EYE ASSOCIATES
Ophthalmologists are Eye Physicians and Surgeons, the designated leaders of the eye care team.
They are medical eye doctors who specialize in eye and vision care, diagnosis and the treatment of eye disease and provide comprehensive eye exams, prescribe corrective lenses, prescribe and administer medication and perform eye surgery.
How many years of training does it take to become an eye surgeon?
It starts with a 4-year undergraduate degree, then 4 years of medical school, followed by a five-year residency in eye surgery.
About half of eye surgeons complete a further 1-2 years of sub-specialty training, for a total of between 13 to 15 years.
Most eye surgeons are in their early 30s before they begin independent practice.
This link takes you to their Eye Physicians And Surgeons of Ontario website.
Steve Aaron Arshinoff was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Despite starting out to be an engineer, a circuitous tour of basic sciences ended with a first class honors degree in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University.
He received his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and then attended the University of Toronto for his residency in ophthalmology, after taking the ophthalmology basic science course at the Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
He has been in private ophthalmic group practice in Toronto, at Humber River Regional Hospital, since 1980, and has academic appointments at the University of Toronto and McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) and Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheba, Israel.
Dr. Arshinoff’s areas of special interest in ophthalmology are primarily in cataract and refractive surgery, which make up about 70% of his practice.
He is the directing partner of York Finch Eye Associates.
He is the author of over 285 peer-reviewed publications and chapters in 18 medical textbooks, and is on the editorial boards of five peer reviewed ophthalmology journals. He is an active reviewer of medical articles for many journals.
He has lectured globally on techniques of cataract and refractive surgery.
Academic Interests: imultaneous bilateral cataract surgery: He has particular interest in simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery (SBCS), and is president of the International Society of Bilateral Cataract Surgeons.
Bilateral surgery permits more precise planning of the patient’s post-operative refractive state, has been shown to be as safe and effective as two unilateral surgeries, with one of the lowest rates of infection ever reported for cataract surgery (1:17,000 unilateral, about 1:100 million bilateral) when appropriate precautions are taken, and is much easier for the patients, their families, the hospital, and everyone involved in the surgery.
Dr. Arshinoff has been the world leader in bilateral surgery, which is now spreading rapidly globally.
Antibiotic prophylaxis for intraocular surgery: His background in microbiology has allowed him to work in antibiotic prophylaxis for intraocular surgery, and he was the first in the world to propose and use intracameral moxifloxacin prophylaxis for cataract surgeries. He has used this method on over 5,000 eyes to date, and his method has been adopted globally.
Phacoemulsification machine design: His interest and background in engineering has allowed him to consult for phaco machine manufacturers to enhance phacoemulsification machine design for cataract surgery.
Ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs, viscoelastics): Dr. Arshinoff’s original and continued research interest is ophthalmic viscosurgical devices and their usage methods for ophthalmic surgery. He is an active consultant to a number of viscoelastic manufacturers, was involved in the development of many OVDs, and is considered a world authority on the subject. He is an official delegate of Canada to the International Standards Organization ophthalmic device expert panel, which among other things, establishes global standards for safety and efficacy of OVDs and other ophthalmic surgical devices. The world uses Dr. Arshinoff’s OVD techniques.
Dr. Arshinoff has more than 20 years experience in excimer laser refractive surgery. He was among the first in Canada to perform excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) (1991).
He was the first in the world to propose and use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) topically to alleviate the pain of PRK (July 1991), which became a universal standard, and was a member of the Canadian study group that solved the problem of acute post PRK sub-epithelial infiltrative keratitis.
He is the designer of the Ontario Medical Association - Canadian National Institute for the Blind (OMA-CNIB) Mobile Medical Eye Care Unit (MECU), and is the medical director of the MECU program, one of the most successful medical outreach programs in the world. He spent 1-3 weeks per year in northern Ontario, Canada, with IVAN the Eye Van, for over 30 years.
Dr. Arshinoff is the Founding President, and was a board member and Annual Meeting Program Chairman of the Canadian Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery for over 10 years, the Founding President of the Eye Foundation of Canada (formerly The Toronto Eye Foundation), and a founding member, and current member of the executive board of the Toronto Ophthalmological Society.
He is an active member of many other ophthalmic academic societies, including the International Intraocular Implant Club, of which he is currently President elect - incoming president for 2013 (the first Canadian to ever hold this office), and has served on the council of the Section of Ophthalmology of the Ontario Medical Association.
Dr. Arshinoff maintains a busy clinical practice in cataract and refractive surgery in Toronto.
He is a world leader in cataract surgery, and a proud Canadian, who promotes Canada at every lecture he gives internationally.
We are proud that he has chosen Ontario as his place to live and work.
York-Finch Eye Associates
York Finch Eye Associates, associated with Humber River Regional Hospital is a well-established ophthalmology practice started by Dr. William Samis MD, FRCSC.
Dr. Steven Arshinoff MD, FRCSC is now the directing partner of YFEA which provides a medical eye clinic incorporating ophthalmology, optometry and adjacent opticians (Gough Optical).
Dr. Maharaj started the optometry division at YFEA in 2005 and this collaborative model serves as an inspiration to the newly founded eyeLABS clinic in Brampton.
YFEA provides teaching services to medical residents via the Eye Foundation of Canada (founded by Dr. Arshinoff) where medical students interested in ophthalmology can apply for scholarship programs through the foundation.
This clinic is a referral based clinic and can be accessed through your family physician.
Thanks for my Sight Night (2014)
