Neil J. Friedman, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained refractive surgeon who specializes in cataract and refractive surgery. He has participated in laser research since 1991, has authored over 100 scientific papers, book chapters, and articles, and has published four best-selling ophthalmology textbooks.
In addition, he has designed numerous surgical instruments, holds several patents in advanced methods of cataract surgery using femtosecond laser technology, and is frequently invited to lecture at national meetings and teach surgical courses.
Dr. Friedman attended Dartmouth College where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. After finishing his ophthalmology residency at the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary where he served as chief resident, Dr. Friedman completed a sub-specialty fellowship in cataract, refractive, and anterior segment surgery at the Cullen Eye Institute of Baylor College of Medicine. He then pursued an academic career at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic where he was recruited for his expertise in cataract and refractive surgery.
He was also selected to be the NFL team ophthalmologist for the Cleveland Browns. Dr. Friedman subsequently moved to the Bay area to join Mid-Peninsula Ophthalmology in 2000, and he served as a team ophthalmologist for the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to his busy surgical practice, Dr. Friedman is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology devoting time to resident and medical student education, teaching in the classroom, clinic, and operating room. His expertise is highly sought after, and he has been invited to serve as a consultant and advisory board member to more than a dozen ophthalmic device and pharmaceutical companies, including Alcon, Allergan, AMO, Bausch + Lomb, Oculeve, and OptiMedica.
Dr. Friedman’s research interests include ophthalmic lasers, cataract surgery and lens implant technology, and dry eye treatments. He participates in scientific studies as an investigator for surgical devices and was instrumental in developing both laser cataract surgery technology and neurostimulation for dry eye disease.
For two decades, Dr. Friedman has been at the forefront of surgical skills instructional courses to ophthalmologists worldwide and serves on several educational committees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. As a result, he has been honored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology with an Achievement Award, has earned a Lifelong Education for the Ophthalmologists Award, and has received the American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award.
Dr. Friedman is also an associate examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, a founding member of the American College of Ophthalmic Surgeons, past President of the Peninsula Eye Society, and sits on the editorial boards of ophthalmic industry publications. He has been named as one of America’s Top Ophthalmologists, has received multiple Patients’ Choice Awards, and has been chosen by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in the Bay Area.
Dr. Friedman is passionate about giving his patients the best possible vision with the most advanced technology.