JOSEPH SCHMITZ, MD

Dr. Joseph Schmitz is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist with over a decade of clinical and surgical experience. Throughout his 24-year Naval career, he has performed and taught a wide array of procedures, including LASIK, PRK, SMILE, ICLs, cataract surgery, glaucoma treatments, and more.

A graduate of the University of California, San Diego, he earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he was valedictorian and inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed his residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego and a glaucoma fellowship at UCLA’s Stein Eye Institute. Dr. Schmitz later served as a faculty member and Department Chairman at Naval Medical Center San Diego, contributing to both clinical practice and academic research. He has published peer-reviewed work, reviewed scientific articles, and had surgical videos featured by leading ophthalmology organizations.

Passionate about global health, he has led surgical eye missions in several countries and now serves as medical director for annual missions to Fiji. Outside of medicine, he enjoys time with his wife, Kati, and their five children, especially supporting their athletic pursuits.