Texas ophthalmologist’s license suspended after domestic violence arrest

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David Stager Jr, MD, FACS, FAAP, a Texas ophthalmologist, found himself in hot water with the Texas Medical Board recently, less than a year after he had complied with a previous disciplinary order from the panel.

According to a report from Dallas Magazine, the board announced that if Stager Jr, who according to his practice’s website has been practicing ophthalmology since 1992, continued to practice medicine, he “would be a threat to public welfare should he continue his work and temporarily suspend his license.”

“The board panel found that Dr. Stager’s recent conduct, including an arrest for domestic violence, while impaired, indicates he is still suffering from an active substance use disorder that was previously the basis for disciplinary action under his 2018 order,” the board said in a statement cited by the magazine.

Stager Jr practices in Plano, Texas, and according to his website completed his medical degree and residency in ophthalmology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He pursued a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC. He also is a member of a number of organizations, has authored more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as several chapters in ophthalmology textbooks, and has served as guest lecturer in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.

The magazine, citing Texas Medical Board documents, noted the board’s staff alleged Stager Jr did not comply with his agreement with the Texas Health Physicians Program, which “provides confidential early intervention, assessment, treatment referral and post-treatment monitoring for health professionals under the Texas Medical Board’s jurisdiction who may not be able to practice safely due to an impairing or potentially impairing health condition,” according to its website.

The board alleged that he suffered a relapse of alcohol abuse and did not take a test to determine his blood alcohol content. He had previously relapsed in 2017 and completed a 90-day inpatient program, though he had never been disciplined by the board prior to 2018, according to the magazine.

At that time, he had been involved in a domestic dispute, and law enforcement at the scene reported that he appeared impaired, Dallas Magazine reported.

Under the terms of that 2018 agreement, Stager Jr was to avoid alcohol, drugs or controlled, and if he used any substances he was required to report it to the board within a day, according to the report, and failure to do so would result in the suspension of his license.

The discipline also required participation in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 10 times a month, a psychiatric evaluation and a year of workplace monitoring, the magazine’s report noted.

The Texas Medical Board ended the order in August 2022, after nearly four years of compliance. Earlier this year, Stager was arrested and charged with domestic abuse, and the board at that time suspended his license pending further action.