Vision Center doctor offers treatment for macular degeneration

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Since childhood, Beth Repp has struggled with myopia. While some children might find going to the ophthalmologist a nuisance, Repp had a wonderful relationship with his doctor and looked forward to visits. In fact, the time she spent at the ophthalmologist prompted her to join the profession herself. “I’ve been to the ophthalmologist a lot and had a really good ophthalmologist supervising me,” Repp explained.

Around the time Repp attended college, her ophthalmologist encouraged her to study ophthalmology, where practitioners received a medical degree with a focus on eye care. This is exactly what Repp did and found, through her studies at the University of Iowa as well as her residency, that she very much enjoyed performing eye surgeries. “I really like the surgery; the technical aspect is just very satisfying, ”she explained. Since graduating, Repp has specialized in cataract surgery and the treatment of diseases of the retina, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

Since the start of his career as an ophthalmologist, Repp has also come to appreciate the knowledge of his patients. “The other thing I like is the relationships with the patients,” she said. Since some of her patients come to see her as often as once a month, Repp has found that she learns all about them and enjoys learning about their successes and challenges in other areas of their life.

Twice a week, Repp travels from his main office at Eye Surgeons Associates in the Quad Cities to provide his services in Muscatine at the Vision Center PC, located at 1700 Park Avenue in Muscatine. On Wednesdays, she performs eye surgeries and surgeries, and on Thursdays, she holds clinic hours to see her regular patients.

For just over a year, Repp has offered intraocular injections to treat wet macular degeneration, a procedure patients previously had to travel out of town to get. People with wet macular degeneration are injected with medicine into their eye at a frequency determined by Repp (usually once a month or every few months). A very quick process, Repp carefully numbs patients’ eyes for 15 minutes before giving them their injections so that they only feel a touch of pressure during the procedure. “Patients are always pleasantly surprised by its comfort,” she explained.

Repp began offering muscatine injections at the suggestion of colleagues Toni Eller, Chris Scholz and Patrick Walsh. Repp says the patients have received the new procedure in a positive way: “I feel great, really. I feel like it’s a valuable service, ”she said,“ Patients really appreciate not having to travel to Quad Cities or Iowa City, and it’s a lot easier to get to. park and move around in a small clinic.

If you have wet macular degeneration and would like to learn more about intraocular muscatine injections, Repp encourages you to contact Vision Center PC and make an appointment to see her. You can make an appointment by calling 563-263-2020.