“Inspire me with the love of my art and for thy creatures.
In the sufferer let me see only the human being.”
–Maimonides
Biography
Dr. Joseph Decker, founder of the San Jose Eye Institute, is a talented ophthalmologist, eye surgeon, and humanitarian. For over 30 years, this combination has been demonstrated by his respect for his patients as unique individuals, his active participation in contributing to the local and global eye communities, and his commitment to the preservation and restoration of sight.
Patient care is a top priority for Dr. Decker. Concern, respect, confidentiality, and a strong ethical code are the cornerstones of his well-established and committed medical practice.
He was voted one of Silicon Valley’s, “Top Doctors” by his peers every year in San Jose Magazine from 1999 to 2004. This is further confirmation that he and the San Jose Eye Institute are taking exceptional care of patients.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
* Received Medical Degree from University of Illinois Medical School in 1962.
* Completed residency in Ophthalmology at University of Illinois, Eye and Ear Infirmary and Parkland Memorial Hospital, Texas.
* Since 1971 has taught residents at the Stanford Department of Ophthalmology and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Stanford University Medical Center.
* Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
* Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the California Medical Association (CMA), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), and the Santa Clara County Medical Association (SCCMA).
* Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.
* Certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
* Certified by the Medical Board of California.
* Recipient of the Physicians Recognition Award from the American Medical Association.
* Frequent Lecturer to the Optometric Society, American Operating Room Nurses, and Physician’s Assistant Program at Stanford University Medical Center.
* Staff privileges at Peninsula Eye Surgery Center.
* Keynote speaker at Stanford University Physician’s Assistants Program graduation.
Volunteer
Through Christian Eye Ministries (CEM), a nondenominational, non profit organization dedicated to restoring sight to the world’s neglected blind, Dr. Decker has completed ten sight-restoring medical missions to Third World countries. Having traveled to the remote and impoverished regions of Colombia, West Africa, Haiti, and Nepal, he has seen up to 250 patients a day and has performed as many as 150 operations on a single mission.
Dr. Decker and the San Jose Eye Institute are deeply committed to the work of CEM, which has restored sight to over 12,000 blind men, women, and children living in the Third World.
Dr. Decker’s dedication to the global community began with a special teacher in medical school who inspired him to make his first medical mission. Dr. Decker remembers, “It changed my life. It was another world, another civilization. I had a sense of my life just broadening tremendously.”
Links
Dr. Decker’s concern for the rain forest and the global community continues. For information on on these topics visit the following sites: The Rainforest Action Network, an organization which works to protect the earth’s rain forests and supports the rights of their inhabitants; the World Wildlife Fund, which directs its conservation efforts toward protecting endangered spaces, saving endangered species, and addressing global threats; and International Aid, a global relief agency. The Christian Eye Ministry (CEM) is an affiliate of International Aid Inc., which has performed thousands of sight-restoring surgeries.