Avi Wallerstein

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Dr Avi Wallerstein

Avi Wallerstein is a Canadian ophthalmologist and laser eye surgeon who specializes in surgical vision correction, also termed refractive eye surgery. He practises in Montreal and Toronto. In 2001, he co-founded LASIK MD with Mark Cohen. LASIK MD is Canada's largest provider of laser refractive surgery, performing over 60,000 procedures a year. [1] He is one of only 14 certified CLasik instructors in North America.

Contents

Education

Wallerstein studied physiology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and completed his Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He then specialized in ophthalmology (FCRSC) at McGill University in Montreal where he received his Royal College of Canada certification. He went on to complete his post-doctoral fellowship training in corneal transplantation, cataract surgery and laser refractive surgery from Cornell, North Shore University Hospital and New York University, in New York City, USA. Wallerstein is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC) and is a member of the American, European and International Societies of Refractive Surgery as well as the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Professional work

Wallerstein has extensive clinical experience and has conducted over 60,000 laser ocular surgery procedures. He has devoted the last eighteen years of his career to laser refractive care, focusing his medical practice exclusively on laser vision correction. He performs complex corneal collagen and cross-linking (CXL) procedures for keratoconus patients, [2] combined with excimer laser and topography-guided treatments for challenging corneas. [3]

Wallerstein's early career saw him work in various clinics. He was the LASIK specialist at Focus Eye Centre in Ottawa and Montreal's Ophthalmolaser Clinic. During this time, Wallerstein was the first Montreal surgeon to introduce the vertical flap technique with a scanning spot laser, a method that was ultimately adopted as the standard of care in laser refractive surgeries across North America. He later assumed the role of International Medical Director at LASIK Vision Corporation. [4] There, he oversaw medical protocol in 28 clinics with 58 surgeons across North America, and became the co-chairman of their medical advisory committee and sat on the board of directors for LASIK Vision Corporation. [5]

In 2001, Wallerstein went on to found LASIK MD with Mark Cohen, and sits as the company's executive vice-president. [6] He is one of two of LASIK MD's national medical directors, a role that sees him responsible for implementing protocol, standardization and quality control in all clinics across the country, as well as overseeing the annual LASIK MD National Surgeon Conference on Advanced LASIK Techniques. He also supervises and teaches a team of over 50 laser eye surgeons practicing in the various clinics.

Wallerstein heads LASIK MD's research & development department. He has developed and implemented the only commercial multi-clinic electronic medical records software solely specialized for laser vision correction. He has also worked as the principal investigator with pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers on multi-centre clinic trials in laser vision correction. He has more than 90 peer-reviewed, published and presented scientific abstracts to his credit. Wallerstein teaches residents and ophthalmologists-in-training in his role as director of optics and refractive surgery teaching at McGill University and is an assistant professor of ophthalmology and attending staff at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). [7] Additionally, he has trained over 200 Canadian ophthalmologists in laser refractive surgery.

In 2015, Wallerstein and Cohen launched a new laser vision procedure called Laser PresbyVision™, [8] a corneal-based treatment designed to correct blurred near vision and reduce patients' need for reading glasses, a condition known as presbyopia.

Awards

Wallerstein was awarded the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Best Scientific Paper prize on numerous occasions.[ citation needed ] In 2006, he and Cohen both received the Howard Stotland Technology Award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year. [9] Wallerstein is a Quebec recipient of the Ernst and Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Professional/Financial Services category and received a National Citation in honour of Service Excellence. [10] Wallerstein has also spoken at schools and colleges, [11] discussing his professional and educational experiences. [12]

In 2014, under Wallerstein's and Cohen's direction, LASIK MD earned Platinum Club status in the Canada's Best Managed Companies program, sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, the National Post and the Stephen J. R Smith School of Business at Queen's University. [13] [14] Platinum Club status is awarded to organizations who have been Best Managed Companies for seven consecutive years or more.

The website RateMDs.com lists Wallerstein as the top ophthalmologist in Montreal, out of 307. [15]

Media interviews

Wallerstein has been interviewed by several media outlets and has been featured on Discovery Health Channel's Medical Hotseat. [16] CTV News Canada AM, [17] the Business News Network, [18] and EyeWorld Video reporter. [19] Furthermore, LASIK MD has been featured in a number of publications, including the Montreal Gazette, [20] the Globe & Mail, [21] the National Post [22] and more.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LASIK</span> Corrective ophthalmological surgery

LASIK or Lasik, commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and an actual cure for astigmatism, since it is in the cornea. LASIK surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a laser or microkeratome to reshape the eye's cornea in order to improve visual acuity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photorefractive keratectomy</span> Refractive eye surgery procrdure

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser-assisted sub-epithelial keratectomy (LASEK) are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses. LASEK and PRK permanently change the shape of the anterior central cornea using an excimer laser to ablate a small amount of tissue from the corneal stroma at the front of the eye, just under the corneal epithelium. The outer layer of the cornea is removed prior to the ablation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refractive surgery</span> Surgery to treat common vision disorders

Refractive surgery is optional eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea (keratomileusis), lens implantation or lens replacement. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to reshape the curvature of the cornea. Refractive eye surgeries are used to treat common vision disorders such as myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corneal topography</span> Medical imaging technique

Corneal topography, also known as photokeratoscopy or videokeratography, is a non-invasive medical imaging technique for mapping the anterior curvature of the cornea, the outer structure of the eye. Since the cornea is normally responsible for some 70% of the eye's refractive power, its topography is of critical importance in determining the quality of vision and corneal health.

Robert K. Maloney, MD, MA (Oxon), is an American ophthalmologist. A former Rhodes Scholar and summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University, he completed his education at Oxford University, obtained his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Maloney was the first surgeon in western North America to perform LASIK surgery as part of the original FDA clinical trials.

LASIK MD is a North America provider of laser vision correction and the largest provider of laser vision correction in North America based on procedure volume. As of 2013, LASIK MD performs over sixty percent of all laser vision correction procedures in Canada.

Dan Z. Reinstein is a specialist ophthalmic surgeon in the UK and is a board-certified registered specialist ophthalmologist in the US, Canada and the UK, specialising in the field of refractive surgery. He is medical director of the London Vision Clinic and a voluntary faculty member as Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as a visiting professor at the University of Ulster, UK and Professeur Associé at the Faculty of Medicine, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Cohen (surgeon)</span> Canadian laser eye surgeon

Mark Cohen is a Canadian laser eye surgeon who practices in Montreal and Toronto. In 2001, he and Avi Wallerstein founded LASIK MD, Canada's largest provider of laser refractive surgery. As of 2013, LASIK MD performs over sixty percent of all laser vision correction procedures in Canada. He is one of only 14 certified C-LASIK instructors in North America.

Stephen Updegraff, M.D., FACS is an American refractive surgeon best known for his early involvement in, and contributions to, LASIK. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a board-certified member of the American Board of Ophthalmology, a founding member of the American College of Ophthalmic Surgeons, and a member of the International Society of Refractive Surgery, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the Pine Ridge Eye Study Society. Updegraff currently serves as the medical director of Updegraff Vision in St. Petersburg, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gholam A. Peyman</span> Iranian-American ophthalmologist and retina surgeon known for inventing LASIK eye surgery

Gholam A. Peyman is an Iranian American ophthalmologist, retina surgeon, and inventor. He is best known for his invention of LASIK eye surgery, a vision correction procedure designed to allow people to see clearly without glasses. He was awarded the first US patent for the procedure in 1989.

Jeff Machat MD, FRCSC, DABO is an ophthalmologist in the United States and Canada specializing in surgical vision correction better known as refractive eye surgery.

Peter S. Hersh is an American ophthalmologist and specialist in LASIK eye surgery, keratoconus, and diseases of the cornea. He co-authored the article in the journal Ophthalmology that presented the results of the study that led to the first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the excimer laser for the correction of nearsightedness in the United States. Hersh was also medical monitor of the study that led to approval of corneal collagen crosslinking for the treatment of keratoconus.

Raymond Mark Stein, MD, FRCSC, DABO, is a Canadian ophthalmologist. He practices refractive and cataract surgery. He is the medical director of the Bochner Eye Institute in Toronto, Ontario and Chief of Ophthalmology at the Scarborough General Hospital.

Gerard Sutton is an Australian ophthalmic surgeon and ophthalmologist in Australia and New Zealand. His specialty is laser vision correction, cataract and lens surgery, and corneal transplantation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theo Seiler</span> German ophthalmologist and physicist

Theo Seiler is a German ophthalmologist and physicist. He is considered one of the pioneers of refractive surgery.

Post-LASIK ectasia is a condition similar to keratoconus where the cornea starts to bulge forwards at a variable time after LASIK, PRK, or SMILE corneal laser eye surgery. However, the physiological processes of post-LASIK ectasia seem to be different from keratoconus. The visible changes in the basal epithelial cell and anterior and posterior keratocytes linked with keratoconus were not observed in post-LASIK ectasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farhad Hafezi</span> Swiss eye surgeon and researcher (born 1967)

Farhad Hafezi is a prominent Swiss eye surgeon and researcher. Hafezi first gained recognition as a leading retina researcher in 1994, having been the first to discover a gene responsible for light-induced retinal degeneration. However, he changed his research focus to the cornea in 2003, and it is this work, particularly on corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL), which he helped pioneer, and advanced laser refractive surgery that he is internationally known for today. Hafezi's current clinical and laboratory research is focused on gaining a better understanding of the cornea. His research group at the University of Zurich has three main research foci:

Allon Barsam is a London-based ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery, refractive surgery and corneal and external eye disease. Barsam carried out the first human treatments of microwave keratoplasty.

Anastasios John Kanellopoulos is a Greek-American eye surgeon specializing in corneal transplantation, cornea crosslinking for keratoconus, complicated cataract surgery and complicated glaucoma. Widely known for research and clinical contributions in micro-incision cataract, customized laser refractive surgery and corneal cross-linking propagation and most innovations, reducing corneal transplants for advanced keratoconus.

References

  1. ↑ "LASIK MD". The Canadian Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  2. ↑ Krader, Cheryl (May 13, 2013). "CXL, topography-guided, customized ablation Tx for keratoconus and post-LASIK". Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ Krader, Cheryl. "CXL, topography-guided, customized ablation Tx for keratoconus and post-LASIK". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10.
  4. ↑ "LASIK hit by major suit from Henderson". August 21, 2000. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018.
  5. ↑ Cole, Trevor (December 29, 2000). "Eye for an Eye". The Globe and Mail.
  6. ↑ "Management Team". lasikmd.
  7. ↑ "Department of Ophthalmology". McGill University.
  8. ↑ "Laser PresbyVision™". LASIK MD.
  9. ↑ "Jewish Chamber of Commerce Past Winners".
  10. ↑ "LASIK MD co-founders win Ernst & Young award". The Montreal Gazette. November 6, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Marionopolis success story: Dr. Avi Wallerstein '85". Youtube.
  12. ↑ Gravenor, J.D. (May 9, 2010). "Getting excited about what comes after high school".
  13. ↑ "Canada's Best Managed Companies". Best Managed Companies. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05.
  14. ↑ "Awards & Accolades". LASIK MD.
  15. ↑ "RateMDs". RateMDs.
  16. ↑ "In the News". LASIK MD.
  17. ↑ "CTV News Canada AM". Vimeo.
  18. ↑ "Business News Network". Vimeo.
  19. ↑ "EyeWorld Video reporter". Archived from the original on 2019-12-08.
  20. ↑ "Montreal Gazette" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-10.
  21. ↑ "Globe & Mail" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-11.
  22. ↑ "National Post" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-10.
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