Professor of Ophthalmology

Chief, Refractive Surgery Service,

Chief, Corneal and External Disease Service,

Associate Medical Director, North Carolina Eye Bank

Medical School

Duke University School of Medicine

Residency

Baylor College of Medicine, Cullen Eye Institute

Fellowship(s)

Baylor College of Medicine & Duke Eye Center

Background

Alan Carlson, MD, is the Chief of the Corneal and Refractive Surgery Service at the Duke Eye Center. He specializes in laser vision correction surgery, cataract surgery and corneal transplantation. A leader in his field, Carlson is credited with starting the Duke Center for Vision Correction, nationally recognized as a leading university program for laser and vision correction surgery.

Carlson is one of the most experienced surgeons in his field and has performed more than 35,000 surgical procedures, including 12,500 LASIK procedures. This experience led to his selection as one of the top six surgeons among university laser surgeons in the United States. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his work in the prevention and management of surgical complications, delivering more than 225 invited lectures and courses across four continents and publishing 75 articles, book chapters, and instructional videos.

Carlson received the academic honor award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 1998 and was twice the recipient of the APPI Crystal Award in Japan for his clinical research. He is the only certified VISX Laser Surgery instructor in North Carolina and has been teaching refractive surgery courses for more than 18 years. He has conducted more than 30 televised interviews and was selected to perform the first televised LASIK surgery procedure in this region. His innovative work has been featured in numerous publications including two interviews for Time Magazine articles. He is the section editor for Review of Refractive Surgery and serves on the advisory boards of and as contributing author to numerous journals. His reputation attracts patients from throughout the US and around the world and frequently includes professional athletes, physicians, optometrists, ophthalmologists (including LASIK surgeons), and their families. His passion is delivering the best possible patient care, which is largely responsible for his selection to virtually every Best Doctors list including: Best Doctors in America, Best Doctors in the Southeast, and Best Doctors in North Carolina.

Phone

919.684.5769

Fax

919.681.7661

Research Interests

• Laser vision correction surgery.
• Preventing and managing complications associated with intraocular lenses and cataract surgery.
• Presbyopia.
• Corneal transplantation.

Representative Publications

1. Carlson AN. LEO Clinical Topic Update: Refractive Surgery. American Academy of Ophthalmology Clinical Topic Update.
2. Carlson AN, Stewart WC, Tso PC. Intraocular lens complications requiring removal or exchange. Surgery of Ophthalmology 1998:42(5):417-440.
3. Carlson AN. Refractive Surgery a Year in Review. Review of Ophthalmology October 2002.
4. Ambati BK, Carlson AN. Preventing LASIK Buttonholes. Review of Refractive Surgery February 2002:29-30.
5. Chiavetta SV, Carlson AN. The Unhappy Cataract Patient. Review of Refractive Surgery May 2002:22-26.
6. Carlson AN. What's New In Corneal and External Disease. Review of Ophthalmology May 2001:93.
7. Sorenson AL, Holladay JT, Kim T, Kendall CJ, Carlson AN. Ultrasonographic Measurement of Induced Myopia Associated With Capsular Bag Distension Syndrome. Ophthalmology 2000:5:902-908.
8. Carlson AN. How to Manage Wound Complications. Review of Ophthalmology 1997.
9. Carlson AN. Cataract Surgery in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Ophthalmology Practice March 1992.