Charles W. McDowell, JR, MD

Charles W. McDowell, JR, MD

An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Charles W. McDowell, Jr., enjoys golf and backpacking. He climbed Mt. McKinley in Alaska as well as many mountains in the west. He ran the Atlanta Marathon.

Dr. McDowell graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and from Tulane University School of Medicine with a Medical Doctor Degree. His internship was completed at the McLeod Infirmary in Florence, SC. His residency in Ophthalmology was completed at the Victor C. Smith Memorial Eye Clinic in New Orleans, LA, which included the Lancaster Course of Basic Ophthalmology at Colby College, Waterville Maine.

He returned home to enter practice with Hobson Rice, MD and Roger Rowell, MD on Church St. in downtown Decatur. They were the first three ophthalmologists in Dekalb County. During the Vietnam Conflict, he served as a Major in the United States Army Corps. The practice moved to the present location in 1979.


Education & Training


  • B.S., Tulane University, College of Arts and Sciences
  • M.D., Tulane University School of Medicine
  • Internship, McLeod Infirmary, Florence, SC
  • Residency in Ophthalmology, Victor C. Smith Memorial Eye Clinic, New Orleans, LA, Lancaster Course of Basic Ophthalmology, Colby College
  • Board Certified, American Board of Ophthalmology www.abop.org




Honors & Awards


  • Board of Directors and Past President of the Dekalb Medical Society
  • Board of Directors and Past President of Decatur Hospital Medical Staff
  • Board of Directors of the Medical Association of Georgia
  • Board of Directors and Past President Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
  • Present Secretary of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
  • Diplomat of American Academy of Ophthalmology
  • Editorial Board of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons
  • Past Medical Director for new technologies with:
    1. VisiJet Inc. Water Jet technology

    1. Innovative Optics Inc. Lasik Microkeratome





Medical Society Memberships


  • Atlanta Ophthalmological Society
  • Georgia Society of Ophthalmology
  • American Academy of Ophthalmology www.aao.org
  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery www.ascrs.org
  • Association of American Physicians & Surgeons www.aapsonline.org
  • Dekalb Medical Society
  • Medical Association of Georgia www.mag.org




Hospital Affiliations



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