Emily Sarah Charlson, MD, PhD
Oculofacial • Orbital • Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Emily Sarah Charlson, MD, PhD
Dr. Emily Sarah Charlson is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeon with advanced subspecialty training in eyelid, orbital, and aesthetic plastic surgery. With dual MD and PhD training and American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery (ASOPRS) certification, she brings both surgical precision and deep scientific expertise to every aspect of patient care.
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Clinical Focus
Dr. Charlson specializes in eyelid reconstruction, blepharoplasty, brow lifts, and facial rejuvenation — performing advanced minimally invasive procedures as well as non-surgical treatments including Botox, dermal fillers, and laser skin resurfacing. As an ophthalmology-trained eyelid specialist, she is uniquely focused on achieving natural cosmetic results while protecting vision and maintaining long-term eye health.
She also treats dry eye conditions related to eyelid and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), offering therapies such as LipiFlow and IPL (OptiLight), and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED).
Training
BS, Biology
Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University
MD and PhD, Cell & Molecular Biology
Perelman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania
Ophthalmology Residency
Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California, Irvine
Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery & Orbital Oncology Fellowship
Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University
Affiliations
Dr. Charlson is an Attending Ophthalmic Physician at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), Sutter Health, where she also teaches ophthalmology residents, and serves as an advisor to the Stanford University Clinical Informatics Management Program. Previously, she worked as a surgeon at the Stanford Byers Eye Institute and as Director of Research for thyroid eye disease AI predictions.
Her industry experience includes serving as Chief Medical Officer of an AI-based medical billing and utilization management company and as Clinical Advisor to several Bay Area startups; she also advises companies and investors on molecular and cellular diagnostics, novel therapeutics, and clinical trials
Patient Testimonials
Ready to see Dr. Charlson?
Our team is here to help with routine eye exams, dry eye treatment, oculoplastic surgery, and aesthetic consultations.
Featured Patient Story
"When I first came to Pacific Eye, I didn't know healing was possible."
A real patient's experience navigating diagnosis and treatment for Thyroid Eye Disease.
“When I was first diagnosed at 38 with Graves’ Disease and referred to Dr. Charlson, I was pretty nervous and physically in bad shape. I’d had undiagnosed Graves’ Disease for at least 6 months, and Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) was a part of that — tremors, weight loss, anxiety, heart palpitations, eye bulge, irregular eyesight, and more.
Dr. Charlson worked closely with my endocrinologist to map a path to treat my TED with Tepezza infusions. As someone who works in healthcare, I knew it would likely take back and forth with my insurance to get the treatment approved — and sure enough, it took around 5 months, after denials and my insurance company dragging their feet. The team at Pacific Eye kept jumping through the bureaucratic hoops to get me to the approval line. Without their and Dr. Charlson’s persistence, I wouldn’t have been approved for treatment.
Then, as a result of my employer being acquired, my insurance changed almost halfway through treatment. Dr. Charlson and team worked yet again to secure prior authorization — this time a bit quicker, since my new insurance could see I was already under treatment. Just remember: Dr. Charlson’s team is always in your corner, even when your insurance company puts up roadblocks and denials, because that’s the nature of our healthcare landscape.
I finished the Tepezza treatment, and one year later I’m still without any TED symptoms. When I had my first appointment in 2024, I didn’t know healing was possible. Now here I am, healthy as ever. All the blood, sweat, and tears got me here. If you’re intimidated or scared by the process of what it will take to heal, know that you’re not alone — it is bewildering and a big challenge. Take everything one day at a time. If your journey is like mine, there will be good and bad days. Everyone’s path is different. But in the end, healing is possible, and everything you do today will be so worth it in the future.
Thanks to Dr. Charlson, Billy, Jonathan, Maria, Maggie, and everyone at Pacific Eye for advocating for Thyroid Eye patients to receive the care and treatment they deserve! You’ve changed my life for the better, and I’m so grateful for your care and partnership in treatment. Onward and upward.”
Matt, Thyroid Eye Disease Patient (Tepezza infusion therapy completed 2025)
