Our Practice in Toronto

Dr. Mike grew up in Montreal, where his father had been practicing optometry since 1967, first exposing him to the profession and patient care. He graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor’s degree in anatomical sciences before moving to Boston, where he was a Beta Sigma Kappa Academic Honour Society member and received his optometric degree from The New England College of Optometry in 1998. He has been practicing in the Yorkville and downtown area of Toronto since his graduation.

Dr. Mike has worked as a clinical investigator on contact lens studies, an advisor for ocular technology companies, and a lecturer on various eye-related issues. He is passionately committed to promoting eye health, serving as a director on the Ontario Association of Optometrists board.

Dr. Mike is married and has two sons. He enjoys staying fit, music, traveling, and having fun with his family and friends.

Dr. Cheryl Talsky, a native Torontonian, has been practicing optometry in the Yorkville area since 1988. She obtained her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 1988. As a young graduate, she received the Award of Excellence in Contact Lens Research and was appointed to the North American Advisory Panel for Contact Lens Fitters.

Dr. Talsky began her career working with Josephson, Caffery and Associates, an internationally renowned contact lens practice. After 25 years at that practice location, she relocated her practice to View Eye Care in 2014, where she was reunited with her longtime colleague, Dr. Mike Rotholz. She has always had a particular interest in contact lens fitting and management, serving as a co-author in several journal publications and participating in numerous clinical research studies in lenses and lens solutions.

Dr. Talsky provides a wide range of optometric services, including general oculo-visual assessments, early diagnosis and monitoring of many eye diseases, including cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Talsky enjoys treating children and adolescents as part of her broad scope of practice. In 2010, she completed a 100-hour comprehensive ocular pharmacology course and exam at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida, which allowed her to begin prescribing drugs for numerous eye infections and diseases. She continues to attend educational seminars annually to keep her up to date.

Dr. Talsky enjoys cooking, running, pilates, circuit training and travelling in her spare time. She and her husband have been happily married since 1990 and have three wonderful daughters.

Dr. Blackstien graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 1998. His clinical experience there included specialized training in pediatric optometry and ocular disease in some of Boston and Miami’s top teaching eye clinics. Since graduation, he has been in private practice in downtown Toronto and has a practice in Thornhill since 2008.

Dr. Blackstien has worked with some of the top LASER-refractive and cataract surgeons in Toronto’s top refractive surgical centers. He is passionate about educating patients about the prevention and management of eye disease and vision disorders. Dr. Blackstien is well known for his warm personality and patient-centric mode of delivering eye care.

Dr. Mark Eltis has been practicing since 2003 and has practiced Optometry in New York, California and Toronto. He graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and has taught there for over a decade. Dr. Eltis is one of less than 5 Canadian doctors who are both Fellows of the American Academy of Optometry and Diplomates of the American Board of Optometry. He is also a lecturer for the Academy of Ophthalmic Education. Dr. Eltis has served as an examiner for national licensing assessments in Canada and the United States (NBEO, CSAO, and CACO). He has presented and published internationally and is a sought-after authority on optometric issues for national television and print.

Since 2013, Dr. Eltis has been an Optometric Glaucoma Society (OGS) member. He is one of 5 optometrists in Canada with this distinction and one of approximately 100 worldwide.

Dr. Eltis has reviewed over a dozen publications, including the Journal of Glaucoma and the Canadian Journal of Optometry. In 2017, he was recognized for his “outstanding contribution in reviewing” by the Journal of Optometry and Elsevier editors. Dr. Eltis has been a consultant for overseas academic institutions, contact lens/pharmaceutical companies, and law firms, as well as a subject matter expert for competency evaluations. In 2018, Dr. Eltis was appointed a College of Optometrists of Ontario’s Discipline Committee member. He has since been appointed to the Quality Assurance Committee and acts as a College Coach for optometrists ordered to complete remediation programs.

Dr. Eltis recently completed the full sequence of courses at the University of California at Berkeley to achieve California Glaucoma Certification TLG (the highest level of licensure in the state). He also publishes a monthly column for Primary Care Optometry News, sharing his perspective on the latest developments in glaucoma research.

Dr. Mak graduated with Honours from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and was awarded the Essilor Award for Academic and Clinical Excellence in Optics in 2010. Dr. Mak completed her ocular disease externship at OMNI Eye Services in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked with several prestigious ophthalmologists specializing in vitreoretinal diseases, glaucoma, corneal diseases, and cataracts. Dr. Mak completed her Canadian externship in multi-doctor practices, including one in British Columbia, where she had the chance to practice therapeutic drugs in a primary care setting before legislation was passed in Ontario.

Since graduating, Dr. Mak has worked in various clinical settings. She enjoys seeing patients of all ages and has experience fitting and managing contact lens patients and treating, managing and co-managing ocular disease.

Dr. Mak has successfully completed the Canadian Standard Assessment of Optometry and is fully certified to use therapeutic drugs to treat ocular disease. She is registered with the College of Optometrists of Ontario and a member of the Ontario Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Association of Optometrists.

Dr. Mak is proud to have worked with The Lions Club and OneSight. She completed a 10-day mission to villages in Zacatecas, Mexico, where she volunteered to help thousands of people regain significant vision and, for some, see clearly for the first time.