Carol L. Shields MD
Director, Ocular Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital; Professor of Ophthalmology, Sidney Kimmel Medical School of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDr. Shields graduated from University of Pittsburgh Medical School with highest honors. She is a recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Honor Award and the only female ophthalmologist in the world to receive the prestigious Donders Medal for excellence in ophthalmology from the Dutch Ophthalmologic Society in 2003.Dr. Shields maintains a rewarding professional life managing patients with cancer of the eye. Her special interests include pediatric eye cancer such as retinoblastoma as well as adult eye cancer such as intraocular melanoma, conjunctival tumors and orbital tumors. She has contributed extensively in the field of retinoblastoma with research regarding risks for tumor spread as well as clinical advancements for tumor treatment. Dr. Shields has pioneered the use of newer, naturally moving orbital implants after enucleation of the eye.
Her innovative ideas have allowed many children to have their lives saved and in many cases maintain vision in an eye that had been afflicted with cancer. She is a proponent of early treatment for intraocular melanoma and has been able to save many eyes with this disease using radiotherapy, resection and thermotherapy. Dr. Shields’ extensive knowledge of “cutting edge” ocular technology has propelled the Oncology Service to the forefront of treatment options for our patients.Dr. Carol Shields has contributed over 700 articles in the medical literature regarding eye cancer. She has published nearly 200 chapters in various textbooks and has co-authored five textbooks on ocular tumors. She serves on the editorial board of several ophthalmic journals and has lectured extensively giving over 375 scientific and named lectures.In addition to her nationally recognized practice, she provides care for over 50 new international patients each year from many countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Recent Contributions to PracticeUpdate:
- Adjuvant Laser Use in Macular Retinoblastoma
- Imaging Technologies for Ocular Surface Tumors
- Increased Risk of Cancer in Patients With Retinal Vein Occlusion
- Are Risk Factors for Growth of Choroidal Nevi Associated With Malignant Transformation? Assessment With a Validated Genomic Biomarker
- Photodynamic Therapy as Primary Treatment for Small Choroidal Melanoma
- Multimodal Imaging of Suspicious Choroidal Neoplasms in a Primary Eye-Care Clinic
- Differentiating Benign vs Malignant Conjunctival Tumors in Children
- Benign vs Malignant Conjunctival Tumors
- Phantom Eye Syndrome: Patient Experiences After Enucleation for Uveal Melanoma
- AJCC Classification of Uveal Melanoma (Anatomic Stage) Predicts Prognosis