Diplomate Spotlight – Dr. Mark Eltis

Dr. Eltis is one of few Canadian optometrists who is both a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Beginning in 2023, Dr. Eltis will serve as ABO’s Canadian Ambassador as board certification is opened to Canadian optometrists. He will be promoting board certification in Canada as a lecturer, columnist and advocate for the profession.

Regarding his recent appointment as Ambassador, Dr. Eltis stated, “It is one of the greatest honors of my career to represent an incredible vehicle for the promotion of excellence in optometry. I am thrilled to be an advocate for board certification which I think will further enhance respect from other medical fields, government, and the public. There is no equivalent program in Canada, and I am thrilled to raise awareness about it.”

Dr. Eltis practices at View Eye Care in Toronto and teaches part-time at his alma mater, University of Waterloo. He values board certification as an avenue to be at the top of his game for both his patients and students. With no equivalent program in Canada, Dr. Eltis felt board certification was an excellent opportunity since he held an active US license.

When first learning of board certification, he was immediately intrigued. “Board certification has created a new standard for those doctors who wish to offer their patients extraordinary quality care,” he said. “It is effectively a super charged continuing education program with measurable results. It elevates the profession to have board certification like other health care fields. Diplomate status also provides patients the reassurance of knowing they are seeing a professional who achieved the highest qualifications and is committed to maintaining that status.”

Dr. Eltis has practiced in New York and California. He was exposed to cutting edge optometric practice and patient-oriented care while living in Beverly Hills. Ironically, he now practices in Yorkville, known as the Rodeo Drive of Toronto. He loves the high-end practice setting because he can offer the latest diagnostic and treatment options and spend more time listening to patient concerns.

In addition to his practice and teaching, he frequently lectures on the CE circuit internationally and has been featured on national television and in print. Dry eye and glaucoma are particular interests of his. He enjoys educating on these topics because he sees the impact it has on patient lives.

Dr. Eltis publishes a regular column for Primary Care Optometry News on glaucoma research. He is a reviewer for more than a dozen journals and has been appointed as an editorial board member for multiple publications. He has been recognized for “outstanding contribution in reviewing” by the editors of Journal of Optometry and Elsevier. A highlight of his career has been consulting as a subject matter expert for various optometric organizations and private companies. He has consulted for academic institutions overseas and has been recognized as a subject matter expert for competency evaluations and the ABO!

He is a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society, International Association of Contact Lens Examiners, American Academy of Optometry, the Canadian Association of Optometrists, and the Ontario Association of Optometrists.

Dr. Eltis was elected to the College of Optometrists of Ontario where he serves as Chair of the Quality Assurance Panel and sits on the Discipline, Patient Relations and Audit/ Finance/Risk Committees. He is also a coach for remediation programs.

Currently he serves on the Board of Directors for the Council for Healthy Eyes Canada. He was previously a Consultant for ACOE’s Residency Evaluation Program and recently completed chair training

He has traveled to more than forty countries and visited all the Disney theme parks in the world! He taught himself to swim a few years ago (without an instructor) and swimming is now his form of exercise. He loves to sing karaoke which he can take seriously or be silly, depending on his mood.

We would like to thank Dr. Eltis for agreeing to serve as ABO’s Canadian Ambassador and for all of his contributions to the profession.