• Board Certifed by the American Board of Ophthalmology
• Emory University
  Atlanta, GA
  B.S. in Biology
• Georgia State University
  Atlanta, GA - M.S. in Biology
• Emory University School of Medicine
  Atlanta, GA - M.D. Degree
• Methodist University Healthcare
  Department of Medicine
  Memphis, TN - Internship
• University of Tennessee Health Science
  Center, Department of Ophthalmology
  Memphis, TN - Residency
• The American Academy of Ophthalmology
  Member
• The American Society of Cataract
  and Refractive Surgery - Member
• Joined Marietta Eye Clinic in 2006
• Specialist in Cataracts,LASIK, and Cornea-Related Condition
• Has performed thousands of eye surgeries
• Completed a Cornea, External Disease, Anterior Segment Fellowship at the University of California - Irvine under Dr. Roger Steinert, internationally known cataract and LASIK pioneer
• Originally planned to be a heart surgeon before discovering ophthalmology
• Enjoys the traditions of many cultures, including his parents’ homeland of France and his wife’s South African heritage

For some, a career choice might appear to be an easy decision when a family business is there to be passed down through the generations. Dr. Cohen indeed once planned to work for the family business, but at the age of sixteen, a dramatic experience changed his vision for his future.

In a cold, matter-of-fact manner, a doctor had explained to the family that its head, Dr. Cohen’s father, had only a few months to live. Not accepting that prognosis, a second doctor was found, one who gave the family hope. It was that doctor who inspired Dr. Cohen, already a student of the sciences with a great love for biology, to decide to attend medical school.

“I knew then I wanted to be someone who could inspire hope in others,” Dr. Cohen recalls, “and to help people in a way that only a physician could. At experience with my father, who is doing quite well by the way, taught me that the practice of medicine is so much more than knowledge and skill; being compassionate about people is important too.”

It was during time spent working with children while in medical school that Dr. Cohen became fascinated with ophthalmology. “I spent a day looking into children’s eyes, and learned that with one surgery you could change the way they see their world for the rest of their lives,” he explains. “Even today I love interacting with my patients after surgery because I want to see the impact of the procedure on someone who just yesterday might have been legally blind.” Dr. Cohen routinely attends to the follow- up care of his patients to make sure they receive the outcome he intended.

“I want more than functional improvement for my patients; I want their eyes to achieve the most natural anatomical characteristic possible.”

Dr. Cohen not only enjoys witnessing the immediate results of eye surgery, but he thrives on the innovative nature of the field of ophthalmology too. “Our specialty is a rapidly changing one, practically reinventing itself every five years. I do everything I can to stay abreast of new surgical techniques and technologies that will make me a better surgeon.”

Dr. Cohen has been among the ophthalmologists in the region to use a number of recently developed techniques in corneal surgery. “I do what I can to improve upon those techniques,” he says. “No marginal improvement is insignificant if it results in better visual quality.” His current area of interest is Descemet’s Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty, or DSEK, a sutureless corneal surgery.

His desire to inspire hope and improve the quality of lives has led Dr. Cohen to again the highest level of skill in eye surgery. Primarily a surgeon, he routinely performs cataract, corneal, lens implantation and LASIK surgeries.

“I believe my broad view of ophthalmology makes me uniquely qualified as a surgeon. Not only do I bring all those skills to the surgery, I can serve my patients for multiple needs during their lifetime.”

Dr. Cohen is a refractive surgery subspecialist; he strives to obtain the highest quality vision for his patients without relying on glasses as a final enhancement of visual outcome. “I am blessed because I love my work. I hope to see patients until the day I can’t operate anymore. Ophthalmology truly is my passion.” Dr. Cohen’s family values have a direct effect on his practice of medicine. “Before I agree to perform any surgery on one of my patients, I first ask myself if I would do the same thing for my mother.”

Although ophthalmology is his passion, Dr. Cohen does enjoy time off once in a while. His hobbies are soft-ball and football, but with a Golden Retriever and three children separated by only four years, he spends most of his free time catching up on sleep.