A native of New Jersey, Dr. Michael Wong was accepted into Albany Medical College out of high school. After completing an ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital in 1982, he has never wavered in his interest in research and the practice of ophthalmology.
Dr. Wong pioneered LASIK surgery in New Jersey as the founding Medical Director of New Jersey Eye Laser Centers and has been instrumental in the education of many colleagues.
In 1998 Wills Eye Hospital established a “center of excellence” for laser-based refractive eye surgery in Princeton, and as Medical Director he has overseen the evolution from the early days using the blade to the remarkable “blade-free” technique, which imparts considerably more safety and accuracy to the procedure.
Dr. Wong has performed LASIK on his wife and son and had the procedure himself, performed by his brother Richard.
Invited to be part of the Refractive Leadership Council, Dr. Wong is one of this select panel of 30 leading surgeons in the world looking at the revolutionary technology surrounding LASIK, setting standards of care and pushing forward the state-of-the-art.
Because of his seminal work in cataract and laser surgery, he was accorded the Innovators Award by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. This award draws from all fields and honors only four scientists each year. Dr. Wong is the first clinical physician to be honored in this manner.
His innovation, colloquially called the “Wong Way,” has achieved international recognition for making cataract surgery safer.
In his mind, the highest recognition ever bestowed upon him is the Distinguished Physicians Humanitarian Award by the University Hospital of Princeton for his Doctors Without Borders work for the poor in Africa, Peru and Paraguay, in addition to generously contributing to local indigent care. This work was highlighted on WABC-TV of New York.
