Marko Hawlina graduated at Medical Faculty of Ljubljana in 1983 and was awarded PhD  at St Thomas' Hospital, University of London in 1995 with Professor Hisako Ikeda, working on electrophysiology in neuroophthalmology and retinal dystrophies.There, he developed and patented the HK-loop electrode for clinical electrophysiology, recognized by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV). He attended neuroopthalmology clinics with David Spalton, Elizabeth Graham and Gordon Plant.

After he returned to  Ljubljana Eye Hospital he established clinical services and  research projects in the fields of neuroophthalmology and genetic eye diseases and electrophysiology. With his group, he published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals and mentored 11 PhD students. He conducted the research on Slovenian patients with LHON with dr. Martina Jarc Vidmar and suggested that pattern ERG N95 loss may be an early biomarker for LHON. He was one of the first researchers to publish on autofluorescence imaging in retinal dystrophies  and mentored research on various genetic eye diseases in Slovenia such as RP, Usher Syndrome, Best disease, Stargardt disease and others. He has had a number of invited lectures on genetic retinal diseases and optic neuropathies and collaborated with a number of groups in the UK, France and Germany.

Marko Hawlina currently leads neuroophthalmology and retinal dystrophies service at University Eye Hospital Ljubljana.  He was local organiser of EUNOS and ISCEV symposia in Ljubljana in 2015. He also serves as chairman of Education Committee of the SOE.