If Medical specialties were “sorted”
Happy #funFriday!
Anyone else a Harry Potter fan? ⚡️ I may be dating myself, but I eagerly awaited each book release (and even refused to watch the movies when they came out lest I be disappointed).
So when a paper in the Journal of Surgical Education came out “sorting” medical subspecialties into Hogwarts Houses, you know I had to do my own Tiktok version.
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #ravenclawpride 🦅
(when I posted this, I quickly got requests/demands for other subspecialties - so I created part 2 and part 3. Click to check them out via TikTok)
Sunlight and your Eyes
As a California girl born and raised, I love the sun ☀️ and its benefits - including mood enhancement and stress relief, not to mention vitamin D production for improved bone heath and sleep quality.
But as a physician 👩🏻⚕️, I also know that too much sun can cause harm. For the eyes 👁 specifically, UV radiation can increase your risk of cataracts (clouding of the lenses inside your eyes), cancers (like melanoma), macular degeneration, and damage to the surface of the eyes (like growths called pterygia or “burns” similar to sunburns on your skin).
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends wearing 100% UV blocking sunglasses 🕶 (which means UV A and UV B blocking) and/or wearing wide brimmed hats 👒 whenever outdoors (even if it doesn’t seem sunny. UV light can penetrate clouds! ⛅️)
Your eyes show the strength of your soul, so protect them! If you ask me, it’s the perfect reason to invest in a cute pair of shades...! 😎
Why Ophthalmology?
Why did I choose ophthalmology as my career? 👁
While many students come in already knowing what they want to pursue (in fact, I thought I wanted to be a cardiologist ❤️ my first year), I did not decide until third year when I did my surgery rotation. I fell in love with operating and helping patients physically (in addition to medically with pills, drops, and therapies).
I quickly scheduled a few surgical electives and was drawn to ophthalmology right away. I thought the eye was beautiful; the examinations were fascinating; and the procedures/surgeries were so precise and interesting. I loved following my mentor from clinic to the research lab to the OR to the laser procedure rooms.
To this day, the favorite part of my job is the variety - working with my hands and helping patients in so many different ways.
What’s the favorite part of your job?
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #whyophthalmology #wio #womeninophthalmology
Style Series: The Short White Coat
After one of my #fashionFriday posts last month, a medical student reached out for tips styling her short white coat. Great question! 💡(and when you are too busy figuring out virtual school for your kids on Friday, we fall back on #styleSaturday! ❤️😉)
A short white coat is notoriously tough for a few reasons: 1) It is one size fits all so tends to be on the boxier side, especially for us ladies, and 2) It is an awkward in between length - not cropped, nor long... 🤔
The key here is contrast - short of altering the coat, it's easiest to stick with slimmer and/or longer silhouettes underneath to balance the wider white coat. Here are my top 6 tips:
1. Roll up the sleeves - this will help the coat appear less boxy.
2. Invest in well fitting scrubs - definitely not necessary as a student, but if you are on a hospital heavy rotation, scrubs are an easy option (especially if hospital scrubs are always too big/small/long/etc).
3. Slim dark pants - This was my workhorse go-to during school and training. A slim style will balance the boxy white coat, and a cropped length will keep the hems from dragging on a dirty hospital floor.
4. Pointy toes flats - Styles and trends change, but in general a pointy toe will elongate your legs. Comfort is also key when you're running around the hospital or clinic (to this day, I never wear heels to work).
5. Fitted pencil skirt - If you don't want to wear pants every day, a pencil skirt is another option. The same rules apply - something more fitted and in a darker color is easiest for contrast.
6. Midi skirt/dress - You can also play with lengths and pair a longer skirt with the shorter white coat.
These are just some tips. In the end, as long as you are presentable (i.e. no rips or stains), on time, and ready to learn, I consider you good to go.
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼#doctorstyle
Back to School 2020: Testing and Tracing
This week is “back to school” for many families here in Los Angeles. It’s definitely been one for the books - as most classrooms will stay vacant and “back to school supplies” include laptops and blue light filtering glasses instead of pencils and papers.
But some hopeful news amid the chaos - over the weekend, the Los Angeles Unified School District sent out information about a new program - a plan to test all faculty, students, and families to identify and trace COVID cases to hopefully get everyone back into the classrooms sooner.
FINALLY!
Despite all the distractions and pressures from politicians, it has never been about whether school is important (of COURSE it is!), but making sure the students, teachers, and families are SAFE!!! 🙏🏼
In the letter to the parents, they called this testing and tracing program “unprecedented.” That may be the case here in the US, but this is how much of the rest of the world has controlled this pandemic - with widespread testing, identifying cases, and tracing/quarantining the sick.
In contrast, our politicians have been encouraging American citizens not to get tested and some LAUSD parents are already up in arms. Scientifically, how can you fix something if you don’t know the scope and scale? How can you effectively treat and quarantine if you don’t know who is actually sick?! Why is America as a whole so backwards on this...???
Is this plan without difficulties? Of course not. But this mama for one is thankful to LA Unified, Stanford, UCLA, Hopkins, Microsoft, Anthem, and HealthNet for stepping up and protecting our children where our administration has failed.
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #backtoschool2020
Caffeine and the Eyes
As a coffee loving ophthalmologist: I wonder, does caffeine affect the eyes? So I did some research! 👁☕️
Good news! Raw coffee contains antioxidants which have been linked to health benefits like a lowered risk of diabetes, liver disease, dementia, and even some types of cancer. As a natural stimulant, it may also help exercise performance, fat burning, and metabolism. 🚴🏻♀️
As far as the eyes are concerned, there have been some suggestions that caffeine can help prevent retinal degeneration and improve tear production, but these have yet to be proven with certainty.
Of course, there can be too much of a good thing, and excess caffeine has been linked to sleep problems, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias ❤️, and irritability/anxiety.
Caffeine can also cause problems with the eyes, including blurry vision (when your blood sugars spike or crash) and eye twitches (when the caffeine hits the delicate muscle fibers around your eyes). There have also been reports that caffeine could increase risks of glaucoma (since eye pressures are related to blood pressure), though not entirely proven.
As with most things, moderation is key. Recommended caffeine intake is 200 to 400mg a day. 400mg corresponds to about 4 cups of coffee, 4 shots of espresso, 2 energy drinks, or 7-8 cups of tea. (Which means my 3rd cup of joe in the TikTok ⬅️ is a-OK. 😉)
What is your relationship with caffeine? What’s your favorite drink? Or are you OK without?
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #coffeelover #mondaycoffee