Avi Wallerstein (surgeon)

Avi Wallerstein is a Canadian laser eye surgeon who practices in Montreal and Toronto. In 2001, he and Mark Cohen founded LASIK MD, Canada's largest provider of laser refractive surgery. As of 2007, LASIK MD performs approximately 40% of the laser vision correction procedures in Canada.^[1]

Education

Wallerstein completed his medical degree at Queen’s University in Canada and then specialized in ophthalmology (FRCSC) at McGill University in Montreal. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship training in cornea and laser refractive surgery at North Shore University Hospital and New York University in New York

Professional work

Wallerstein is Director of Refractive Surgery and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at McGill University, where he teaches ophthalmologists-in-training^[2]. Wallerstein is also Director of Refractive Surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where he performs surgeries. Wallerstein is one of 14 surgeons in North America with the designation to teach LASIK by the developers of the first LASIK microkeratome (Chiron), and one of the first surgeons in North America to use Bausch & Lomb’s Technolas 217 laser and Hansatome Keratome. Wallerstein is one of two National Medical Directors for LASIK MD (2001-present).

Awards

Wallerstein was awarded the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Best Scientific Paper prize in 2003^[3] and 2001^[4] , for research conducted on treating mixed astigmatism using the Bausch & Lomb 217 laser. In 2006, he received the Howard Stotland Technology Award for Young Technology Entrepreneur of the Year ^[5]. He is a Quebec recipient of the Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the professional/financial services category^[6] and received a National Citation in honour of Service Excellence^[7].