Dr. Mark Cohen

MD, CM, FRCSC

Over 60,000 ocular procedures performed

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Professional background

Dr. Mark Cohen co-founded LASIK MD along with Dr. Avi Wallerstein.  He is the president of LASIK MD, and one of its two national medical directors. As a cornea and laser vision correction specialist, Dr. Cohen is responsible for teaching laser eye surgery to ophthalmology residents from the Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Montréal, and McGill University. He also teaches the basic science of corneal imaging to all first-year Canadian ophthalmology residents at an annual course offered at the University of Toronto.

Educational background

Dr. Cohen completed his medical degree and specialization in ophthalmology at McGill University. While at McGill, he was awarded the Holmes Gold Medal, given to the graduate of the faculty of medicine with the highest academic standing upon completion of four years of medical school. He then completed his training with a post-doctoral fellowship in corneal transplantation and refractive surgery at the Université de Montréal.

Refractive experience

Dr. Cohen has performed over 60,000 ocular procedures and has trained more than 200 Canadian ophthalmologists. He was one of the first surgeons in North America to use a scanning-spot laser and large flap microkeratome, both standard technologies today.

Dr. Cohen combined Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking (CXL) treatments with topography-guided excimer laser ablations beginning in 2009. Based on initial results, he developed the Montreal Protocol, a standardized method combining CXL with a topography-guided PRK to treat keratoconus that is now used in over 15 Canadian cities. He teaches this procedure internationally.

Accomplishments and Awards

Dr. Cohen is a certified C-LASIK instructor, one of 14 surgeons in North America with this designation that allows him to teach LASIK. He has given several international courses on beginner and advanced LASIK techniques. He is co-author of the governmental Council for the Evaluation of Health Care Technology's report on LASIK and PRK.

In 2007, Dr. Cohen was named Quebec’s Young Professional of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of Quebec. He (along with Dr. Avi Wallerstein) was awarded the Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the professional/financial services category for Quebec. Also in 2008, Dr. Cohen was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40”, in a national competition sponsored by The Globe and Mail. This award is given annually across Canada to 40 individuals who have demonstrated “vision, innovation, achievement, and community involvement under the age of 40”.

Associations and Professional Memberships
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
  • Canadian Ophthalmological Society
  • American Academy of Ophthalmology
  • International Society of Refractive Surgery
  • Canadian and American Societies of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
  • European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
Dr. Mark Cohen's publications
Effect of Anterior Corneal Higher-Order Aberration Ablation Depth on Primary Topography-Guided LASIK Outcomes

Wallerstein A, Gauvin M, Cohen M
Journal of Refractive Surgery 35(12):754-762, December 2019

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LASIK MD surgeons are among the most sought-after in the field of vision correction.
  • ​​​​​They remain up-to-date on latest laser vision technologies and techniques
  • They teach surgeons-in-training at prominent universities 
  • They conduct ongoing research in the field of refractive surgery

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