Brandon Pham, MD

Training

Residency: Bascom Palmer
Internship: University of Miami

Education

Medical School: Stanford
Undergraduate: UCLA

Board Eligibility

American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO)

Background

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Dr. Brandon Pham is the youngest of four children whose parents immigrated to the U.S. as refugees following the Vietnam War. Inspired by his parents’ resilience and the value they placed on education, Dr. Pham excelled academically from an early age, graduating as salutatorian of his high school and becoming the youngest ever certified SAT Instructor at The Princeton Review after scoring in the top 0.1% nationwide.

He graduated summa cum laude from UCLA on a full-ride scholarship and was named a Goldwater Scholar, the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate award in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. He earned his medical degree from Stanford University and completed his residency at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the #1 eye hospital in the country.

Clinical Expertise

Dr. Pham provides comprehensive medical and surgical eye care to adult patients of all ages. He is highly experienced in a wide variety of ophthalmic procedures, including:

  • Cataract surgery with premium lens implantation (e.g. multifocal, toric, enhanced depth of focus lenses)

  • Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS)

  • Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT)

  • Laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI)

  • YAG laser capsulotomy

  • Excision of anterior segment and periocular lesions (e.g. pterygia, chalazia, eyelid cysts)

  • Dry eye management (e.g. nasolacrimal duct probing, punctal plug insertion)

  • Other in-office treatments for meibomian gland dysfunction, glaucoma, and retinal conditions

Research

Dr. Pham has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications in leading ophthalmology journals, including the American Journal of Ophthalmology, and has been invited to present his research at national and international ophthalmology conferences around the world. He was recognized as a Top 10% Most Cited Clinician by Doximity in 2022 and 2024.

Education

A leader in medical education, Dr. Pham is the Director of Education at EyeGuru.org, a online learning platform used by medical trainees and practicing ophthalmologists in over 125 countries, with over 1 million annual visitors. He also co-founded Medical School for Kids®, a bestselling children’s book series designed to inspire the next generation of physicians that has reached more than 100,000 readers in over 20 countries.

Selected Honors & Awards

  • 2024-2025 Amazon Best Selling Author

  • 2022, 2024 Doximity Top 10% Most Cited Clinician

  • 2019-2020 Clinical Clerkship Honors (in 9 out of 10 clinical rotations), Stanford

  • 2019 President Scholar, Vietnamese Physician Association of Southern California

  • 2019 Medical Scholars Research Grant, Stanford

  • 2018 Finalist, Johns Hopkins University Healthcare Design Competition

  • 2017 Summa Cum Laude (GPA 3.95), UCLA

  • 2017 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Research Fellow

  • 2017 Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Research, UCLA

  • 2017 Chancellor’s Service Award, UCLA

  • 2016 Wasserman Research Scholar

  • 2016 Vice Provost’s Prize for Best Review Article, UCLA

  • 2016 Biomedical Research Summer Scholarship, UCLA

  • 2016 Irving & Jean Stone Research Award

  • 2015-2016 Barry Goldwater Scholar

  • 2015 Rose Gilbert in Memory of Maggie Gilbert Scholarship, UCLA

  • 2015 UCLA Health Auxiliary Scholarship

  • 2015 Donald A. Strauss Scholarship Finalist

  • 2014-2016 Rose Hills Foundation Scholar

  • 2014-2015 Gottlieb Research Scholar

  • 2013-2017 College Honors, UCLA

  • 2013-2017 Dean’s Honors List, UCLA

  • 2013 Marina High School Top 5 High School Graduates of 2013, Orange County Register

  • 2013 Boys Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Marina High School

  • 2013 Salutatorian (GPA 4.80 weighted, 4.00 unweighted), Marina High School

Selected Publications

  • Men CJ, Amarikwa L, Pham BH, Sear C, Clauss K, Lee BW, Lee WW, Pasol J, Ugradar S, Shinder R, Cockerham K, Wester S, Douglas R, Kossler AL. Teprotumumab for the Treatment of Recalcitrant Thyroid Eye Disease. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2024; (3):276-285.

  • Pham BH, Uludag G, Hien DL, Tuong Than NT, Hwang JJ, Akhavanrezayat A, Matsumiya W, Lajevardi S, Regenold J, Halim MS, Nguyen QD. Birdshot Chorioretinopathy in Early Adulthood: Review of Current Literature and Case Report. Int Med Case Rep J. 2023; 11:16:815-831.

  • Matsumiya W, Karaca I, Pham BH, Akhavanrezayat A, Uludag G, Yasar C, Ghoraba H, Mobasserian A, Regenold J, Halim MS, Sepah YJ, Do DV, Chong V, Nguyen QD. Association of oral montelukast with reduced odds of developing exudative age-related macular degeneration. Retina. 2023; 43(11):1914-1921.

  • de Sisternes LH, Pham BH, Durbin MK, Marmor MF. Topographic optical coherence topography segmentation shows limited ellipsoid zone recovery in mild hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. Retin Cases Brief Rep. 2022; 16(3):263-269.

  • Akhavanrezayat A, Hassan M, Pham BH, Cooper J, Nguyen QD, Farr A. Bilateral preretinal hemorrhage associated with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2021; 22:101041.

  • Pham BH, Hien DL, Matsumiya W, Ngoc TT, Doan HL, Akhavanrezayat A, Yasar C, Nguyen HV, Halim MS, Nguyen QD. Anti-interleukin-6 receptor therapy with tocilizumab for refractory pseudophakic cystoid macular edema. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2020; 20: 100881.

  • Pham BH, Goldberg JL, Marmor MF. The rapid N-wave response as a component of the longer photopic negative response. Doc Ophthalmol. 2020; 141(3): 253-257.

  • Hien DL, Pham BH, Nguyen QD, Tyagi M. Systemic immunosuppressive therapies for uveitis in developing countries. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2020; 68(9):1852-1862.

  • Pham BH, Marmor MF. Sequential changes in hydroxychloroquine retinopathy up to 20 years after stopping the drug: implications for mild vs. severe toxicity. Retina. 2019; 39(3):492-501.

  • Mercado C, Pham BH, Beres S, Marmor MF, Lambert SR. Unilateral retinitis pigmentosa in children. J AAPOS. 2018; 22(6):457-461.e4.