Medical Advisory Board

The Cornea & Laser Eye Institute

Dr. Hersh is a revered ophthalmic surgeon who has participated in many FDA clinical trials of excimer laser LASIK and other surgical corrections of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and keratoconus. Most prominently, he was lead author of the clinical study that led to the very first FDA approval of laser vision correction for the treatment of nearsightedness in the United States in 1995. He also was one of 2 investigators to present the Conductive Keratoplasty procedure to the FDA device panel, resulting in its 2002 approval. More recently, Dr. Hersh served as medical monitor and was lead author of the two studies leading to U.S. FDA approvals of corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) for keratoconus and corneal ectasia.

Dr. Hersh has been elected to the American Ophthalmological Society, the oldest and most prestigious eye surgery association in the country. He has also been awarded the Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, an honor bestowed on fewer than 1% of eye surgeons, and has been selected for Best Doctors in America for over 10 years running. Due to his philanthropic work, he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International.

Moorfield’s Eye Hospital

Professor John Marshall is the Frost Professor of Ophthalmology at the Institute of Ophthalmology in association with Moorfield’s Eye Hospital, University College London. He is Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology at King’s College London, Honorary Distinguished Professor University of Cardiff, Honorary Professor the City University and Honorary Professor Glasgow Caledonian University.

Primarily, he has concentrated his research on the inter-relationships between light and ageing, the environmental mechanisms underlying age-related, diabetic and inherited retinal disease, and the development of lasers for use in ophthalmic diagnosis and surgery.

He invented and patented the revolutionary Excimer laser for the correction of refractive disorders. He also created the world’s first Diode laser for treating eye problems of diabetes, glaucoma and ageing.

Slade & Baker Vision

Stephen Slade, M.D., a specialist in Presbyopia correction, cataract surgery, LASIK,and Implantable Contact Lenses, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American College of Surgeons. In 1991, along with Stephen Brint MD, he performed the first LASIK in the United States. Later he performed the first Custom LASIK ablation based on topography in the United States. He has since done tens of thousands of cases.

Dr. Slade has remained on the cutting edge, having the nation’s longest experience with Laser Cataract Surgery, all laser LASIK, accommodating IOLs (Crystalens) and the implantable contact lens (ICL). He was a lead investigator and presented the data to the FDA for panel approval for both the Crystalens and the implantable contact lens. He is an active researcher and the U.S. medical monitor for several new technologies including the Intralase laser for All Laser LASIK, the implantable corneal contact lens, and the Wavelight laser.

In 2007 Dr. Slade received the Barraquer Award, the high award from the largest society of refractive surgeons. The Barraquer Award is given only once a year to one doctor in the world. Dr. Slade is the current chairman of the board for AECOS (the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery). AECOS is an international organization of progressive ophthalmologists, dedicated to advancing vision care and improving patients’ quality of life through Innovation, Education and Advocacy.

Vance Thompson Vision

Vance Thompson, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist in Sioux Falls, SD specializing in laser vision correction and advanced cataract surgery. A leading expert in LASIK and cataract surgery, Dr. Thompson strives to enrich his patients’ lives by helping them experience visual clarity. Dr. Thompson currently serves as a professor of ophthalmology at the Sanford USD School of Medicine and hopes to continue sharing his extensive knowledge of laser and implant vision correction for years to come.

With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Thompson has performed more than 75,000 vision correction surgeries worldwide and remains among a select group of refractive and cataract surgeons who prioritize the use of innovative, advanced surgical techniques. As a leading international researcher, Dr. Thompson has played an important role in the discovery and development of the advanced technologies and techniques used in both laser and implant vision correction surgeries today. Serving as the medical monitor lead, or principal investigator, Dr. Thompson has led over 65 FDA-monitored clinical trials on the subjects and has published numerous papers and book chapters on his findings.