Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce, MD

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Get to know Ophthalmologist Dr. Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce, who serves patients in El Paso, Texas.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Dr. Ponce is a board-certified ophthalmologist who attributes her successful career to teamwork and the support of her family and colleagues. Passionate about her field, she is board-certified in ophthalmology by the American Board of Ophthalmology, whose mission is to serve the public by improving the quality of ophthalmic practice through a process of certification and Maintenance of Certification that fosters excellence and encourages continual learning. 

With extensive expertise in neuro-ophthalmology and ocular pathology, Dr. Ponce serves as an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, where she holds joint appointments in the Division of Ophthalmology and the Department of Neurology.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is located in the second largest binational metropolitan area on the U.S.-Mexico border. It provides the opportunities and environment for direct intellectual and interpersonal exchanges among nursing, medical, and graduate research students on one campus.

Some of the doctor’s areas of expertise include optic nerve pathologies (i.e. ischemic optic neuropathy, optic neuritis, neuro-retinitis), visual field and visual acuity loss, unexplained and/or transient visual loss, double vision, ocular motility abnormalities, histopathological assessment of eyelid, periorbital and orbital lesions including neoplastic (i.e. melanoma, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, etc.) and non-neoplastic (chalazion, idiopathic orbital inflammation, among others).

Throughout her academic career, Dr. Ponce earned her medical degree from Ignacio A. Santos School of Medicine, which is considered one of the best medical schools in Mexico for its national and international rotations and innovative biomedical research. Upon relocating to the United States, she enrolled in pre-residency research at The Cole Eye Institute, Department of Refractive Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, The Retinal Vascular Center at Charles A. Garcia and Associates, as well as the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston, Texas. 

Thereafter, she completed her internship and residency in ophthalmology at the University of Arizona, followed by her fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology and ocular pathology at the Houston Methodist Blanton Eye Institute.

Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery, which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. Ophthalmologists are experts in the diseases, functions, and anatomy of the eye. They may provide routine care such as vision testing, as well as prescribe and fit eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, ophthalmologists are also surgeons. They repair traumatic injuries to the eye and perform cataract, glaucoma, and corneal surgery. 

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