Heartland, Wolfe eye clinics merge

OTTUMWA ? United by a common patient-centered culture, a partnership between Heartland Eye Care of Ottumwa and Wolfe Eye Clinic has been established.

The partnership combines the strengths of both clinics to provide exceptional medical and surgical eye care to the residents of southeast Iowa. ?A merger was formed with Wolfe Eye Clinic to help broaden the services offered to our patients,? said Gregory Thorgaard of Heartland Eye Care. ?Combining the practices allows access to additional sub-specialty care for our patients, close to home.?

Since merging the eye care practices of Norman Hutchison, Gregory Thorgaard, R. Payson Moreland and Jeffrey Collett into Heartland Eye Care in 1998, the physicians and staff of Heartland Eye Care have provided care to thousands of people in the Ottumwa area.

?We are pleased to have the physicians and staff of Heartland Eye Care join our Wolfe Eye Clinic team,? said David Saggau, president of Wolfe Eye Clinic. ?Doctors Thorgaard, Moreland and Collett and their staff are known for the high-quality, professional care they provide to their patients. Working together with Wolfe Eye Clinic will serve to strengthen that mission for both organizations.?

In practice since 1919, Wolfe Eye Clinic is a recognized regional diagnostic and surgical center offering a broad range of professional eye care services. Wolfe Eye Clinic surgeons have specialized fellowship training in the areas of cataract and refractive surgery, cornea and external disease, glaucoma, pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus, oculoplastics and medical and surgical retina.

Many of its physicians have published articles and presented to their professional colleagues throughout the country. Some have been involved in the development of new procedures and equipment to advance their medical specialties.

Wolfe Eye Clinic surgeons work closely with physicians and optometrists across the state. Usting the latest technologies and treatments, services include the care of macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, corneal disease and transplant, pediatric eye conditions and eye muscle surgery.

Wolfe Eye Clinic surgeons were the first in Iowa to perform modern cataract surgery, including the implantation of the first intraocular lens, and have now performed more than 230,000 cataract procedures, bringing improved sight to a multitude of Iowans.

Wolfe Eye Clinic surgeons also were the first to perform LASIK laser vision correction surgery in Iowa and have successfully performed more than 40,000 LASIK procedures to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, giving patients the possibility of a life free from glasses and contacts.

Thirty-seven physicians provide patient care at 42 locations throughout Iowa including Fairfield, Keosauqua, Ottumwa, Albia, West Des Moines, Ames, Marshalltown, Fort Dodge, Spencer, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.