Curriculum Vitae

Dr Alberto Bellone is a medical doctor and specialist in Ophthalmology, and Head of the Ophthalmology Unit at Clinica Sedes Sapientiae in Turin (Humanitas Group). He has practised advanced ocular microsurgery for over twenty-five years, operating regularly in three areas: cataract surgery with high-technology intraocular lens implantation, refractive surgery with excimer laser and ICL phakic lenses, and minimally invasive vitreoretinal surgery. He is the Italian contact for STAAR Surgical and a certified surgeon for ICL lens calculation and implantation.

Current position

• Head of the Ophthalmology Unit — Clinica Sedes Sapientiae (Humanitas Group), Turin
• Italian contact for STAAR Surgical (USA), manufacturer of Visian ICL intraocular lenses

At Clinica Sedes Sapientiae he has contributed to the development of the ophthalmic surgical service and to the selection of the unit’s technology, which includes the Leica Proveo 8 operating microscope with EnFocus intraoperative OCT. On this platform he developed the V.I.S.I.O.N. protocol (Visual Intraoperative Sizing In Ophthalmology for NatSized ICL), a method that uses intraoperative OCT imaging to measure phakic lens vaulting during surgery and, where the measurement indicates it, to exchange the lens for a more appropriate size within the same procedure.

Areas of surgical practice

Cataract surgery

• Phacoemulsification and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery
• Premium IOL implantation: multifocal, toric and EDOF
• IC-8 small-aperture IOL, indicated in patients with corneal irregularity, particularly following radial keratotomy
• Management of complex cases and intraoperative complications

Refractive surgery

• Excimer laser: PRK and Femto-LASIK
• ICL phakic lens implantation, spherical and toric — STAAR Surgical certified surgeon
• Surgical correction of presbyopia
• Intraoperative ICL vaulting assessment with the V.I.S.I.O.N. protocol

Keratoconus and corneal ectasia

• Keraring intrastromal corneal ring implantation — continuous practice for over twenty years
• Corneal cross-linking, including transepithelial iontophoresis techniques
• Patient selection and individualised conservative treatment

Vitreoretinal surgery

• Minimally invasive sutureless 27-gauge vitrectomy — routine practice for over ten years
• Surgical treatment of retinal detachment
• Surgery for macular pucker (epiretinal membrane) and macular hole
• Intravitreal injections

Introduction of new technologies

Over the course of his career Dr Bellone has performed the first implants of several devices:

Surgical activity

Dr Bellone’s surgical register documents, from 2005 to the present:

Combined procedures, such as cataract surgery and vitrectomy performed in the same session, are counted in both categories.

Education

Specialisation in Ophthalmology — University of Turin, 2000. Awarded 70/70 with honours (dignità di stampa), thesis: “Principles, technique, usefulness and limits of three-dimensional ultrasound in Ophthalmology”, supervisor Prof. B. Boles Carenini.

Degree in Medicine and Surgery — University of Turin, 1996. Awarded 105/110 with honours (dignità di stampa), thesis: “Principles, technique, usefulness and limits of Colour Doppler ultrasound in Ophthalmology”, supervisor Prof. B. Boles Carenini. Qualified to practise as a medical doctor and surgeon in 1997.

“Vision Rehabilitation Specialists” course — 1999, within the Horizon 1997-1999 employment project “Insieme per l’autonomia”, with a certificate of competence in vision rehabilitation techniques issued by the Piedmont Region.

Certifications and registrations

• Registered with the Medical Association (Ordine dei Medici) of Turin, no. 17915
• STAAR Surgical certified surgeon for ICL lens implantation
• Certified to teach ICL lens calculation and surgery
• Italian contact for STAAR Surgical
• Piedmont Region certification in vision rehabilitation techniques

Facilities

In addition to his own private practice in Turin, Dr Bellone works at hospitals and specialist centres across Piedmont.

Continuing education and outreach

• Teaching and training for fellow specialists on ICL lens calculation and surgery
• Regular attendance at national and international ophthalmology courses and congresses
• Video documentation of surgical techniques on the YouTube channel “Alberto Bellone Oculista”
• Scientific and health information content on albertobellone.it

Languages

• Italian — native speaker
• English — professional working proficiency

Medical deontology

Registered with the Medical Association (Ordine dei Medici) of Turin, no. 17915. The owner declares that this website complies with the Guidelines on the application of articles 55, 56 and 57 of the Italian code of medical ethics (advertising of health information).