CONTACT LENSES
As an ophthalmologist, I see lots of people with issues and problems with their contact lenses. Some of the most common things I see include: irritation/allergy, scratches, infections, and lens loss (yep, people lose their contacts in their eyes! 👀).
1. Irritation/Allergy - A contact lens is essentially a foreign piece of plastic in your eye. Despite being fitted and smooth, the lens still rubs and debris can collect over time. If not properly cleaned or changed out routinely, contact lenses can cause increased irritation and inflammation of your eyes and lids over time. Your eye can essentially become "allergic" to your lenses. For these patients, allergy drops may help, but I usually recommend a "contact lens holiday" for at least 2 weeks for the eyes to recover, followed by limited contact lens wear to minimize symptoms.
2. Scratches - Worse than irritation is an actual scratch on the surface of your eye, which can be quite painful. Overwearing your lenses (beyond the recommended 6-8 hours a day, especially overnight) can increase your risk for scratches. Thankfully, your eye surface heals pretty quickly and many scratches heal on their own if you just stop wearing your contact lenses for a few days.
3. Infections - This is when bacteria or fungus gets into a scratch on your eye and requires medication to treat. Infections are very painful and serious, as these can affect your vision long term. Please see your eye doctor ASAP for this.
4. Lens Loss - Believe it or not, people do lose their contact lenses in their eyes. Most of the time the lens has fallen out, but I do sometimes find them lodged under the upper eyelid (there is a pocket up there called the fornix) and sweep them out with a cotton tip. And don’t worry, it is impossible for the lens to track back into your brain 🧠- the fornix is a dead end. (I get that question a lot).
I remind all my patients to always have a back up pair of glasses 👓 (so they aren’t “forced” to wear contacts everyday to avoid the above issues) and to consider dailies if they have trouble remembering to clean them properly.
Are you a contact lens wearer? Have you ever had issues?
Do Opposites Attract?
Do opposites attract?
Peter is an empathetic extrovert. He is patient and laid back (typical anesthesiologist...?). He is the first to wake in the mornings and is willing to try anything once.
I am a stoic introvert. I am super detailed oriented and generally prefer things safe and stable (like my ORs ). I love "me time" at night when everyone else is asleep.
While I don't necessarily think opposites attract, I do think we challenge and complement each other. It's not always smooth, but it sure keeps things interesting and balanced.
Feel the Fear and do it anyway
I don't know about you, but this quote resonates with me. It’s exactly how I felt starting medical school , getting married , starting my first job, having kids , starting my business, diving into navigating this pandemic (homeschooling, what)...etc.
Did I always feel 100% prepared? Nope. Was everything perfectly set and ready...? NEVER.
But I had faith I could figure it out. Maybe I had done something kinda similar in the past, or I saw someone else do it and thought to myself, "If he/she can do it, so can I." At the very least, I’m a pretty good learner...
Ultimately, I knew, if I waited until I was 100% ready, I would be waiting the rest of my life...
What are YOU waiting for?
How I Control “MASKNE”
(read to the bottom for a GIVEAWAY!)
Did you know that June is acne awareness month? With masks becoming universal, you might be more fondly calling it "MASKNE." 😷 This occurs because of the heat, sweat, and bacteria getting trapped underneath your mask, in addition to irritation and rubbing on the skin.
Ways to reduce your "maskne":
- Wash your face before donning your mask 🧖🏼♀️ and avoid make-up underneath - this will reduce the oil, sweat, and bacteria buildup
- Use a good moisturizer - especially in the areas that the mask rubs
- Only wear clean masks - do not reuse dirty disposable ones and make sure you wash your reusable ones regularly, ideally with fragrance free detergent. Natural materials like cotton breathe best.
- Avoid harsh products (like retinol or benzoyl peroxide) - this might make any irritation worse, so proceed with caution
One of my favorite ways to combat maskne and breakouts (from quarantine snacking 😁), has been using Rodan+Fields UNBLEMISH Clarifying Mask every few nights. A 2020 New Beauty award winner, this luxurious sulfur mask has been clinically shown to reduce excess oil, calm skin, decongest pores, and reduce blemishes over time. I am giving away a tub of this amazing mask as well as the cutest (and sold out) Alice+Olivia mask.
Head over to my Instagram @vickichanmd or Facebook Vicki Chan Kim for Giveaway details! Good luck!!!
Making a living vs A life worth living
This has been my husband's motto from Day 1.
Back when we were in medical school and studying for exams, he would suddenly sit up and say things like, "Wouldn't it be fun to own a restaurant?" or “How about this for a fun new invention?” What?! Given that we were both poor, in debt students, I would remind him not to quit his day job anytime soon.
"But wouldn't it be FUN?!" he would press.
Fast forward almost 20 years, and I admit, he was on to something. Because it's not just about making a living, but making a life WORTH living. And for us, that indeed includes FUN, love, giving, and the freedoms to make choices in our lives.
COVID Confessions
“What’s the big deal? Why can’t we all just go back to normal? Only COVID+ patients need to shelter and wear a mask. That’s not me!”
As a physician 👩🏻⚕️, noncompliance is something I deal with and talk about every day. We are all human, which means forgetting medications, missing appointments, or not following health recommendations (like diet and exercising) is to be expected. In fact, according to studies, up to 60% of my ophthalmology patients do not take their prescribed eye drops properly! 👀
So when my colleagues began asking their COVID+ patients 🦠 about their exposures and how they have been isolating, I was not too entirely shocked at some of their answers (though still very shocking, read for yourself. these are not my patients, but a sample taken from an anonymous publication)
This is why we must insist EVERYONE mask. 😷 And why social distancing is still very VERY relevant. COVID numbers are climbing across the country as shelter-in-place relaxes and businesses reopen. As annoying and burdensome as some of these rules and mandates are, they are for YOUR safety. (And in case you forget to be compliant if you get sick... 🤒)