About Wolfe Eye Clinic

With over 100 years of specialized eye care experience, it’s no wonder that Iowans trust their vision to Wolfe Eye Clinic. In medical practice since 1919, Wolfe Eye Clinic is a specialty medical eye care and surgical treatment center with locations across the state of Iowa. Our specialists are not only experts in diagnosing, managing and surgically treating acute and chronic eye diseases but have performed more LASIK laser eye surgeries in Iowa than any other provider. At Wolfe Eye Clinic, we create Better Vision for a Better Life^®.

We are Iowa’s Eye Specialists

With over a century’s worth of experience, locations throughout Iowa and over 700,000 patients served, we are Iowa’s eye specialists in more ways than one. Founded in Marshalltown, Iowa by Dr. Otis R. Wolfe, reportedly for its central location in the Midwest and next to the railroad, Wolfe Eye Clinic is proud to continue to call Iowa home after more than 100 years. Since 1919, we’ve strived to meet the needs of our patients, expanding across the state with twelve main clinics in Ames, Ankeny, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids (Hiawatha), Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Pleasant Hill, Spencer and Waterloo as well as, ten family vision centers, a state-of-the-art surgical center and more than twenty-five outreach locations. In addition, the physicians at Wolfe Eye Clinic work closely with optometrists across that state to co-manage care for medical and surgical patients. With Wolfe Eye Clinic, specialized medical eye care is now more accessible than ever to Iowans.

A Century of Medical Eye Care and Treatment

Patients and their care have been at the center of our mission since inception. We understand how detrimental eye disease can be on our patients’ wellbeing and livelihood. Without healthy vision, quality of life is at stake. Wolfe Eye Clinic physicians were some of the first to begin to subspecialize in their specific fields of ophthalmology practice and they have continued to be pioneers for a higher standard of medical eye care in Iowa. Offering subspecialty management and treatment of a wide range of eye diseases including cataracts, cornea disease, cosmetic oculofacial plastics, glaucoma, oculofacial plastic conditions, pediatric eye disease and retina disease, Iowans know they can trust their eyes and vision to Wolfe Eye Clinic specialists.

Not only do we provide premier treatment to those impacted by eye disease, but our LASIK specialists are experts in enhancing vision through LASIK laser eye surgery and other advanced refractive surgeries. Having performed nearly 50,000 LASIK procedures, we have helped thousands of patients experience a lifestyle free of contacts and glasses.

Wolfe Eye Clinic Specialists Make History

Wolfe Eye Clinic employs some of the best and most referred to eye specialists in the state and our physicians have a reputation for accomplishing innovation through many ophthalmology firsts in Iowa. In the 1930’s, Wolfe Eye Clinic group-pic-of-wolfe-specialists physicians were leaders in developing modern cataract surgery that made the procedure safer and recovery time more rapid. Since then, Wolfe Eye Clinic physicians helped invent surgical techniques and devices, participated in ground-breaking research and implemented many incremental new advancements. In 1996, we were the first to perform LASIK laser eye surgery in Iowa following participation in laser FDA trials. Wolfe Eye Clinic introduced laser-assisted cataract surgery to Iowa in 2002 and in 2006, Wolfe Eye Clinic was the first in Iowa to begin performing glaucoma surgery with the use of a Trabectome (John R. Trible, MD). These advancements, in addition to numerous others, led surgical development in Iowa to be safer and more effective.

More recent highlights include participating in phase three trials for the recently approved wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment, Beovu^®, implanting the first PanOptix^® Trifocal cataract replacement lens (James A. Davison, MD) in the state and being the first in Iowa to place a toric implantable collamer lens (ICL) to correct vision in patients with astigmatism that did not qualify for LASIK laser eye surgery.

Iowa Doctors’ Preferred Eye Specialists

While Wolfe Eye Clinic’s history is expansive, we didn’t do it alone. Over our century-long history, Wolfe Eye Clinic has established referral relationships with optometrists, primary care physicians and hospitals across the state. Most patients regularly see a local optometrist for their primary eye care needs. When those needs require specialty or surgical care, more optometrists refer patients to Wolfe Eye Clinic than any other ophthalmology practice in the state. Following specialized care and treatment, Wolfe Eye Clinic surgeons frequently co-manage patient post-operative care with a patient’s optometrist, close to home. This allows Wolfe Eye Clinic to bring care and surgical services to Iowan’s who may not otherwise have access.

Additionally, many eye conditions and diseases require surgical treatment and anesthesia such as cataracts, retina disease and glaucoma. Wolfe Eye Clinic enjoys working with over thirty local Iowa hospitals, their amazing staff and anesthesiologists. These working relationships allow Wolfe Eye Clinic’s surgeons to provide crucial surgical services to patients not only from urban areas, but those in rural areas as well. More accessible surgical care reduces travel and other logistical hurdles which is especially beneficial to older adults.

Thank You, Iowans!

Wolfe Eye Clinic physicians and staff want to thank the communities, patients and partners across the state for over a hundred years of support. We look forward to another Century in Sight^®. We would not be able to do what we do each day without the trust of our patients throughout the years!

Looking to set up an appointment with one of our experienced ophthalmologists in Ames, Ankeny, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids (Hiawatha), Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Pleasant Hill, Spencer and Waterloo? Give us a call at (833) 474-5850 or submit our form here.