Kathryn B. Freidl, M.D.

Board-Certified Ophthalmologist; Fellowship-Trained in Cataract and Glaucoma Surgery

Dr. Kathryn B. Freidl is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and glaucoma surgery. Dr. Freidl was one of the first surgeons in the region to apply the technique of laser cataract surgery. She also has award-winning research experience. Compassionate, patient-centered care is very important to Dr. Freidl.

Areas of Focus

Cataracts · Glaucoma

Kathryn B. Freidl, MD, is a Board-Certified ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and glaucoma surgery. She completed medical and surgical fellowship in glaucoma at the prestigious Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, the largest glaucoma diagnosis and treatment center in the country. Since then, she has been a surgeon at Florida Eye Specialists.

Dr. Freidl is one of the first trained minimally invasive glaucoma surgeons in Jacksonville, as well as one of the first surgeons in the city to apply the technique of laser cataract surgery. Dr. Freidl values compassionate, patient-centered care, and newer treatments and devices are less invasive than traditional glaucoma and cataract surgery. They offer patients lower risk, shorter operating times, and faster recovery.

On dual academic and research scholarships, Dr. Freidl attended the Schreyer’s Honors College at The Pennsylvania State University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in biology and a minor in English. She completed and published an honors thesis focused on nutrition and neurodegenerative processes. In medical school at Thomas Jefferson University Medical College (now Sidney Kimmel Medical College), she received another research scholarship for her work on neurotransmitters and the immune system. During her residency at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY, she trained in the medical and surgical management of cataracts, cornea and external disease, glaucoma, retinal pathology, uveitis, neuro-ophthalmic conditions, and other diseases of the eye. She researched treatments of macular ischemia and authored publications on unique clinical cases. Dr. Freidl then returned to Philadelphia to complete a surgical glaucoma fellowship at the Wills Eye Institute. Her research there focused primarily on the surgical treatment of glaucoma.

Get to Know Dr. Freidl

What is Glaucoma?

Dr. Freidl has award-winning research experience, with numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national conferences. She has authored several textbook chapters on glaucoma and its treatments, as well as other conditions. Dr. Freidl has also been recognized multiple times as a Jacksonville Magazine Top Doctor, including in 2025 and 2026, reflecting her longstanding commitment to excellence in ophthalmic care. Currently, Dr. Freidl is involved in several clinical trials to improve the medical and surgical management of glaucoma and cataracts.

What Patients Have to Say About Kathryn B. Freidl, M.D.

"Everybody in the facility was wonderful and friendly. Dr. Freidl came in, assured me everything was going to be fine, and told me what the procedure was going to be. The next morning, I could read up close. About the next day or two, I was able to see far away. It took about five days before I saw totally clearly."

Kathy

"I appreciate the care Dr. Freidl takes of me, as well as the education that she shares with me. The one eye that I have left is very important to me, and I feel like it is just as important to her, too. She doesn’t make me feel like a number; she is proud of what she does, and she should be! I am glad to be in her care."

Craig Donovan

"I love Dr. Freidl. She is thoughtful and communicative. She was my doctor for cataract surgery many years ago and now when I see her with my chronic dry she is amazing for recommendations of what to do. I highly recommend Dr. Freidl."

Marie O.

"Dr. Freidl is an outstanding doctor. She recently did cataract surgery on both of my eyes, and the results have been amazing. I have been wearing glasses since I was ten years old, and I now no longer require them for distance vision at all. As an added benefit, I can see with greater clarity and brightness than I ever remember experiencing. This is like a miracle to me, and I am so grateful to have found Dr. Freidl and Florida Eye Specialists. Everyone I have dealt with there has been devoted to patient care and well-being, and the results reflect that."

Susan C.

"Dr. Freidl is absolutely The Very Best! She is my Glaucoma Guru, and I am both fortunate and grateful for her expert care."

Karen W.

"If you had 10 stars or even 100 stars, that is how awesome I think Dr. Freidl is. I feel so blessed to have found her after some terrible experiences at other eye Doctor's. She has the best attitude, and is kind, and caring and definitely choose the right profession. The world needs more Doctor's just like Dr. Freidl. She definitely changed my life! Thank you today and everyday."

Diane E.