Jay Fleischman, MD — Retinal Surgeon in the Bronx, New York City, NY

Dr. Jay Fleischman is a highly experienced, board-certified ophthalmologist and retina specialist providing advanced medical and surgical care for retinal diseases at SightMD in the Bronx, New York. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of complex retinal conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and other vision-threatening diseases.

Dr. Fleischman brings decades of clinical, academic, and research experience to his practice. Before pursuing medicine, he worked as a systems analyst/programmer at New York’s NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies while completing his applied math/computer engineering and medical degrees at Columbia University. This unique technical foundation continues to inform his innovative approach to ophthalmology and retinal surgery.

He completed his ophthalmology training at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University and his retina specialty training at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In 1980, Dr. Fleischman became the Director of Retina at the Bethesda Eye Institute, St. Louis University, and later served as Director at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in 1988. In 2000, he transitioned into private practice while continuing his academic role as a Clinical Associate Professor.

Since 1984, Dr. Fleischman has lectured and taught retinal surgery around the world through Project ORBIS (the Flying Eye Hospital), helping expand access to advanced eye care globally. He has authored numerous scientific papers and holds several patents, including a device designed to help restore vision in patients with macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of vision loss after age 55.

Among his many innovations, Dr. Fleischman developed the laser endophotocoagulator, which has become a worldwide standard of care in advanced vitreoretinal surgery. He is also an expert in the treatment of diabetes-related eye disease, particularly diabetic retinopathy, and served as an investigator in the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) conducted by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Dr. Fleischman has consulted for leading healthcare companies including HGM, Alcon, and Mentor, and has served as an advisor to Pfizer. As a member of the Glytec Systems Board of Directors, he helped develop FDA-cleared insulin and glucose dosing software designed to improve outpatient diabetes management and reduce hypoglycemic events in hospital settings.

He currently serves as a member of the FDA medical device panel and sits on the scientific board of Kineolabs, where he has contributed to the development of a low-cost, portable OCT imaging device to expand access to ophthalmic diagnostics worldwide.

Practicing in the Bronx, Dr. Fleischman provides expert retina care to patients across New York City, focusing on preserving and restoring vision through advanced medical and surgical treatments.