Dr. Paul Dougherty, M.D. is an internationally renowned eye surgeon who has helped pioneer many of today’s most popular vision correction techniques. He serves as medical director of Los Angeles-based Dougherty Laser Vision, and as assistant clinical instructor of ophthalmology at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute. He is also one of just 40 surgeons worldwide to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Refractive Surgery – the official peer-reviewed refractive surgery specialty journal published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
Dr. Paul Dougherty was among the first laser surgeons in the United States to perform LASIK on an investigational basis before it was approved by the FDA in 1995. Since then, he has performed nearly 25,000 laser procedures.
Dr. Paul Dougherty is also an authority on cataract surgery and other non-laser surgical techniques, including the new generation of implantable contact and intraocular lenses (ICLs/IOLs). He was instrumental in the development of the Staar Visian ICL, serving as a principal investigator for the FDA study that began in 1999. Dougherty Laser Vision is a designated Staar Visian ICL Center of Excellence, and has implanted more ICLs than virtually any practice in the US. Dr. Dougherty was also one of the first US surgeons to implant the Crystalens, which was approved by the FDA in 2004 as the first truly accommodating implantable lens to restore clear vision for objects from near to far.
Dr. Paul Dougherty graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania, the nation’s oldest university. He then attended UCLA Medical School, where he graduated first in his class. He completed his residency at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute, where he conducted award-winning research on the then nascent field of laser vision correction. He next studied corneal and refractive surgery as a fellow at the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, where he trained with Dr. Richard Lindstrom.
Dr. Paul Dougherty’s research has been published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. He routinely teaches advanced surgical techniques, and lectures worldwide at universities and major ophthalmology conferences.
In January 1997, Dr. Paul Dougherty became one of the first ophthalmologists in the US to have LASIK performed on his own eyes. Since then, he has had perfect vision without glasses or contacts. As a surgeon who experienced the LASIK procedure first-hand, Dr. Paul Dougherty can relate to his patients’ concerns with unique insight and perspective.
