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Home > NC Providers > Cornea Specialists

Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD

Accepting New Patients

(Dr. Alan Carlson, M.D.)

(723 Ratings)

Specializes in: Eye Disease Ophthalmology (Corneal and External Diseases)

Duke University School of Medicine (1981)

Professional interests include: dry eyes, cornea problems

2351 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27705

(919) 681-3937

Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD is a cornea specialist in Durham, NC specializing in eye disease ophthalmology (corneal and external diseases). He graduated from Duke University School of Medicine in 1981 and has 45 years of experience. Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD is affiliated with Duke Health.

Office Locations

2100 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27710

(919) 620-4467

open_in_new

Duke Health

2351 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27705

(919) 681-3937

open_in_new

In The News

“"I characterize this work as a major advance in the direction that we need to go," said Dr. Alan Carlson, cornea transplant chief at Duke University's eye center, who wasn't involved in the research.”—"Artificial cornea helps cells grow and restore sight", Desert News, August 2010

“Dr. Alan Carlson, a laser eye surgeon at the Duke Eye Center in Durham, built his career on correcting the vision of patients at high risk of complications.”—"LASIK failure toll can be high", Chicago Tribune, February 2008

“Dr. Alan Carlson, head of the Duke Eye Center, is comfortable with that.”—"LASIK eye problems may be underreported", Desert News, October 2007

Noteworthy Medicare Patient Procedures Performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2023

Click on any procedure below to see further details on volume and pricing among Medicare patients.

Top 25%

By Affordability:

intermediate eye exam

In 2012, Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD had a list price for intermediate eye exam that was lower than the list prices billed to Medicare by 75% of providers in related specialties within North Carolina. Actual amounts paid by patients can vary widely depending on a number of factors, including insurance coverage. A lower list price, however, might mean lower fees when paying without insurance.

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2012 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2012 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	172
excision	13
eye procedures	3164
laser treatment	172
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	13
transplant procedures	76
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	13

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2013 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2013 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	183
eye procedures	3039
laser treatment	183
transplant procedures	57

2013 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	451
Female	728

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1028
Black	121
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	15
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	552
From 75 to 84	425
85 and over	120
Less than 65	82

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2013

Hypertension	58
High Cholesterol	51
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	15
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	21
Dementia	5
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2014 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2014 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	173
doctor visit	70
eye procedures	2092
laser treatment	173
transplant procedures	62

2014 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	366
Female	549

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	816
Black	76
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	416
From 75 to 84	355
85 and over	89
Less than 65	55

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2014

Hypertension	58
High Cholesterol	50
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	15
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	20
Dementia	6
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2015 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2015 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	183
doctor visit	237
eye procedures	2412
lacrimal (tearing system) procedures	22
laser treatment	183
transplant procedures	39

2015 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	700
Female	1144

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1586
Black	188
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	42
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	900
From 75 to 84	660
85 and over	180
Less than 65	104

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2015

Hypertension	61
High Cholesterol	52
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	15
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	23
Dementia	5
Cancer	8

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2016 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	102
doctor visit	124
eye procedures	1633
lab tests	31
laser treatment	102
transplant procedures	31

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	271
Female	419

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	585
Black	74
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	13
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	351
From 75 to 84	238
85 and over	63
Less than 65	38

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2016

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	51
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	25
Depression	17
Chronic Kidney Disease	19
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	24
Dementia	5
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2017 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	137
doctor visit	191
eye procedures	2183
lacrimal (tearing system) procedures	30
laser treatment	137
transplant procedures	35

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	328
Female	451

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	664
Black	91
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	11
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	402
From 75 to 84	246
85 and over	71
Less than 65	60

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2017

Hypertension	59
High Cholesterol	40
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	16
Chronic Kidney Disease	19
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	23
Dementia	4
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2018 were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and lacrimal (tearing system) procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	109
doctor visit	83
eye procedures	1482
lacrimal (tearing system) procedures	24
laser treatment	109

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	253
Female	356

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	501
Black	82
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	14
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	293
From 75 to 84	209
85 and over	61
Less than 65	46

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2018

Hypertension	58
High Cholesterol	49
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	18
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	11
Heart Failure	13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	22
Dementia	8
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2019 were eye procedures, capsulotomy and laser treatment.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	72
eye procedures	837
laser treatment	72

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	207
Female	334

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	458
Black	59
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	12
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	223
From 75 to 84	203
85 and over	75
Less than 65	40

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2019

Hypertension	62
High Cholesterol	52
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	18
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	21
Dementia	6
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2020 were eye procedures, capsulotomy and laser treatment.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	30
eye procedures	477
laser treatment	30

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	140
Female	208

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	292
Black	41
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	130
From 75 to 84	140
85 and over	45
Less than 65	33

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2020

Hypertension	59
High Cholesterol	50
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	17
Chronic Kidney Disease	22
Asthma	3
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	23
Dementia	5
Cancer	12

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2021 were eye procedures, capsulotomy and laser treatment.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	36
eye procedures	632
laser treatment	36

2021 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	176
Female	253

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	355
Black	52
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	159
From 75 to 84	187
85 and over	51
Less than 65	32

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2021

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	18
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	24
Dementia	6
Cancer	14

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2022 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC during 2022 were eye procedures, capsulotomy and laser treatment.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

capsulotomy	20
eye procedures	371
laser treatment	20

2022 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	108
Female	171

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	233
Black	31
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	100
From 75 to 84	127
85 and over	40
Less than 65	12

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD in 2022

Hypertension	68
High Cholesterol	71
Stroke	7
Ischemic Heart Disease	22
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	19
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	16
Atrial Fibrilation	18
Heart Failure	9
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	20
Dementia	5
Cancer	18

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2012 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated as a cornea specialist in Durham, NC were eye procedures, capsulotomy, laser treatment and transplant procedures.

capsulotomy	110
doctor visit	141
excision	13
eye procedures	1665
lab tests	31
lacrimal (tearing system) procedures	25
laser treatment	110
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	13
transplant procedures	50
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	13

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2012 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	272
Female	419

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	74
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	592
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	9

**Age**
75 to 84	253
85 and over	72
Less than 65	45
65 to 74	320

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD From 2012 - 2022

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and diabetes.

Hypertension	54
High Cholesterol	47
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	15
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	6
Osteoporosis	8
Heart Failure	9
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	20
Atrial Fibrillation	9
Cancer	10
Dementia	5

Education & Training

Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD graduated from Duke University School of Medicine in 1981. He completed residency at Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology and has a state license in North Carolina.

Medical School: Duke University School of Medicine (1981)

Residency: Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals (1986)

Board Certification: American Board of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology

Licensed In: North Carolina

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Duke Health

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: MedCost, Aetna Traditional Choice, Aetna Medicare PPO, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, CIGNA Open Access Plus, WellCare, Medicare Part B, AmeriHealth, Medicare Advantage, AARP, CIGNA Open Access, United Healthcare PPO, United Healthcare POS, United Healthcare HMO, Aetna, Aetna Workers' Compensation, TRICARE Prime, Aetna Open Choice PPO, United Healthcare, TRICARE Prime Remote, Medicare, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, TRICARE, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Aetna Managed Choice POS, Aetna HMO, Gateway Health Alliance, Alliance Health (*Beginning January 2026), *Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan., Duke Employee Plans, Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA), *Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan., Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS), Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II, Duke Advantage (*Beginning January 2026), Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO), Blue Advantage (*Available in select counties only), Duke Options (*Beginning January 2026), Duke Basic, Duke USA (*Beginning January 2026), Ambetter, Experience Health, Aetna Select HMO, Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan, Blue Select, Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*, Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO, Vaya Health (*Beginning January 2026), Trillium (*Beginning January 2026), Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option, All Savers Fully Insured, Blue Value (*Duke Health Lake Norman and Kernodle Clinics only), First Medicare Direct, Carolina Complete Health, Healthgram, All Savers Alternate Funding, Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP), Aetna/CVS Health, Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice, Partners (*Beginning January 2026), Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan, Duke Select, Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice, NC State Employees Health Plan, Ambetter of North Carolina and United Medical Resources (UMR).

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

MedCost

Aetna Traditional Choice

Aetna Medicare PPO

BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

CIGNA Open Access Plus

WellCare

Medicare Part B

AmeriHealth

Medicare Advantage

AARP

CIGNA Open Access

United Healthcare PPO

United Healthcare POS

United Healthcare HMO

Aetna

Aetna Workers' Compensation

TRICARE Prime

Aetna Open Choice PPO

United Healthcare

TRICARE Prime Remote

Medicare

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

TRICARE

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Aetna Managed Choice POS

Aetna HMO

Gateway Health Alliance

Alliance Health (*Beginning January 2026)

*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.

Duke Employee Plans

Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)

*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.

Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)

Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II

Duke Advantage (*Beginning January 2026)

Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)

Blue Advantage (*Available in select counties only)

Duke Options (*Beginning January 2026)

Duke Basic

Duke USA (*Beginning January 2026)

Ambetter

Experience Health

Aetna Select HMO

Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan

Blue Select

Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*

Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO

Vaya Health (*Beginning January 2026)

Trillium (*Beginning January 2026)

Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option

All Savers Fully Insured

Blue Value (*Duke Health Lake Norman and Kernodle Clinics only)

First Medicare Direct

Carolina Complete Health

Healthgram

All Savers Alternate Funding

Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)

Aetna/CVS Health

Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice

Partners (*Beginning January 2026)

Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan

Duke Select

Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice

NC State Employees Health Plan

Ambetter of North Carolina

United Medical Resources (UMR)

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.75 out of 5 stars based on 723 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Durham, NC.

4.75

Overall Rating

(723 Ratings)

Leave a Review

Reviews Left On DocSpot

Overall Rating: 5.0 2023-10-20

Dr. Carlson was very professional and carefully exam me thoroughly. I went to him for a second opinion and grateful I did. The other type lenses implant for cataract surgery was not suitable for me since I had glaucoma. Also, my pressure was up and I needed treatment drops right away.  He highly recommended Dr. Frank Moya or Dr. Wei Huang for glaucoma treatments. I went with Dr. Moya and I’m  so grateful I did. Dr Moya got me through some serious issues with a retina detachment issue  and recommended Dr Richards for that. I was sensitive to several glaucoma treatment drops and Dr Moya helped in finding the right medication for me. Also, Dr. Moya found macular degeneration - mild stages & chronic dry eye syndrome. Getting back to Dr Carlson, he saved me several thousands of dollars with the right type lenses I needed for cataract surgery.  I highly recommend him to anyone searching for a well trained  experienced Dr. ~ Judy Church ~

General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Alan N. Carlson, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.	$141,901 WaveScan WaveFront System $61	$141,839
Alcon Laboratories Inc	$3,579 AcrySof $1,400	Cataract Equipment $1,261	LenSx $245	Ilevro $117	ACTIVEFOCUS $100	Other $457
STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY	$1,710 IOL $1,710
Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC	$1,537 TRULIGN TORIC $1,278	VICTUS $105	CRYSTALENS $54	$101
Abbott Laboratories	$1,287 Optics $513	Non-Covered $57	Medical Optics $25	$692
Other	$2,903 CEQUA $271	ReSure Sealant $269	VisuMax $238	XIIDRA $217	Eye Health $214	Other $1,694

**Types of Payments**
Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program	$141,701
Food and Beverage	$5,849
Consulting Fee	$2,450
Travel and Lodging	$1,917
Honoraria	$1,000

Biography

Dr. Alan Carlson specializes in eye disease ophthalmology (corneal and external diseases), adult hematology, and obstetrics & gynecology. He has a 4.5 out of 5 star average patient rating. His areas of expertise include dry eyes and cornea problems. Dr. Carlson is affiliated with Duke Health. He can accept Blue California, CIGNA Plans, and TRICARE, as well as other insurance carriers. Duke Health reports that Dr. Carlson is accepting new patients at his office in Durham, NC. After attending Duke University School of Medicine, he completed his residency training at a hospital affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine.