Dr. Avi Wallerstein

Over 50,000 ocular procedures

Professional Background

Dr. Avi Wallerstein co-founded LASIK MD along with Dr. Mark Cohen. He is one of its two national medical directors. As director of refractive surgery at McGill University and the Royal Victoria Hospital, Dr. Wallerstein teaches ophthalmologists-in-training and performs surgeries. Dr. Wallerstein is also assistant professor of ophthalmology at McGill.

Educational Background

Dr. Wallerstein completed his medical degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, and then specialized in ophthalmology at McGill University in Montreal. He then completed his post-doctoral fellowship training in cornea and laser refractive surgery at North Shore University Hospital and New York University in New York. Very few surgeons in Quebec have this specialized background.

Refractive Experience

Dr. Wallerstein has worked in laser vision correction clinics throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In Canada, Dr. Wallerstein has worked for laser vision correction clinics such as the Focus Eye Center in Ottawa, Montreal’s Ophthalmolaser Clinic, and Lasik Vision Corporation, where he acted as the international medical director and co-chairman of the company’s medical advisory committee. Dr. Wallerstein is one of 14 surgeons in North America who is a certified C-LASIK instructor, allowing him to teach the LASIK procedure to other surgeons. Dr Wallerstein is also credited with developing a laser eye surgery teaching curriculum for ophthalmology students. Throughout his career; Dr. Wallerstein has played an important role in the development of new technologies. Dr. Wallerstein leverages his extensive refractive experience and proficiency using Bausch & Lomb’s Technolas 217 laser and Hansatome Keratome in his role as an investigator for new technologies for Bausch & Lomb. Early in his career, Dr Wallerstein gained expertise performing what became the standard vertical flap LASIK technique for myopia. Dr. Wallerstein has also performed thousands of advanced custom wavefront procedures.

Accomplishments and Awards

Dr. Wallerstein (along with Dr. Mark Cohen) was awarded the Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the professional/financial services category for Quebec. An accomplished speaker, Dr. Wallerstein has given a number of talks to the scientific community. He was awarded the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Best Scientific Paper prize in 2003 and 2001, for research conducted on treating mixed astigmatism using the Bausch & Lomb 217 laser. Dr. Wallerstein has acted as a medical consultant in the development of laser eye surgery centers worldwide.