the generosity of numerous contributors, including the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation and the Koret Foundation, the Beckman Vision Center was inaugurated at UCSF on 1 June 1988 under the leadership of Chairman Steven G. Kramer.