Work to Live
Are you working to live or living to work? 🤔
As a medical student and resident, we were encouraged to dive into medicine, dedicate, and even sacrifice ourselves for patient care and research. Pulling all nighters 🌙 and enduring 36 hour shifts were the norm. When a senior came into rounds so sick he was hooked up to an IV pole, we were impressed. When a co-resident came back to work just a few weeks after having her baby, she was applauded.
It was engrained in us to live for work. 😓💪🏼
It has taken me 10 years since graduation to retrain myself and realize that this is not healthy nor sustainable. These are the unrealistic expectations that will eventually lead to resentment and burnout. 💔
As much as my brain still protests, I have to remind myself that it’s OK to relax. That choosing my family over work is acceptable (in fact, should be expected!!!). And that my own well being is just as important as a patient's. Moreover I have come to realize that to a job (no matter how amazing and well paid, or how hard I work), I am 💯 replaceable. But to my kids, family, and friends, I am not.
And so while I love being a physician 👩🏻⚕️ - it is a job, not my life. I must remind myself that I #worktolive🩺 the life of my dreams, not sacrifice my life and dreams for work...
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #worktolivenotlivetowork
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
A Glaucoma specialist on Lash Serums
I've had MANY people ask me over the years: Are lash serums safe? 🤩
As a glaucoma specialist 👁, I may have a different opinion than some more conservative eye colleagues, but I think they are perfectly OK. 👌🏼
Most lash serums contain a variation of something called a prostaglandin analogue, which is the same drug found in common glaucoma medications (that I prescribe on the regular. The ladies have always appreciated this secondary effect. ❤️).
The most common unwanted side effects of prostaglandin analogues are: redness, irritation, and skin darkening. If you experience any of these issues, they usually resolve by simply discontinuing the medication. 🛑
Given my specialty, I see MANY patients on prostaglandin analogues, and I feel they are safe for the eyes 👁(especially since the drug concentration is much lower in most lash serums vs. a glaucoma drop). Just make sure you let your eye doctor know and that you get your lash serums from a reputable seller (you'd be shocked at how many counterfeit medications are out there!). 😳
HOw long does it take to become an ophthalmologist?
I often get the questions: How long did it take for you to become an ophthalmologist? 👁 How old were you? Was it worth it or would you have done anything differently?
I would typically say it’s rude to ask a lady about age 😉, but for the sake of education:
Middle and high school => 18 years old
4 years of College => 22 years old
4 years of Medical school => 26 years old
1 year Preliminary Internship => 27 years old
3 years Ophthalmology Residency => 30 years old
1 year Glaucoma Fellowship => (drumroll 🥁) 31 years old
We doctors often joke that we spend our prime years studying and stressing out. Many of us delay our love lives, our family lives, our “real” lives to pursue medicine.
Was it worth it? Definitely. Because I get to spend the rest of my life doing something I truly love. And I am happy with the life I’ve built (as unconventional as it may be).
Would I have chosen something different or easier in hindsight? Absolutely not. You cannot predict life or what will happen with the decisions you make. Whose to say that I would have been ”happier” or it would have been “easier” had I chosen a different path? You can’t, and - even with our infertility struggles, dealing with discrimination at my early job, and the uncertainty of medicine - I wouldn’t risk all the good I have today - like my husband, kids, and all the opportunities.
Instead of wondering “what if” about a past you cannot change or lamenting about the time sacrificed, focus forward on how you can take this life and make it the best it can be...
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼
#doctormom #workingmom
Why Do I need glasses?
Why do some people need to wear glasses? 👓
Contrary to what our parents told us - it does not come from reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV. 😉 Need for glasses, or refractive error, is based on your eye anatomy. 👁
An eye that does not need glasses, or an emmetropic eye, is just the right size and perfectly round, and so focuses an image clearly.
Myopia, or near sightedness, is typically when an eye is too large or long. Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is usually when an eye is too short or small. And an astigmatism is when an eye is not perfectly round (so more like a football 🏈 vs. a basketball 🏀). In these cases, images can be out of focus or blurry. Glasses, contacts, or even laser surgery can help to refocus and give clearer vision.
Because refractive error is based on eye anatomy, it is typically inherited. So you can thank your parents the next time you see them. 😉