Meet Dr. Ponakala

Dr. Ponakala was born in India and moved with his family to Bozeman, Montana at age four. A few years later, they relocated to Chicago, where they settled permanently. After high school, he returned to India to attend medical school at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences through Bangalore University. He went on to complete a transitional internship and an Ophthalmology residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Two years into private practice, he pursued further training with a refractive surgery fellowship at the Sinskey Eye Institute in Santa Monica, California.

Following two decades in a large group practice, Dr. Ponakala founded Eye Clinics of Illinois, which now operates three locations. He is a comprehensive ophthalmologist with a focus on advanced technology cataract surgery, aiming to provide exceptional outcomes through a blend of cutting-edge technology and world class surgical skill delivered in a compassionate manor.

Dr. Ponakala is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), and the Illinois Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (ISEPS).

He has surgical privileges at Palos Surgicenter, Eye South Surgery Center and Loretto Hospital.

Dr. Ponakala enjoys playing tennis, cooking and traveling. He resides in the southwest suburbs with his wife, five children, and four dogs.