Meet Our Founder

Morton Alterman, M.D.

Dr. Alterman grew up in New Jersey with his older brother Honorable Judge Herb Alterman. His parents Samuel and Fay were the proud owners of Alterman's Dress Shop. Dr. Alterman followed his older brother to John Hopkins University and then moved up the east coast and attended Harvard Medical School followed by an internship at Beth Israel Hospital. A blind date led to a very happy marriage to his wife Rita which produced two successful sons and four delightful grandchildren. He completed two years of service at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Detroit and served in the Coast Guard at Ocean Station Bravo. He began his 50 year adventure in Ophthalmology at New York's Bellevue Hospital. After the completion of his residency and additional training in Pediatric Ophthalmology he practiced in Washington DC, Portland, Oregon, and ultimately back to New York City.

Dr. Alterman made his final move to Poughkeepsie and began our practice in 1965. Poughkeepsie always reminded him of his hometown in New Jersey. He felt it would be a wonderful place to raise a family and would be a great community in which to establish a private practice. He continued to teach at Bellevue Hospital and later at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he supervised surgery in the Pediatric Ophthalmology program. In 1976 he was joined by Dr. Satish Modi and in 2003 by Dr. Andreas Wolter who both have continued to carry on Dr. Alterman's vision, emphasizing compassionate care and advanced technology. After more than 45 years of practice Dr. Alterman retired in 2013. Dr. Alterman is well known to patients throughout the Hudson Valley for his outstanding care. His delightful singing and reminders of how 'glorious' the Hudson Valley is will always be remembered. If you are lucky you may still catch him roaming the halls of Seeta Eye for a much loved visit.