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Dr. Ehlers and Dr. Stapleton have built a state of the art office and surgery center in Yakima, showing their commitment to provide the highest quality of eye care possible to this region. They have the most advanced equipment, instruments, and lasers to provide the best treatment available anywhere for their patients. They are dedicated to helping everyone in need of eye care in Central Washington.

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The Eye Center has an on-site ambulatory surgical suite with state of the art equipment and instrumentation where most of our surgeries are performed. This gives our patients a specialty specific experience with a team of nurses, surgical technicians, anesthetists, and doctors that only care for eyes. Our dedicated staff will help to make your ophthalmic surgical encounter as comfortable and stress free as possible.  

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Our goal is to provide high quality eye surgery in a peaceful atmosphere where the patient, family, and friends feel welcome and comfortable. Your surgery will typically take 10 to 30 minutes. During this time your heart rhythm, blood pressure, and oxygen levels will be monitored. While our highly trained staff specializes in eye surgery, they are also highly qualified in critical care and are prepared to deal with any emergency that may develop during your care.  

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Before surgery, you will visit our office. Your appointed surgery visit will begin with check in at the front desk. Following this, one of our R.N.'s will take you to the pre-operative area to prepare for surgery, where you will slip a patient gown over your street clothes. After a review of your medical history, we will administer eye drops to prepare your eye for surgery. Every effort is made to ensure your comfort before, during, and after surgery. 

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Following surgery, you will be assisted to the recovery area and offered juice or coffee with a snack. Your nurse will review instructions for your care at home. In most cases, you will be on your way home in less than two hours. Most patients are seen in the office the morning after surgery to monitor their recovery. If you were referred to our clinic by an optometrist, they will assist with your post operative care in the weeks after surgery.

Surgery

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LASER SURGERY

 

 

Laser treatments are performed for multiple medical conditions here at The Eye Center.  These include posterior capsule opacities (after cataract scar tissue), diabetic macular edema, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, retinal tears, angle closure glaucoma and open angle closure glaucoma.  Many of these treatments can be performed the same day as your consultation.  After checking your vital signs and preparing the eye with anesthetic eye drops, with or without dilating drops, you will be taken to the laser surgical suite.  A comfortable chair is used to position you and your eye close to the laser.  Laser treatment is generally tolerated very well without discomfort and last a few seconds to a few minutes.

INTRAOCULAR INJECTIONS

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​Intraocular injections are performed by our experienced surgeons here at The Eye Center.  The injections are used to treat various retinal and macular disorders such as macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and vein occlusions with macular edema.

CATARACT SURGERY

 

This is the most common surgery performed at The Eye Center.  Cataract surgery is most often done without shots, stitches, or eye patches, giving you the fastest and safest visual recovery possible.  We are committed to using the most advanced lens implants that have been proven to be safe.  We can also discuss and treat with premium intraocular lenses to correct astigmatism and minimize the effects of presbyopia during cataract surgery to reduce the need for spectacle or contact lens use afterwards.

 

 

EYELID SURGERY

 

Eyelid surgeries include blepharoplasty, ptosis repair, entropion, and ectropion repair and mass/tumor excisions.  A pre-surgical evaluation is performed in the clinic to help determine the safest and most effective method for improving your eyelid function.  This appointment often includes diagnostic testing that will help determine insurance eligibility for the procedure.  After eyelid surgery it is very important to follow post operative instructions to help minimize swelling and accelerate your healing time. 

PTERYGIUM SURGERY

 

 Pterygium surgery is performed at The Eye Center by removing the abnormal skin growth from the eye's surface.  When necessary, a skin transplant is performed by removing healthy conjunctiva (eye skin) from the same eye.  The harvested skin is then sutured into position over the site of the defective skin to reduce the chance of pterygium regrowth.

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