"Ough! Those injections into your eyes must hurt." I get this question all the time. No, it does not hurt, it is just uncomfortable and weird but not painful. And I have better vision today then I did as a young person.

The treatment and injections into my eyes almost monthly for approximately 4 years have been a blessing. Dr. Freeman and the fellows who come from the world over to further enhance their knowledge and profession do everything they can to make me feel comfortable and safe. I live in Laguna Niguel but find the drive well worth the effort and I can enjoy the ocean view.

I am very pleased that my cardiologist at Scripps referred me to Dr. Freeman. I am ever grateful for my fine treatment and vision.

I still have the pleasure of safely driving my grandchildren to and from school. I just renewed my driver’s license for 5 years.

I am at 79 a retired owner/operator of residential properties.

~ Jean Clem

I was diagnosed with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) about 8 years ago and started treatment with Dr. Freeman 6 years ago. My daughter had found out about Dr. Freeman from reading an article in the newspaper. She read about the work he was doing and we made an appointment to see him right away. He was the first doctor I went to that knew anything about my disease. He is a gifted man who is very caring. Thanks to Dr. Freeman my vision has been stabilized. I can't praise him enough for controlling the progression of my disease so I can watch my grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up.

~ Florence Pinamonti

I have been a patient of Dr. Freeman since April 2011. A year earlier I noticed from one day to another a sharp drop in the vision of my right eye. I went to various ophthalmologists without either getting a correct diagnosis or subsequently a successful treatment. Eventually I was told to get in contact with the Shiley Eye Center. The only regret I have is that I was not able to go there much earlier, but I did not know about this UCSD facility.

Dr. Freeman diagnosed a retinal vein occlusion that had caused an edema. His approach: “We can and will do something to help,” sounded quite different from what I had been hearing before. Dr. Freeman began immediately with injections into the right eye. Of course I was scared before receiving the first one. Who wouldn’t be! Just the thought of getting an injection into your eye would make most people want to run out of the doctor’s office. However, the way Dr. Freeman approached the topic, explaining everything, answering my questions, calmly demonstrating that this is a treatment he executes successfully numerous times every day, took my fear away.

Many injections later I am quite confident about my vision again. No, the edema is not gone but under control. It seems, as if I just need an injection now every three months or so. A big success! What I really like about being a patient of Dr. Freeman is that he listens to me, the patient. He takes the time to communicate with me. Yes, he is the expert, but he knows I am the one who can judge the best how my vision changes, within which timeframe and which treatment works with which injection. He welcomes an informed patient. Dr. Freeman wants the patient to be part of his decisions.

Of course Dr. Freeman’s reputation is well known, not only in the U.S. When I had to see an ophthalmologist in Germany to check on my eye during a more than two months stay there, that doctor knew that I am the patient of a world class specialist. After he heard about my history his comment was that Dr. Freeman did an outstanding job to save my vision.

I should add that all the young fellows working with Dr. Freeman at Shiley from all over the globe do an outstanding job, too. I always feel I am in the best hands with Dr. Freeman, his team and staff. Thank-you, Dr. Freeman! One more thing: to see Dr. Freeman I always fly or drive in from Las Vegas, NV.

- Roland Lange