Michael W. Belin

Dr. Michael W. Belin is a board certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist and the area’s most experienced laser vision correction specialist. Dr. Belin serves as Medical Director of the Albany Lions Eye Bank. Prior to coming to Albany in 1989, Dr. Belin was Director of the Corneal Division at the George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Belin was instrumental in the development of laser vision correction in the Capital Region. He was the first area ophthalmologist to perform both LASIK and PRK and was performing Laser Vision Correction surgery years before any other area surgeon. He has performed over 9,000 LASIK and PRK procedures. Dr. Belin’s research includes computerized corneal analysis (corneal topography), corneal transplantation immunology and laser vision correction.

Training

Dr. Belin attended Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) where he majored in Bio-Medical Engineering and received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Rutgers Medical School. He completed his internship and residency at the Albany Medical College and furthered his education with specialty fellowship training in Cornea and External Diseases of the Eye at the University of Iowa. He subsequently completed (by invitation) a traveling fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of England Foundation and was the first Ophthalmologist ever selected. Dr. Belin is Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the Albany Medical Center Department of Ophthalmology and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa (Ontario, Canada).

Accomplishments

Dr. Belin is an internationally recognized authority in the field of refractive surgery and has published or presented over 180 papers. Dr. Belin is a frequent guest speaker at most major ophthalmic meetings, having been an invited speaker on Laser Vision Correction in many countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Germany, Italy, Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, Scotland and Switzerland. Dr. Belin has also been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX television as an expert in Laser Vision Correction. He has served as a consultant to VISX, LaserSight and Chiron-Technolas (laser manufacturers), and is the area’s only VISX certified trainer (trains other physicians in the use of the VISX excimer laser) and a LASIK instructor. He is the only area surgeon to serve as a consultant and principal investigator for two laser manufacturers and has served on the FDA Ophthalmic Device Panel and Drug Panel as a special government consultant. Dr. Belin co-authored the instructional manual for the VISX laser and the MORIA microkeratome (surgical instrument utilized to make the LASIK flap).

Awards

Dr. Belin was awarded the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Honor Award in 1988, received the prestigious Senior Honor Award in 1998 (an honor bestowed on less than 1% of all ophthalmologists) and the Secretariat Achievement Award in 2002.

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