Mr. Mitchell C Brown

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OD
IMAB Optometry Director

Mr. Mitch Brown is currently the Optometry Director for Optical Express. His responsibilities include clinical policy development and clinical oversight of 250 Optometrists who provide patient care and clinical support services in more than 200 clinics in seven countries.

Prior to this position, he completed 20 years of active-duty service as a United States Naval Officer and Optometrist. His last position in the military was as Deputy Program Director of Refractive Surgery for the U.S. Navy.

Mr. Brown was born and raised in Ohio, graduating from Trotwood-Madison High School in 1979. He was graduated from the Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1986 and accepted a direct commission as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. He attended Officer Indoctrination School, Newport, Rhode Island, in October 1986, where he was appointed Company Commander for “Hotel Company.”

He reported to Naval Hospital San Diego, CA in November 1986, where he was a staff Optometrist and Clinical Instructor. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for his leadership and patient care. In August of 1991, Mr. Brown was assigned to the U.S. Naval Hospital Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, as the Head of the Optometry Department. In the Philippines, he was the only U.S.-trained eye care provider within 500 miles and provided comprehensive clinical care to both active- duty forces and the local population for acute / traumatic conditions. During this tour of duty, he was promoted personally by the Surgeon General of the Navy to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. In November 1992 he reported to the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI), NAS Pensacola, FL. He completed six months of training and received a secondary designation as a Naval Aerospace Physiologist. He then remained at NAMI for three more years as a staff optometrist and instructor to more than 300 student Naval Flight Surgeons.

During that time, Mr. Brown co-developed an aeromedical training program specifically for Optometrists that is now recognized as an official Naval qualification designation (“Aerospace Optometrist.”) He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his achievements. In 1996 he was assigned to the Branch Medical Clinic, NAS Miramar, CA. In 1998 he deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) for six months. During this Western Pacific Deployment, he developed and spearheaded a demonstration project for Optometrists to provide eye and vision care to Carrier Battle Groups consisting of approximately 9 warships and 9,000 personnel during 6-month deployments. During this deployment, he was promoted to the rank of Commander. In 1999, he was assigned as Clinical Director of the Navy Refractive Surgery Center, Naval Medical Center San Diego, where he was an integral part of the team that developed and implemented the laser vision correction program for the Armed Services. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his accomplishments.

In 2000, Commander Brown was selected as the Armed Forces Optometrist of the Year. In 2001, he was selected for the Aeromedical Dual Designator Program and reported to Training Squadron TWO, NAS Whiting Field, FL. He completed primary flight training with the highest cumulative score in his class and made the Commodore’s List with Distinction. While in Florida, he also served as Department Head, Optometry, Naval Hospital Pensacola. In 2003, he was re-assigned to the Refractive Surgery Center in San Diego. In 2006 he was appointed Deputy Director of the Navy Refractive Surgery program, which included oversight of seven Navy centers that collectively performed more than 17,000 surgical procedures annually.

The refractive surgery program has now evolved into a DoD Tri-service program that has 21 surgical centers worldwide and has provided laser vision correction to more than 100,000 service members. It has been called one of the most significant and operationally relevant programs in the history of Navy medicine. During his assignment to the Refractive Surgery Program, he was an investigator in more than 30 clinical trials, many of which led to the approval of laser vision correction for military pilots and for NASA Astronauts. Commander Brown’s military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (x2), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy Achievement Medal, as well as other unit awards.

Mr. Brown now resides in Coronado, CA with his wife, Deann (Radowick) and their three sons, Ryan, Dylan and Jake.

Education

Southern Cal. College of Optometry, Post-Graduate Study in Ocular Therapeutics, 1997
Illinois College of Optometry, Post-graduate Study in Ocular Therapeutics, 1989
The Ohio State University College of Optometry; Doctor of Optometry (OD), 1982 - 1986
Wright State University; Pre-med, 1979 - 1982

State Optometric Licensure

California (T)
Ohio (T)

Professional Experience

IMAB Optometry Director, Optical Express, 2008
Clinical Director, ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center, 2007
Director of Co-Management, Gordon Binder & Weiss Vision Institute, La Jolla, CA, 2006 - 2007
Deputy Program Director, United States Navy Refractive Surgery - Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Navy, 2005 - 2006
Clinic Director, Refractive Surgery Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA,2003 - 2006
Head, Optometry Department, Naval Hospital Pensacola, FL, 2002 - 2003
Clinic Director, Refractive Surgery Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA, 1999 - 2001
Assistant Department Head, Optometry, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA, 1996 - 1999
Battle Group Optometrist, USS Abraham Lincoln CVN 72, WESTPAC ’98 (six months additional duty), 1998
Staff Optometrist, Academic and Clinical Instructor, Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Pensacola, FL, 1992 - 1996
Head, Optometry Department, U.S. Naval Hospital Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, 1991 - 1992
Staff Optometrist, Naval Hospital San Diego, CA, 1986 - 1991

Military Training

Fleet Hospital Orientation Training Command, Camp Pendleton, CA, 2004
United States Navy Primary Flight Training, NAS Whiting Field, FL, 2002
Naval Aerospace Physiology Training, NAS Pensacola, FL, 1992
Combat Trauma Course, Okinawa, Japan, 1989
Combat Casualty Care Course (C4), Field Medical Training, Fort Sam Houston, TX, 1988
Navy Fleet (Field) Hospital Training, Camp Pendleton, CA , 1987
Leadership Management Education and Training, Naval Hospital San Diego, CA, 1987
Naval Aviation Physiology and Water Survival Training (Initial and Recurrent x 5), Aviation Survival Training Centers, NAS Miramar, MCAS El Toro, NAS Pensacola, 1987 - 2005

Faculty Positions

Adjunct Faculty, University of Houston College of Optometry, 1996 - 1998
Adjunct Faculty, Pacific University College of Optometry, 1996 - 1998
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Southern California College of Optometry, 1996 - 1998
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, 1992 - 1996
Adjunct Faculty, Southern California College of Optometry, 1986 - 1991

Clinical Research

Mr. 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.