Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics

Glaucoma Service

Medical school 

Harvard Medical School

Residency 

Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

Fellowship(s) 

Pediatric Ophthalmology, Boston Children’s Hospital

Glaucoma (Clinical and Research), Duke Eye Center

Background 

Sharon Freedman, MD, specializes in adult/childhood strabismus and in all pediatric eye disorders, particularly childhood glaucoma. She is available for consultation for ocular motility disorders secondary to cranial nerve palsies, thyroid ophthalmopathy, macular translocation and trauma. Her special interests include congenital and childhood glaucoma, congenital cataracts, retinopathy of prematurity, and torsion associated with macular translocation surgery. She has been consistently honored among the Best Doctors in America, and received Honor Awards from both the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Phone 

919.684.4584

Fax 

919.684.6096

Research Interests 

Childhood glaucomas - With a large referral practice of children with pediatric glaucomas of all types, Freedman is evaluating existing and new management strategies for treating refractory congenital and childhood glaucomas, including the use of pharmacologic agents, as well as modification of surgical interventions. In addition to an active clinical research program, she regularly lectures and directs workshop at national meetings aimed at educating other ophthalmologists about current strategies and controversies in managing children with refractory glaucoma.

Retinopathy of Prematurity - Freedman is the principal investigator at the Duke-UNC Center for an NIH-sponsored, multi-center trial to evaluate early treatment for retinopathy of prematurity. The goal of this effort is to optimize the timing of laser intervention for vision-threatening retinopathy of prematurity. She also participates on an NIH grant to evaluate neonatal babies and their responses to different NICU sighting conditions. Together with colleague David Wallace, she provides eye care and treatment to the many premature children who graduate from the Neonatal Intensive Care units at DUHS.

Strabismus associated with macular translocation surgery - Together with Cynthia Toth, MD, and Laura Enyedi, MD, Freedman continues to evaluate and surgically treat the cyclotorsion and strabismus resulting from macular translocation surgery. She has developed and published on new extraocular muscle surgical techniques to deal with this problem.

Representative Publications 

1. Freedman SF, Rodriguez-Rosa RE, Rojas MC, Enyedi LB. Goniotomy for Glaucoma Secondary to Chronic Childhood Uveitis. Amer J Ophthalmol 2002:133 617-621. 
2. Freedman SF, Holgado S, Enyedi LB, Toth CA. Management of Ocular Torsion and Diplopia after Macular Translocation for Age-Related Macular Degeneraton: Prospective Clinical Study. Amer J Ophthalmol 2003:136:640-648. 
3. Toth C, Freedman SF. Macular Translocation with 360-Degree Peripheral Retinectomy, Impact of Technique and Surgical Experience on Visual Outcomes. Retina 2001:21:293-303. 
4. Englert JA, Freedman SF, Cox TA. The Ahmed Valve in Refractory Pediatric Glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol 1999:127:34-42. 
5. Beck, AD, Freedman, SF, Kammer J, Jing J. Aqueous Shunt Devices Compared to Trabeculectomy With Mitomycin-C For Children in the First Two Years of Life. Amer J Ophthalmol 2003:13:994-1000.
6. Muir KW, Jin J, Freedman SF. Central Corneal Thickness and its Relationship to Intraocular Pressure in Children. Ophthalmol 2004:111 (12): 2220-2223.
7. Trigler L, Weaver RGJr, O’Neil JW, Barondes MJ, Freedman SF. Case Series of Angle-Closure Glaucoma after Laser Treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity. J AAPOS 2005:9(1): 17-21.
8. Hess DB, Asrani SG, Bhide MG, Enyedi LB, Stinnett SS, Freedman SF. Macular Volume and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Analysis of Normal and Glaucomatous Eyes in Children Using Optical Coherence Tomography. Am J Ophthalmol 2005:139(3): 509-517.
9. Cahill MT, Stinnett SS, Banks AD, Freedman SF, and Toth CA. Quality of Life after Macular Translocation with 360 Degrees Peripheral Retinectomy for Age-related Macular Degeneration. Ophthalmol 2005:112(1):144-151.
10. Tesser R, Hess DB, and Freedman SF (2005): Combined intraocular lens implantation and glaucoma implant (tube shunt) surgery in pediatric patients: a case series. J AAPOS 2005:9(4):330-335.