Director, Resident Refractive Surgery/Laser Vision
Correction Program
Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
New York University School of Medicine.
Founding Director of the Cornell Laser Vision Center
– New York Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. Belmont became a Corneal Fellow under the preceptorship of Dr. Richard C. Troutman at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital after completing training in general Ophthalmology in 1983. In the late eighties, her interest in the excimer laser’s potential for the correction of refractive errors and corneal irregularities was kindled during a lecturing trip outside the U.S. Soon afterwards, Dr. Belmont became one of the first refractive surgeons in New York (and the U.S.) to work with FDA protocols in the study of the excimer laser for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism (PRK and Lasik). Following Dr. Troutman’s retirement in 1991, Dr. Belmont took charge of his practice.
At present Dr. Belmont has trained 17 fellows through her highly competitive Corneal Fellowship Program. The focus of the program is cornea transplantation surgery and laser vision correction. She is most recently at work evaluating Laser Assisted Scleral Ablation (LAPR) in an FDA study on the correction of presbyopia (an inability to focus up close that leads to a need for reading glasses as we mature). The study is expected to run through 2009.
A spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, recipient of the Academy’s Award for Distinguished Services, internationally recognized as a top specialist in the field of refractive and corneal surgery, Dr. Belmont is a member of the AAO’s Refractive Surgery Interest Group, the International Society of Refractive Surgery’s Oversight Committee on Laser Vision Correction, and the Eye Bank for Sight Restoration’s Medical Advisory Board. She ranks among the select Doctors that were first to establish laser vision correction in the U.S. and is the honored recipient of the 2004 Richard C. Troutman, M.D. Master Teacher Award in Ophthalmology for her contribution in making laser vision correction the safe and popular procedure that it has become.
As a leading Manhattan LASIK surgeon, Dr. Belmont has performed tens of thousands of procedures on a diverse patient population that includes television and movie celebrities, newscasters, pilots, and members of the armed forces. In October of 2006 Dr. Belmont performed the laser vision correction procedure on Regis Philbin that was televised on Live! with Regis and Kelly. In January of 2009, Dr. Belmont's laser vision correction treatment on Jimmy Fallon was broadcast on the web. Doctor Belmont's skills and experience have made her a clear choice for Doctors and Surgeons who undergo laser vision correction. She has improved and restored the quality of life for thousands of patients with her hands, helping them to lead fuller, more productive lives through restored sight and the miracle of refractive surgery.
In 1998, Dr. Belmont performed a corneal transplant on Mandy Patinkin that was televised for CBS. The experience prompted Mr. Patinkin to become a spokesperson for the Eye Bank for Sight Restoration to increase public awareness of this sight restoring surgical procedure.
Dr. Belmont has been prominently featured in, among others: the New York Times, the Today Show, ABC News, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, NY1, the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, Time Magazine, Parade Magazine, Eye World, Eye Net, and Ophthalmology Times. .
