LASIK MD

LASIK MD is a Canadian provider of laser vision correction and related ophthalmic services. The organization was established in 2001 by ophthalmologists Mark Cohen and Avi Wallerstein after the collapse of Lasik Vision Corporation, where both had held national leadership responsibilities. Cohen was responsible for professional affairs, including physician recruitment and training, while Wallerstein served as national medical director and worked on medical standardization. They subsequently applied a similar operating model through a privately owned network of clinics operating under the LASIK MD name. The company began with two clinics, one in Montreal, Quebec, and another in Toronto, Ontario. It later acquired most of the former Lasik Vision facilities in Canada through bankruptcy proceedings. This gave LASIK MD a substantial physical footprint and helped establish it as one of the country’s leading providers of elective refractive surgery. The organization’s model combines ophthalmologist-led clinical care, standardized procedures, dedicated surgical facilities, and consumer-facing communication about laser vision correction. LASIK MD’s principal services include LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), as well as procedures or treatment programs addressing presbyopia and keratoconus. The company’s Montreal centre also performs cataract surgery and is described as the largest private eye-care centre in Quebec. That facility has an additional educational role: it serves as a training centre for Canadian laser eye surgeons and is a non-hospital facility accredited by the College of Physicians of Quebec for laser vision-correction training for ophthalmology residents. The accreditation was obtained through the University of Sherbrooke. By 2013, the company was reported to perform more than 60 percent of laser vision-correction procedures in Canada. The same source described LASIK MD as the largest North American laser vision-correction provider by procedure volume. By 2025, the network had grown to 34 eye centres distributed across Canada’s major metropolitan areas. The available reference material does not identify a parent company, publicly traded listing, current chief executive, or corporate owner. LASIK MD’s brand positioning is built around specialist eye care, access to elective vision correction, and a large national clinic network. Its history is linked to the broader shift toward value-oriented, direct-to-consumer marketing in laser eye surgery that began in Canada and North America during the late 1990s. The company has also received business and consumer recognition, including Best Managed Companies-related honours, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year special citation, and repeated Consumer Choice Award recognition in the laser vision-correction category. These awards indicate external recognition of service and management, but the available material does not provide a detailed account of the company’s financial performance or current operating structure.

LASIK MD emerged from the development of a value-oriented laser eye-surgery model in North America during the late 1990s. In 1998, Lasik Vision Corporation became an early provider to combine affordable, value-based pricing with direct-to-consumer advertising for laser vision correction. This approach broadened the market for an elective medical procedure by presenting it to consumers through mass-market promotional channels rather than relying solely on physician referrals. Lasik Vision subsequently became a publicly traded company and, by 2000, was described as the world’s largest laser vision company by procedure volume. The company’s expansion was followed by bankruptcy in 2001. Mark Cohen and Avi Wallerstein, who had held senior professional and medical roles at Lasik Vision, left the organization after the bankruptcy. They established LASIK MD as a privately owned network of facilities, initially opening two centres in Montreal and Toronto. The new organization adopted a comparable clinical and operating model while building a separate brand and corporate structure. LASIK MD later acquired most of the former Lasik Vision facilities in Canada through bankruptcy proceedings, giving it an established base from which to expand. The company developed into a nationwide Canadian network serving major metropolitan areas. Its clinical scope included LASIK, PRK, presbyopia treatment, and keratoconus treatment. The Montreal facility developed a broader role than a standard refractive-surgery clinic: it also performs cataract surgery and has been described as Quebec’s largest private eye-care centre. The centre is additionally used for professional education. It is a non-hospital facility accredited by the College of Physicians of Quebec for training ophthalmology residents in laser vision correction, with the accreditation obtained through the University of Sherbrooke. By 2013, LASIK MD was reported to perform more than 60 percent of all laser vision-correction procedures in Canada. It was also described as the largest laser vision-correction provider in North America when measured by procedure volume. These figures reflect the scale of its clinic network and the importance of Canada to its operating model, although the available reference does not provide audited financial data or a detailed breakdown of procedures. The brand received several forms of external recognition. In 2008, it received a Special National Citation for Service Excellence at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. In 2013, it achieved Platinum Club status in Canada’s Best Managed Companies competition, a recognition associated with maintaining Best Managed Companies status for seven or more consecutive years. LASIK MD has also been identified as a Consumer Choice Award winner in the laser vision-correction category from 2008 onward, including recognition in 2025 for the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, and Barrie. It has additionally been recognized in the Stars of Vancouver awards. As of 2025, the organization had 34 LASIK MD eye centres across Canada. The supplied reference material does not establish a parent company, owner, current executive leadership roster, website, public listing, or financial results. Accordingly, the brand is best characterized as an active Canadian professional-services healthcare network whose identity is centered on refractive surgery, national clinic access, and ophthalmic training.

• 2025

  Network reaches 34 Canadian eye centres

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  The available reference material states that LASIK MD operated 34 eye centres across Canada.

• 2013

  Reported Canadian procedure-volume leadership

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  LASIK MD was reported to perform more than 60 percent of laser vision-correction procedures in Canada and to be North America’s largest provider by procedure volume.

• 2013

  Platinum Club recognition

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  The company achieved Platinum Club status in Canada’s Best Managed Companies competition.

• 2008

  Service Excellence citation

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  LASIK MD received a Special National Citation for Service Excellence at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

• 2001

  LASIK MD is founded

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  Mark Cohen and Avi Wallerstein founded LASIK MD after leaving Lasik Vision Corporation following its bankruptcy. The first two centres opened in Montreal and Toronto.

• 2001

  LASIK MD acquires former Lasik Vision facilities

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired most of the former Lasik Vision facilities in Canada through bankruptcy proceedings.

• 2000

  Lasik Vision becomes the largest laser vision company by procedure volume

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  Lasik Vision was described as the world’s largest laser vision company when measured by procedure volume.

• 1998

  Lasik Vision introduces a value-oriented laser vision-correction model

  [1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  Lasik Vision Corporation became an early North American laser vision provider to promote affordable, value-based pricing through direct-to-consumer advertising.

A national Canadian specialist network focused on laser vision correction, ophthalmologist-led care, and access to refractive and selected ophthalmic surgery.

• Laser vision correction

  LASIK

  LASIK is LASIK MD’s core refractive-surgery offering. The procedure reshapes the cornea with laser technology to correct selected forms of refractive error and reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses. The available material identifies LASIK as one of the company’s principal procedures but does not provide specific device, eligibility, pricing, or outcomes information.

• Laser vision correction

  PRK

  PRK is another laser-based refractive procedure offered by LASIK MD. It is included in the company’s stated treatment scope alongside LASIK. The supplied sources do not specify the centre-by-centre availability, technical platform, patient-selection criteria, or clinical outcomes for the service.

• Refractive vision correction

  Presbyopia treatment

  LASIK MD lists treatment for presbyopia among its vision-correction services. Presbyopia is an age-related difficulty focusing on near objects. The reference material confirms the treatment category but does not describe the specific techniques, products, or surgical protocols used.

• Corneal and ophthalmic care

  Keratoconus treatment

  Treatment for keratoconus is included in LASIK MD’s stated clinical scope. Keratoconus is a corneal condition involving progressive thinning or distortion. The available reference does not identify the particular therapies offered, their clinical indications, or whether availability differs among centres.

• Ophthalmic surgery

  Cataract surgery

  The LASIK MD Montreal centre performs cataract surgery in addition to laser vision correction. The supplied material presents this as a location-specific capability rather than a service confirmed across the entire national network.

• 2001

  Founders establish a privately owned clinic network after Lasik Vision’s bankruptcyStrategy

  Background

  Lasik Vision Corporation entered bankruptcy after expanding a value-oriented, direct-to-consumer laser vision model. Mark Cohen and Avi Wallerstein then left the company and created a separate group of privately owned facilities.

  Action taken

  They launched LASIK MD with initial centres in Montreal and Toronto and subsequently acquired most of the former Lasik Vision facilities in Canada through bankruptcy proceedings.

  Aftermath

  The transaction and subsequent expansion provided LASIK MD with an established Canadian clinic base and supported the development of a national refractive-surgery network.

  Source

• 2025

  LASIK MD receives Consumer Choice Awards recognition in Canadian markets[1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  LASIK MD was listed among Consumer Choice Award winners in the laser vision-correction category for the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, and Barrie. The reference material also states that the company had received the category award annually since 2008.

• 2013

  LASIK MD receives Platinum Club recognition in Canada's Best Managed Companies program[1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company was reported as having achieved Platinum Club status in Canada's Best Managed Companies competition, a designation associated with organizations recognized as Best Managed Companies for at least seven consecutive years.

• 2008

  LASIK MD receives Special National Citation for Service Excellence[1]LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  LASIK MD received a Special National Citation for Service Excellence at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

1. 1LASIK MDen.wikipedia.org