Laguna Beach Cub Scout Master Honored as 'Man of Character'

Submitted story by Caroline Bruderer:

Laguna Beach Cub Scout Master and renowned Eye Specialist, Dr. John Hovanesian, will be honored by the Orange County Boy Scout council as a "Man of Character" at an April 17th Banquet in Irvine.

Honored for his many accomplishments in career, scouting and philanthropy, Dr. Hovanesian will be introduced by fellow Laguna Beach Eagle Scout, Dr. Roger Ohanessian, and his partner in practice and founder of the Armenian Eye Care Project. 

"I'm so lucky to have the privilege of helping people improve their vision with amazing technology that's continuously getting even better. This is a very exciting time in our field because of advances that weren't available just a few years ago that genuinely improve the lives of our patients."

Dr. Hovanesian has published two eye surgery textbooks — one on the subject of advanced cataract surgery and one on pterygium surgery.

Dr. Hovanesian has been invited to lecture to surgeons on five continents, produced numerous surgical teaching videos, and written dozens of articles. He is faculty member at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, a board-certified ophthalmologist, and an internationally recognized leader in the field of corneal, cataract, refractive, and laser surgery.

He is the chairman of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's online cataract surgery education committee and an editorial board member for five other eye journals. He has been honored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery for contributions to his field and has been recognized by Wyanoke Publishing as one of the 250 leading innovators in the field of cataract surgery.

An Eagle Scout, Dr. Hovanesian has spent many years as a volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America and has been honored on numerous occasions by the Boy Scouts for his volunteer service. He has also made over a dozen trips overseas to the third world to volunteer his time performing eye surgery. He spends his weekends teaching Sunday school at his church in Costa Mesa, spending time with his wife and three young children at home in Laguna Beach, and enjoying his hobbies of food, swimming, piano, and performing magic.