Steven Schallhorn is in private practice in San Diego, CA, a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco and the Chief Medical Director for Optical Express.
After graduating from Colorado State University, Captain Schallhorn entered the US Navy in 1977 and was trained as an F-14 naval aviator. Following several deployments on USS Ranger, he was selected and served as a Navy Fighter Weapons School instructor (TOPGUN) teaching air combat to fleet fighter pilots. He then completed a medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, ophthalmology residency at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, and cornea fellowship at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California. He retired from the Navy in February 2007 as the US Navy’s Refractive Surgery Program Manager where he directed the center at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. He was the founder of the Department of Defense refractive surgery program which now consists of over 20 centers providing mission-enhancing surgery to active duty personnel.
Dr. Schallhorn has led many studies on the safety and effectiveness of eye surgery with a special emphasis on evaluating the physiologic impact of environmental extremes, such as hypoxia, hypobaria, as well as the quality of vision. He routinely receives consultation requests from governmental and civilian organizations around the world.
