Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Refractive Surgery Service, Corneal and External Diseases Service

Director, Cornea & Refractive Surgery Fellowship Program

Medical School

Stanford University

Residency

Harvard University, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary 

Fellowship

Harvard University, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

Background

Natalie Afshari, MD, is a full-time faculty member at Duke Eye Center, where she serves as both a clinician and a research scientist. Afshari’s achievement in corneal and refractive surgery and overall patient care has been recognized by her peers who have named her as one of The Best Doctors in America in Best Doctors, Inc.’s 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 editions. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sought Afshari’s expertise in evaluating ophthalmologic treatments. She treats patients at Duke Eye Centers in Durham and Cary, as well as Duke’s Aesthetic & Laser Vision Correction Center, also on the Duke main campus.

In her clinical practice, Afshari specializes in laser refractive surgery, including LASIK, LASEK/Advanced Surface Ablation, PRK, PTK, cataract surgery, corneal transplantation, 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 Surgery’s representative on the Council of the American Academy Ophthalmology. Afshari is also a recognized expert in corneal transplantation and refractive surgery and has successfully treated many complex cases referred by other surgeons.

In addition to her successes with patients, Afshari has published extensively in both medical journals and textbooks. While her textbook chapters focus on clinical skills, her journal articles report her innovations in research. She has pioneered investigative work into successful gene therapy in the cornea. Afshari also has developed mathematical models for different types of corneal transplantations. In other research, she has studied ocular microbiology and different aspects of LASIK surgery. Her research has won her multiple honors, including the prestigious Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) award and the Heed Foundation Ophthalmic Award. Additionally, Afshari’s breakthrough sight-restoring procedure has been featured nationally on television news programs. She also serves or has served as a principal or co-investigator on several research grants and projects.

Afshari’s dedication to research and clinical care also inspires her teaching. For her commitment to teaching and training ophthalmologists, she has earned accolades such as the Teacher of the Year award at Duke Eye Center. She also has been invited to lecture nationally and internationally and is a committee member of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Afshari was elected by her peers to the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s (ARVO) cornea program committee, which oversees the scientific program of the largest eye research association in the world. The American Academy of Ophthalmology also appointed her to the editorial board of the EyeNet magazine. In addition, she serves as a reviewer for scientific journals such as 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. Afshari is also is a member of the cataract and anterior segment panel of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in addition to the Cataract Subspecialty Interest team, which provides information about cataract surgery to ophthalmologists worldwide. In recognition of her scholarship and clinical work, she also has been elected as a councilor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the FDA has invited her to serve as a consultant to its Ophthalmic Drugs Panel, which reviews new drugs and makes recommendations to FDA Commissioners as part of the FDA approval process.

When not researching or practicing at Duke, Afshari donates her time and surgical expertise as an international volunteer. She has traveled to West Africa, Central America, and Mexico to help patients who might otherwise go untreated. Before receiving her Duke appointment and joining the Raleigh-Durham community, Afshari completed her medical training at Harvard through the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, first as a resident and later as a fellow in both Refractive Surgery and Corneal and External Disease. During her time at Harvard, she was also affiliated with Kirkland House. Afshari received her MD from Stanford University after earning dual bachelors degrees in Biophysics and Near Eastern Studies and a master’s degree in Endocrinology from UC Berkeley.

Phone

919.684.3799

Fax

919.681.7661

Research Interests

Afshari has several clinical and basic science research projects including gene therapy of the cornea, genetics of ocular disorders, corneal wound healing following refractive surgery, LASIK after other corneal surgeries, recent modifications in indications for corneal transplantation, study of Fuchs' and keratoconus, and microbiology of ocular infections.

Representative Publications

1. Afshari NA, Schirra F, Rapoza P, Talamo JH, Ludwig K, Adelman RA, Kenyon KR. LASIK outcomes following Radial Keratotomy, Astigmatic Keratotomy, Photorefractive Keratectomy and Penetrating Keratoplasty. J Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2005; 31:2093-100.
2. Afshari NA, Pittard AB, Siddiqui A, Klintworth GK. A clinical study of Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy over a thirty-year period (1972-2001). Arch Ophthalmol 2006; 124:6. 
3. Kang PC, Klintworth GK, Carlson AN, Kim T, Adelman RA, Stinnett S, Afshari NA. Trends in the indications for penetrating keratoplasty, 1980-2001. Cornea 2005; 24:801-803.
4. Afshari NA, Duncan SM, Tanhehco T, Azar DT. Calculation of optimal size and location of corneal rotational autograft. A simplified mathematical model. Arch Ophthalmol 2006; 124:410-3. 
5. Reeves SW, Stinnett S, Adelman RA, Afshari NA. Risk factors for progression to penetrating keratoplasty in patients with keratoconus. Am J Ophthalmol 2005; 140:607-11. 
6. Eifrig DE, Afshari NA, Bowling BL, Buchanan HW, Klintworth GK. Polymorphic corneal amyloidosis: a disorder due to a novel mutation in the TGFB1(BIGH3) gene. Ophthalmology 2004; 111: 1108-1114.
7. Klintworth GK, Bao W, Afshari N. Two mutations in the TGFBI (BIGH3) gene associated with lattice corneal dystrophy in an extensively studied family. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2004; 45: 1382-8.
8. Siddiqui N, Afshari NA. The changing face of the genetics of corneal dystrophies. Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2002; 13: 199-203.
9. Moore JE, McMullen TCB, Campbell IL, Rohan R, Kaji Y, Afshari NA, Usui T, Archer DB, Adamis AP. The inflammatory milieu associated with conjunctivilized cornea and its alteration with IL-1 RA gene therapy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2002; 43: 2905-2915.
10. Afshari NA, Mullally JE, Afshari RA, Steinert RF, Adamis AP, Azar DT, Talamo JH, Dohlman CH, Dryja TP. Survey of patients with granular, lattice, Avellino, and Reis-Bucklers corneal dystrophies for mutations in the BIGH3 (TGFBI) and gelsolin genes. Arch Ophthalmol 2001; 119: 16-22.