Name: Medical Milestones | Wolfe Eye Clinic West Des Moines, IA
Published: 2026-04-28T20:49:57+00:00

Dr. Matthew Rauen is the first refractive surgeon in Iowa to perform LASIK eye surgery using the newest Alcon WaveLight Plus technology.

FDA approved Syfovre™ to treat Geographic Atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration.
Wolfe Eye Clinic merged with The EyeCare Associates in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

Dr. Matthew Rauen became the first in Iowa to place EVO Visian® Implantable Collamer Lens.
Zimura® clinical trial data advanced treatment for geographic atrophy, with Wolfe Eye Clinic as Iowa’s only trial site.
Dr. Logan Vincent became the first in Iowa to use the SION™ surgical instrument during goniotomy surgery.
Dr. James Davison placed the first Clareon® TORIC IOL in Iowa.
Wolfe Family Vision Center opened locations in Belmond and Clarion.
Wolfe Eye Clinic opened its thirteenth main location in Ankeny.

Dr. Matthew Rauen was first in Iowa to implement phase 1 clinical trial surgery for Emmecell’s Magnetic Cell Delivery.
Genentech announced FDA approval of Susvimo following clinical trials at Wolfe Eye Clinic.
Wolfe Eye Clinic acquired St. Anthony Eye Clinic in Carroll.
Wolfe Family Vision Center opened locations in Humboldt and Grundy Center.

Wolfe Surgery Center in West Des Moines received the Charles H. Weitz Award for Excellence.
Dr. James Davison became the first in Iowa to implant the AcrySof® IQ Vivity® IOL.
Dr. Jared Nielsen was first in the Midwest to perform surgery in a clinical trial evaluating investigational gene therapy for geographic atrophy.
Wolfe Eye Clinic Hiawatha was approved as the clinic’s second PEDIG clinical research site.

Wolfe Eye Clinic celebrated its 100-year anniversary.
Wolfe Surgery Center opened in West Des Moines as the largest ophthalmology surgery center in the Midwest.
Dr. Matthew Rauen implanted the first toric implantable contact lens in Iowa.
Dr. James Davison was first in Iowa to implant the Alcon PanOptix® Trifocal IOL.
Wolfe Eye Clinic merged with Children’s Eye Clinic.
First retina fellow graduate: Dr. Deepak Mangla.
FDA approved Beovu® following clinical trials at Wolfe Eye Clinic.
Wolfe Eye Clinic surpassed 330,000 cataract procedures, 340,000 anti-VEGF injections, and 46,000 LASIK procedures.

Wolfe Eye Clinic became first in Iowa and one of thirty-two practices nationally to use the Alcon NGENUITY® 3D Visualization System.
The Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery Fellowship was founded.

First in Iowa to obtain and begin using the WaveLight® EX500 Excimer Laser for LASIK.

Wolfe Eye Clinic merged with Heartland Eye Care and opened a main location in Ottumwa and a Wolfe Family Vision Center in Albia.

First in Iowa to obtain and begin using the Alcon LenSx® Laser System for laser-assisted cataract surgery.

Dr. John Trible was first in Iowa to perform glaucoma surgery using a trabectome.
First in Iowa to obtain and use Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q Excimer Laser.
Wolfe Eye Clinic surpassed 150,000 cataract surgeries and 25,000 laser vision correction procedures.

First intravitreal injection administered by Wolfe Eye Clinic retina specialists for wet AMD.
Dr. James Davison was first in Iowa to implant an apodized diffractive IOL.

Wolfe Family Vision Center opened locations in Story City, Sigourney, and Sac City.
First SLT procedure was performed by Dr. John Trible.
Dr. James Davison was first in Iowa to implant AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR® multifocal IOL.
Dr. David Saggau was first in Iowa to perform small-incision, no-stitch vitrectomy surgery.
Wolfe Eye Clinic LASIK specialists were first in Iowa to offer 100% all-laser, bladeless LASIK using IntraLASE™.

Wolfe Eye Clinic opened a seventh main location in Waterloo.
Retina specialists began using photodynamic therapy and feeder vessel treatment for AMD.
Wolfe Family Vision Center expanded into multiple Iowa communities.
Dr. John Graether invented the Graether Pupil Expander.
Wolfe Eye Clinic specialists were first in Iowa to perform LASIK with the excimer laser.

Wolfe Eye Clinic introduced one-stitch or no-stitch cataract surgery to Iowa.
Locations opened in Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, Fort Dodge, and Des Moines.
Dr. Russell Watt was first in Iowa to implant a foldable IOL.
Dr. John Graether co-developed the capsulorhexis technique for cataract surgery.
Refractive surgery was first performed at Wolfe Eye Clinic.
Wolfe Audiology was founded.
Wolfe Eye Clinic began training optometrists across Iowa.

Retina laser surgery was first performed using xenon-arc laser.
First artificial IOL implanted as a replacement lens during cataract surgery.
First small-incision phacoemulsification cataract surgery performed in Iowa.
Ocular microsurgery was first performed at Wolfe Eye Clinic.
Wolfe Eye Clinic became the first provider outside a university setting to perform corneal transplantation.

Wolfe Eye Clinic was founded in Marshalltown, Iowa in 1919.
Dr. Otis Wolfe traveled to Spain to work on early cataract removal techniques.
Wolfe Eye Clinic first performed intracapsular cataract surgery.
Cataract suction aspiration surgery was first performed on children at Wolfe Eye Clinic.
Wolfe Foundation was founded in 1936.
The first board-certified ophthalmologist joined Wolfe Eye Clinic in 1959.

Medical Milestones

Medical Milestones Timeline