Joseph Dello Russo

Joseph Dello Russo is an ophthalmologist who specializes in laser vision correction. He is currently the director of Dello Russo Laser Vision which operates clinics in Bergenfield, New Jersey, Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York.

Dr. Dello Russo is best known as one of 10 surgeons selected by the FDA to perform the clinical stage III trials for Lasik starting in 1990, which eventually led to the FDA approval of Lasik in 1996. He has been featured on ABC’s Primetime, Fox News, New York Times and Newsday.

Life
Joseph Dello Russo was born in Boston, Massachusetts and moved to New York City at five years of age. He attended New York University’s undergraduate program and received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1962.

Dello Russo started a private eye practice in Bergenfield, NJ in 1968. After becoming well-established in his career, he entered an innovative contributive phase in 1988. He first conferred with Lasik inventor, Dr. Stephen Trokel, regarding the FDA's phase I trail of the VISX excimer laser in it’s potential use for laser vision correction. In the following year, he participated in the first ever excimer laser correction seminar at Tulane University with Dr. Marguerite McDonald, who was the first surgeon to perform excimer laser surgery in the world. Following the seminar, Dr. Joseph Dello Russo became the first U.S. surgeon to place a commercial order for an excimer laser and joined the FDA team of researchers. Between 1991-1996, Dr. Dello Russo participated in the FDA’s phase III trials of the VISX Excimer laser.

Dello Russo dedicated almost his entire life to explore and treat patients with laser eye surgery and other surgical eye treatments. His dedication to the laser technology granted him in 1997 the first special approval by the FDA to treat farsightedness using the VISX laser. He has participated in many other FDA research trials as well, helping to introduce technologies that are now standards of care: “Laser” cataract surgery (Phaco) in 1975, ambulatory cataract surgery in 1978, Yag lasers in 1983 and foldable lens implants in 1985.