K. Bailey Freund, MD specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with all retinal disorders including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular and inflammatory diseases. He is an expert in difficult-to-diagnose and rare conditions.
Member
Dr. Freund is internationally recognized in his field and is a member of the Retina Society, Macula Society, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is a founding member and trustee of the International Retinal Imaging Society (IntRIS). Dr. Freund is on the Editorial Board of the journal Retina and is an Associate Editor for Retinal Cases & Brief Reports. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and has written numerous book chapters. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the Macula Society and Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, as well as America's Best Eye Doctor 2022 Award.
Education
Dr. Freund graduated from Williams College and the New York University School of Medicine and completed his residency training in general ophthalmology and fellowship in medical and surgical retina at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital. He was born and raised in Manhattan and continues to reside here with his wife and his two children.
Undergraduate: Williams College
Medical School: New York University
Ophthalmology Residency: Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital
Vitreoretinal Surgical Fellowship: Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital
Academic Appointments
Clinical Professor Ophthalmology New York University School of Medicine
Innovations
- Co-founded the Eye Donor Registry with Dr. Christine Curcio, a collaboration that has yielded over 25 high-impact peer reviewed publications
- Described the Pachychorioid Disease Spectrum, a disease mechanism influencing the presentation of millions of age-relate macular degeneration (AMD) patients worldwide
- Disproved the efficacy of existing treatment in the majority of wet AMD patients, driving the field to develop better treatment options for age-related macular degeneration
- Refined the classification wet AMD and popularized the use of this anatomical classification, which allowed identification of the underlying disease mechanisms
- Demonstrated that type III neovascularization in AMD is far more common than originally recognized
- With his VRMNY colleagues, ophthalmologists and retina doctors, he developed the “Treat and Extend” regimen of anti-VEGF therapy to optimize dosing regimens
- First described many of the unique multimodal imaging findings of White Dot Syndromes and the first to implicate aberrant complement regulation as a being associated with some of these entities
Curriculum Vitae
View Dr. Freund’s full academic history, professional achievements, and research accomplishments.
