Our Physicians

Michael Engelbert, M.D. Ph.D. joined Vitreous-Retina-Macula Consultants of New York in 2010. He is a vitreoretinal surgeon and macular disease specialist, with a special interest in age-related macular degeneration and retinal detachment surgery, as well as sight-threatening infections of the eye.

Dr. Engelbert received his medical degree Magna Cum Laude from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany, after which he dedicated himself several years to basic research in the study of endophthalmitis, a vision-threatening infection, that can occur after eye surgery. He earned a Ph.D. for this work and is considered a leader in this field. Dr. Engelbert is continuing this research at the Skirball Center for Molecular Pathogenesis at NYU in cooperation with Dr. Richard Novick, a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Before joining the residency program at Columbia University, Dr. Engelbert served his internship at Griffin Hospital, a Yale-affiliated center in Connecticut, where he was granted the Vincent D. DeLuca award for the best medical intern.

Afterward, he was resident and chief resident in the Department of Ophthalmology of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Insitute on the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Campus. Following his residency training, Dr. Engelbert was awarded a medical and surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital and Columbia University.

Dr. Engelbert is a member of The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), The European Society of Vitreoretinal Specialists (EVRS), the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He has published numerous papers on retinal disease, received several awards and has been granted permanent resident status in the United States in the category “outstanding scientist”. He serves as a reviewer for the premier journals in the field, including the Archives of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Retina, Eye, and Graefe’s Archives of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.

He is a Research Assistant Professor at New York University and Clinical Instructor at NYU and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he is actively involved in instructing residents and fellows in the art of medical retina and retinal surgery.

He has received the Compassionate Doctor Recognition and the Patients' Choice Award in 2010, 2011, and 2012 for his compassionate, patient-centered care.