Natalie A. Afshari, MD, FACS

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Natalie Afshari, MD is accomplished as a clinician, surgeon, and a research scientist. Dr. Afsharis achievement in cornea and refractive surgery and overall patient care has been recognized by her peers in several of the best doctors" lists, including The Best Doctors in America" in each listing for the past decade. Furthermore, Dr. Afshari was awarded the academic Achievement Award and the Secretariat Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has consulted Dr. Afsharis expertise for matters of safety and efficacy of various ophthalmologic treatments. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has honored Dr. Afshari by awarding her and her collaborators extensive grant support to study Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, a genetic disorder leading to corneal transplantation.In her clinical practice, Dr. Afshari specializes in cataract surgery, corneal transplantation, descemets stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), intacs for keratoconus, laser refractive surgery, including LASIK, LASEK/Advanced Surface Ablation, PRK, PTK, and treating surgical and medical diseases of cornea. She is a highly skilled cataract surgeon and holds national positions on the professional committees of cataract specialists, including serving as the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgerys representative on the Council of the American Academy Ophthalmology. Dr. Afshari is also a recognized expert in corneal transplantation and refractive surgery and has successfully treated many complex cases referred to her by other leading surgeons.In addition to her success with patients, Dr. Afshari has published extensively in both medical journals and textbooks. She is the co-editor of a two volume cornea book titled Principles and Practice of Cornea. While her textbook chapters focus on clinical skills, her journal articles report her innovations and findings in research. Her research has won multiple honors, including the prestigious Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) award and the Heed Foundation Ophthalmic Award. Additionally, Dr. Afshari performs sight-restoring procedure using keratoprosthesis, a synthetic plastic-based artificial cornea which has been featured nationally on television news programs.Dr. Afsharis dedication to research and clinical care also inspires her teaching. For her commitment to teaching and training ophthalmologists, she has received the Teacher of the Year award at Duke University Eye Center. She also has been invited to lecture nationally and internationally and is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Board-Certified Ophthalmologist). Dr. Afsharis peers also elected her to the cornea program committee and Awards committee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), which oversees the scientific program of the largest eye research association in the world. She is also the Chief Judge for the scientific posters of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.Several scientific and scholarly journals have sought Dr. Afsharis expertise and recognized her research leadership by naming her to their editorial boards or seeking her assistance in reviewing the work of other scientists. She is the editor of the Current Opinion in Ophthalmology cataract section and has served on the editorial board of EyeNet magazine, a journal published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. She is also a reviewer for a number of scientific journals including: Ophthalmology; American Journal of Ophthalmology; Archives of Ophthalmology; Cornea, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science; Molecular Vision, Experimental Eye Research; Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery; and Human Mutation.