Dr. Hasty


Dr. Ben Hasty has excelled academically throughout his career. He graduated in the top 1% of his high school class in the St. Louis suburb of Arnold, Missouri. He attended Drury College (now Drury University) and achieved a triple major in Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry. Dr. Hasty was a tutor to students in Mathematics, a lab assistant in Physics, and a research assistant in Organic Chemistry. He graduated summa cum laude, in the top 1% of his college class, with a triple major, and was class Salutatorian (# 2 in his graduating class).

Dr. Hasty chose to attend St. Louis University for medical school training. He was offered scholarships through both the United States Air Force and United States Navy and chose to accept the Navy scholarship program.

After four years at St. Louis University, Dr. Hasty became a medical officer in the Navy and completed a rotating internship at the Oakland Naval Hospital, California. He was offered a residency program in internal medicine at this point but chose to become a Naval Flight Surgeon and worked four years with the United States Marine Corps in general family medicine and aviation medicine. Aircraft accident investigation, FAA flight exams, and flight safety protocols were among his various responsibilities.

Dr. Hasty became Senior Medical Officer of the MCAS (H) Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, Japan, supervising five flight surgeons, 20 corpsmen, and providing medical care for nearly 3000 Marines on base. As a Flight Surgeon, he flew in numerous aircraft, including the C-130 Hercules, OV-10 Bronco, C-12 Executive Transport, and CH-53 and CH-46 helicopters. Dr. Hasty traveled widely throughout the Pacific, including Japan, Hong Kong, Philippine Islands, Guam, Wake, Midway, Kwajalein, and Australia.

After returning to the United States, Dr. Hasty became Assistant Wing Surgeon at the MCAS, El Toro, California. Here he was in charge of 17 flight surgeons, dozens of corpsmen, and directed all aviation medical care for both El Toro and Tustin Marine bases. Dr. Hasty applied simultaneously to become an Astronaut/Mission Specialist with the Space Shuttle Program and to the Ophthalmology Residency Training Program. By being accepted first into ophthalmology training, Dr. Hasty's career left aviation medicine and turned in the direction of eye surgery.
Dr. Hasty's ophthalmology training began in the Oakland Naval Hospital and was completed at the University of California San Francisco, Stanford University, and the University of Florida Gainesville. Upon completion of his ophthalmology residency training, he proceeded directly into a fellowship in Glaucoma specialty care at the University of Southern California's prestigious Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Hasty was the first person trained as a glaucoma specialist through a fellowship at the Doheny Eye Institute, USC. Dr. Hasty served as a Visiting Clinical Professor at USC/Los Angeles County Medical Center.

Immediately after this, Dr. Hasty became an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and held a full time teaching staff position in the residency training program in San Diego, where he taught glaucoma and cataract surgery to residents in training.

Dr. Hasty published numerous scientific articles and book chapters while in academic medicine. He has taught numerous laser surgery courses through the American Academy of Ophthalmology and lectured extensively on various eye surgical techniques. Dr. Hasty's clinic research experience includes the following:

National Eye Institutes "Fluorouracil Filtration Surgery Study," 1986-88

-FDA Phase III Trial of Carteolol (Ocupress), Burroughs - Wellcome, 1987 - 88
-FDA Phase III Trial of Brimonidine (Alphagan), Allergan, 1993-95
-FDA Phase IV Trial of Latanoprost (Xalatan), Pharmacia Upjohn, 1999-2004

Azasite Bacterial Conjunctivitis Phase III FDA study at Advanced Eye Care; October 2004 to June 2005

ViSci VS101 Subconjunctival Latanoprost Insert, Phase II, December 2015 to April 2016

Santen Drug Study Protocol 29-001, Phase I/Stage II, July 2011 to December 2011

Dr. Hasty is a board certified Ophthalmologist through the American Board of Ophthalmology, and has also become a certified cataract and lens implant surgeon through the highly selective American Board of Eye Surgery. He is a fellowship trained Glaucoma subspecialist. He is a member of the Florida Society of Ophthamology, Florida Medical Association, and Emerald Coast Medical Association.

Dr. Hasty has been performing refractive surgery for a decade with VISX Excimer Laser in the office.  Dr. Hasty has years of refractive surgery experience with excellent results. 

Dr. Hasty still enjoys flying his Mooney airplane and traveling.  Bear (his canine family) is with him every day at Advanced Eye Care.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                


                                                    BEAR                                                         BELLA          2008 - 2018                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                      



Ben Hasty, M.D.
Panama City Lasik
2500 West 23rd Street
Panama City, FL 32405
850-784-3936