Dr. Mitch Brown CV
Education
| 1997 | Southern Cal. College of Optometry, Post-Graduate Study in Ocular Therapeutics |
| 1989 | Illinois College of Optometry, Post-graduate Study in Ocular Therapeutics |
| 1982 – 1986 | The Ohio State University College of Optometry; Doctor of Optometry (OD) |
| 1979 – 1982 | Wright State University; Pre-med |
State Optometric Licensure California (T), Ohio (T)
Professional Experience
| 2008 – | Deputy Medical Director, Optical Express |
| 2007 | Clinical Director, ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center |
| 2006 – 2007 | Director of Co-Management, Gordon Binder & Weiss Vision Institute, La Jolla, CA |
| 2005 – 2006 | Deputy Program Director, United States Navy Refractive Surgery – Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Navy. |
| 2003 – 2006 | Clinic Director, Refractive Surgery Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA |
| 2002 – 2003 | Head, Optometry Department, Naval Hospital Pensacola, FL |
| 1999 – 2001 | Clinic Director, Refractive Surgery Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA |
| 1996 – 1999 | Assistant Department Head, Optometry, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA |
| 1998 | Battle Group Optometrist, USS Abraham Lincoln CVN 72, WESTPAC ’98 (six months additional duty) |
| 1992 – 1996 | Staff Optometrist, Academic and Clinical Instructor, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Pensacola, FL |
| 1991 – 1992 | Head, Optometry Department, U.S. Naval Hospital Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines |
| 1986 – 1991 | Staff Optometrist, Naval Hospital San Diego, CA |
Military Training
| 2004 | Fleet Hospital Orientation Training Command, Camp Pendleton, CA |
| 2002 | United States Navy Primary Flight Training, NAS Whiting Field, FL |
| 1992 | Naval Aerospace Physiology Training, NAS Pensacola, FL |
| 1989 | Combat Trauma Course, Okinawa, Japan |
| 1988 | Combat Casualty Care Course (C4), Field Medical Training, Fort Sam Houston, TX |
| 1987 | Navy Fleet (Field) Hospital Training, Camp Pendleton, CA |
| 1987 | Leadership Management Education and Training, Naval Hospital San Diego, CA |
| 1987 – 2005 | Naval Aviation Physiology and Water Survival Training (Initial and Recurrent x 5), Aviation Survival Training Centers, NAS Miramar, MCAS El Toro, NAS Pensacola, |
Faculty Positions
| 1996 – 1998 | Adjunct Faculty, University of Houston College of Optometry |
| Adjunct Faculty, Pacific University College of Optometry | |
| Adjunct Assistant Professor, Southern California College of Optometry | |
| 1992 – 1996 | Clinical and Academic Instructor, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI), NAS Pensacola, FL |
| 1992 – 1996 | Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor, NAMI, NAS Pensacola, FL |
| 1986 – 1991 | Adjunct Faculty, Southern California College of Optometry |
Clinical Research
Dr. Brown has participated as either Principal or Associate Investigator in more than 30 clinical trials involving refractive surgery. Four of them were Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) studies. One series of clinical trials is considered to be the definitive study of refractive surgery in military pilots, and was the basis for Department of Defense policy development regarding standards for Navy pilots.
Abstracts, Posters and Publications
- Hackman RJ, Brown MC. Is There a Potential Military Pilot in your Practice? American Optometric Association Multidisciplinary Practice Section, May 1995.
- Brown MC. Naval Aviation Contact Lens Program. The Society of U. S. Naval Flight Surgeons, April 1995.
- Tanzer DJ, Schallhorn SC, Brown M, Kaupp S. The effects of altitude on visual performance following photorefractive keratectomy. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 40:2807, 1999.
- Brown MC. PRK in Naval Aviation. The Society of U. S. Naval Flight Surgeons, January 2000
- Tanzer DJ, Schallhorn SC, Brown M. Ejection From an Aircraft Following Photorefractive Keratectomy: A Case Report. Aviat Space Environ Med 2000; 71:000-00
- Schallhorn SC, Tanzer DJ, Tidwell J Brown M. (Poster) Refractive Accuracy and Repeatability of a Hartmann-Schack Wavefront Device. Association of Corneal and Refractive Surgeons, Boston 2000.
- Schallhorn SC, Tanzer DJ, Tidwell J Brown M. (Poster) Wavefront Aberrations Among Eyes with Super-normal Vision Measured by the Visx WaveScan Device. Association of Corneal and Refractive Surgeons, Boston 2000.
- JM Laurent, SC Spigelmire, SC Schallhorn, DJ Tanzer, JL Tidwell, MC Brown, SE Kaupp. (Poster) Susceptibility to Injury of the LASIK Flap in Rabbit. ARVO 2001.
- Young JJ, Schallhorn SC, Brown MC, Hettinger KA. Effect of keratometry on visual outcomes 1 month after hyperopic LASIK. J Refract Surg. 2009 Jul;25(7 Suppl):S672-6.
- Brown MC, Schallhorn SC, Hettinger KA, Malady SE. Satisfaction of 13,655 patients with laser vision correction at 1 month after surgery. J Refract Surg. 2009 Jul;25(7 Suppl):S642-6.
- Schallhorn SC, Tanzer DJ, Kaupp SE, Brown M, Malady SE. Comparison of night driving performance after wavefront-guided and conventional LASIK for moderate myopia. Ophthalmology. 2009 Apr;116(4):702-9.
- Tanzer DJ, Schallhorn SC, Brown MC. Ejection from an aircraft following photorefractive keratectomy: a case report. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2000 Oct;71(10):1057-9.
- Brown MC. An evidence-based approach to patient selection for laser vision correction. J Refract Surg. 2009 Jul;25(7 Suppl):S661-7.
- Schallhorn S, Tanzer D, Sanders DR, Sanders M, Brown M,Kaupp SE. Night driving simulation in a randomized prospective comparison of Visian toric implantable collamer lens and conventional PRK for moderate to high myopic astigmatism.
Public Speaking
Dr. Brown has lectured extensively on Aerospace Medicine (vision) and Refractive Surgery topics at national and international meetings.
Professional Affiliations
- American Academy of Optometry
- American Optometric Association
- Optometric Council on Refractive Technology
- Armed Forces Optometric Society
- San Diego County Optometric Society
Military Awards:
- Meritorious Service Medal (x2)
- Navy Commendation Medal
- Navy Achievement Medal
- Navy Unit Commendation
- Meritorious Unit Commendation
- Sea Service Ribbon
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Ribbon
- Rep. Philippines Presidential Unit Citation
- Overseas Service Ribbon
- National Defense Medal (x2)
Honors and Achievements
1991 – Awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for providing care to more than 10,000 patients and for his leadership in ophthalmic fabrication of more than 100,000 pairs of spectacles.
1992 – Awarded Republic of the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation for his leadership as Optometry Department Head and as the only U.S.-trained eye care provider within 500 miles – responsible for the care of all military forces as well as the local Philippine population, on-call 24/7 for a year; and for his involvement in multiple humanitarian missions.
1993 – Became only the second optometrist to successfully complete the Naval Aerospace Optometry curriculum and become designated as a Naval Aerospace Optometrist. He was the only member of his class to complete solo flight in Primary Flight Training.
1994 – Awarded the prestigious “Golden Apple” for teaching excellence, the highest distinction for clinical and academic instructors at the Naval Aerospace Medicine Institute.
1996 – Awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his pioneering achievements in aerospace medicine and his unwavering commitment to the education of over 300 student Naval flight surgeons.
1998 – Conceived and spearheaded a landmark pilot program in which he became the first optometrist to deploy for a six-month operational cruise aboard a Naval warship. He was assigned to the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN battle group in support of Operation Southern Watch. The battle group initiated a coordinated missile strike against two terrorist training facilities in retaliation for the US Embassy bombings. This demonstration project addressed a long-standing deficiency in vision care to the 9,000+ members of the deployed Battle Group, which includes carrier-based fighter pilots. He treated over 900 patients, 17 of whom presented with potentially sight-threatening conditions. The impact of this demonstration project was immediate and profound. The Commanding Officer of the ship wrote:
“I am completely convinced that having a dedicated, aeromedically trained optometrist permanently assigned to an aircraft carrier significantly improves readiness, safety and quality of life for the entire battle group. I would not want to deploy again without optometry as a part of my medical team.”
1999 – Selected as a Navy candidate for the NASA Astronaut / Mission Specialist Program.
1999 – Selected by Director, Naval Air Warfare (N78) to lead a team tasked with assessing operational viability of laser eye surgery in Naval aviation. He assembled a 135-member team from 39 ashore and afloat commands, and coordinated a study considered the definitive evaluation of photo-refractive keratectomy (PRK) in military aviation. The project budget was $5M. The compelling results of the study became the basis for future approval of PRK in Navy pilots.
2000 – Became the first Navy Medical Service Corps Officer to be selected for pilot training as part of the Aeromedical Dual Designator Program.
2001 – Aerospace Optometry, the program co-developed by Dr. Brown, was officially recognized as a Navy aeromedical designation.
2002 – Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his accomplishments as Clinic Director, Navy Refractive Surgery Center, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA
2002 – Armed Forces Optometrist of the Year
2002 – “Commodore’s List with Distinction” for finishing first in his Primary Flight Training Class and 97th percentile of all Primary completers – was selected for Jet/Strike/Fighter pipeline.
2004 – PRK approved (waiverable) for all classes and categories of Naval aviation personnel based on the work of Dr. Brown and his colleagues.
2005 – Authored and presented a proposal to the Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) to evaluate advanced technology LASIK in Navy and Marine Corps aviators. The proposal was approved and funded for $5M.
2006 – Awarded second Meritorious Service Medal for 20 years of distinguished service to the United States of America.
2011 – Selected Marquis “Who’s Who in America” (65th Edition)