Marvin Kwitko

Marvin Leo Kwitko, FACS, FICS, FRCS, KStJ (March 3, 1931 – August 20, 2002) was a Canadian ophthalmologist who pioneered in cataract surgery and laser eye surgery. He is one of Canada’s most distinguished ophthalmologic writers and surgeons. Kwitko was the first doctor in Canada to insert intraocular lens implants during cataract surgery

He was associate professor of ophthalmology at McGill University in Montreal as well as Chief of Ophthalmology at St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal. In 2002 he was made a knight, when The Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, on the recommendation of the Grand Prior, appointed him to the Most Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Kwitko also served on the Advisory Committee on the Excimer Laser for Health and Welfare Canada. Most notable, he was the founder and 20 year president of the Canadian Implant Society.

Kwitko was born to Louis Kwitko and Rose Gomberg in New York, NY. He had two sisters, Phyllis Kantor and Sandra Mula. A few years after his birth, the family moved to Brantford, Ontario. Kwitko went to Brantford Collegiate High School. After graduating, Kwitko attended the University of Western Ontario and received a B.A in English (1955), M.D. (1956) and his master's degree in Pharmacology (1958). While in university, he was an active member of the Western Mustang Band and served as the bandmaster in 1954 and 1955. He was a resident and Fellow in ophthalmology at the Washington, D.C. Hospital Center.

In 2002, Kwitko died in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was survived by his wife Alicja Zakrzewski, four children, and four grandchildren.

Books Kwitko was author of six books, including Glaucoma in Infants and Children; Pseudophakia: Current Trends and Concepts; Surgery of the Infant Eye; Geriatric Ophthalmology; Eyes His textbook Pseudophakia: Current Trends and Concepts; and the "Dr. Marvin L. Kwitko" Scholarship at the University of Toronto.