Credentials and Qualifications

Dr. Ella Faktorovich has extensive qualifications that we estimate place her among the top LASIK and refractive surgeons in the United States.

For your convenience, these credentials and criteria have been grouped by Experience, Patient Care and Credentials. In addition, Dr. Faktorovich has included some additional career highlights that while not used by Trusted LASIK Surgeons in our screening process, clearly supplement her highly distinguished career.

Dr. Faktorovich’s qualifications and credentials as one of the top LASIK surgeons include:

Experience

• Performed the first Automated Lamellar Keratoplasty procedure at UCSF Medical School Department of Ophthalmology
• Performed the first IntraLase LASIK procedure in San Francisco
• Over 10 years experience in laser vision surgery, including PRK and LASIK
• Over 15 years experience in refractive surgery
• Performed over 20,000 LASIK and laser vision procedures including PRK and LASEK
• One of the few surgeons in Northern California to perform Intacs for keratoconus and other corneal thinning conditions
• Performs corneal transplantation in adults and children

Premier Patient Care

• Use of Intralase system for “All-Laser” or “Bladeless” LASIK
• Use of Wavefront Based (“Custom”) LASIK and PRK
• Use of iLASIK Procedure- WaveScan Technology, Intralase, and Visx
  Advanced CustomVue technologies
• Utilizes all in house, self-owned current instrumentation for the diagnosis and treatment of refractive eye surgery: Wavefront aberrometry (VISX, ALCON, Wavelight), corneal topography (Oculus Pentcam, Humphry Allas, Wavelight Topolizer), intraocular and refractive lens implants (IOL Master, Zeiss), VISX S4 excimer laser with Iris Registration hardware and software, Wavelight Allegretto Excimer laser, YAG laser, digital corneal photography
• Pacific Vision Institute offers complete refractive surgery care, including LASIK, PRK, RLE / CLE, CK (Conductive Keratoplasty), Phakic Implants, Limbal Relaxing Incisions, and cataract lens implants procedures
• Management of complications of surgery for new patients who had problems from a surgery performed by another doctor
• Other eye surgeons, optometrists, opticians, employees of companies that specialize in refractive surgery instrumentation or their family members have had their LASIK and other refractive surgeries performed by Dr. Faktorovich

Professional Credentials

• American Academy of Ophthalmology (Member)
• American Medical Association (Member)
• American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (Member)
• International Society of Refractive Surgery (Member)
• California Medical Association (Member)
• San Francisco Medical Society (Member)
• San Mateo Medical Society (Member)
• Peninsula Eye Society (Member)
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (Member)
• Academic Appointments:
  • Department of Ophthalmology, UCSF Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
• American Journal of Ophthalmology (Reviewer)
• Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (Reviewer)
• Journal of Refractive Surgery (Reviewer)
• San Francisco Medicine Magazine, the journal of the San Francisco Medicine Journal of San Francisco Medical Society
  • Member of Editorial Board
• Ophthalmology Management
  • Member of Editorial Board
• Published over 12 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles
• Author of over 4 text book chapters in textbooks and 1 textbooks related to vision correction
  • Book publication “Femtodynamics: A Guide to Laser Settings and Procedure Techniques to Optimize Outcomes with Femtosecond Lasers.”
• Over 50 presentations at major meetings of ophthalmologists worldwide.

Additional Career Highlights

• Highlighted as a HauteMD Expert on HauteMD.com,
  online magazine and exclusive directory of top medical professionals
• Named to Top 100 Health Professionals in the World
• Named in Who’s Who in Ophthalmology
• Named one of the “Best Doctors in America”
• Developed a novel medication to protect retina from degeneration
• FDA approval for Investigational New Drug of analgesic medication to improve comfort after PRK and LASEK
• Founded the not-for-profit Pacific Vision Institute Research Foundation in San Francisco to study corneal and refractive eye surgical procedures and to provide educational opportunities to students pursuing interest in vision science
• Founded the Annual San Francisco Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery Symposium
• Developed extensive network with primary eye care providers in the Bay Area focusing on patient and doctor education
• Member of Haute MD, an exclusive, invitation-only directory of medical professionals, and contributor of articles to their website

Education

• Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley, B.A. in Genetics
  • Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
• Medical School: University of California, San Francisco
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Research Fellowship
  • Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Research
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
  • Sadie Berkove Award for the Outstanding Graduate
  • American Medical Women’s Association Award for Scholastic Achievement
• Residency: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
  • Asbury Award for Outstanding Research, Department of Ophthalmology
• Fellowship (in Corneal and Refractive Surgery): University of California Los Angeles, Jules Stein Eye Institute
  • Clinical Research Award
  • Heed Foundation Fellowship Award
  • Heed/Knapp
    Foundation Fellowship Award

Surgeon Bio

Dr. Ella Faktorovich, has devoted her career to the research, teaching and practice of advanced vision correction techniques. She has set the standard in the Bay Area for innovation, leadership and perfection. Her career is filled with a series of industry-firsts - in procedures conducted, certification obtained, new findings published and equipment used. She is one of the select group of surgeons in the U.S. to specialize exclusively in refractive and laser eye surgery and has performed tens of thousands of procedures.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley, Dr. Faktorovich received her Medical Degree with honors from UCSF School of Medicine. After her ophthalmology residency at UCSF, she devoted two years to advanced sub-specialized training and research in laser and refractive surgery at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine. And while at the UCSF Department of Ophthalmology, she was one of the first surgeons in San Francisco to perform automated lamellar keratoplasty - a precursor to the LASIK procedure to correct nearsightedness. She has developed methods for intra-corneal implantation of ultra-thin lenses to correct nearsightedness and. farsightedness. She is highly respected in her field and has published and presented both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Faktorovich has received dozens of awards and honors for her dedication and innovation in her field. Her research on corneal healing following laser vision correction has advanced the field of refractive surgery. In addition to publishing numerous articles, abstracts and book chapters on corneal transplantation and laser and refractive surgery, she has lectured extensively both in the United States and abroad. She is currently on the faculty of the San Francisco VA hospital department of ophthalmology, and it’s Cornea Clinic. She is also the founder remains the chair of the annual Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery Symposium and Pacific Vision Institute Research Foundation.

Dr. Faktorovich’s commitment to innovation and the advancement of refractive options for patients has led her to be considered one of California’s leading ophthalmologists. She is listed in the Best Doctors in America and in the Top 100 Health Professionals in the World. Under her leadership, Pacific Vision Institute invests in the most state-of-the-art technology of any refractive surgery practice in San Francisco. She lives in Burlingame with her husband, her daughter, and their two Doberman Pinschers.

For Appointments, Information, Consultation & Surgery Call (415) 922-9500

View the Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Ella Faktorovich

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