Style Series: Why are you so dressed up?

Why am I so "into" fashion and dressing up? Many assume it’s just a superficial, “typical” girly thing... 🤔 Don’t get me wrong - I love an amazing outfit or designer bag... But it’s sooo much more than that...

It’s about finding your style and feeling confident in it. 💪🏼 It’s about getting a pair of pants tailored just right to your height. 👖 It’s about splurging on those shoes or dress that make you feel like a million bucks! 💰 (bonus if they are comfy enough to wear chasing the kids around or at work)

Why?

Because. 👏🏼 You. 👏🏼 Deserve. 👏🏼 It. 👏🏼

YOU - the overworked doctor, the tired mama, the juggling, multitasking super woman - don’t be shy, don’t feel guilty...! You deserve to look and feel your best. ALWAYS.

Like my Tiktok says: What’s the occasion? You exist! And yes, that’s pretty darn special. 💕

#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼

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

Style Series: 3 Rules of great proportions

Happy fashion Friday!

Not sure if Coco Chanel really said this, "Fashion is architecture; it is a matter of proportions.” But it is SO true.

Here are a few general "rules of thumb" for always looking put together (even when you don't feel like it). They happen to be opposites if that helps you remember. 😉

1. Loose-Fitted: If you have a loose top, pair it with tighter fitting bottoms for balance. The converse is also true - if you have a form fitting top, pair it with relaxed bottoms. Loose clothing all over can look sloppy, while tight fitting clothes head to toe can appear constricting.

2. Long-Short: To balance your outfit, change up the length of your outerwear. Pair a cropped jacket over maxi dresses to break up the lines, while a longer jacket/blazer/cardigan will balance a mini dress or shorts. A long coat over a long dress can be elegant if done juuuuust right, but can risk looking a bit frumpy, while short outerwear over a short dress can appear a little too childish for this mama...

3. Sexy-Demure: Girls just wanna have fun, sometimes - but let's face it, I'm not 21 anymore. 😁 So if I have a fun/sexy/strappy piece, I try to pair it with something more demure and covered up for balance, like this strappy camisole with a maxi skirt or a turtleneck with a feathered mini skirt.

Any general style rules you always follow?

outfit 1 - sweater 360 Cashmere, jeans Schoen by Yu, shoes Enrico Cuini

outfit 2 - tank GAP, pants Anthropologie, shoes Manolo Blahnik

outfit 3 - dress Free People, jacket GAP

outfit 4 - dress IRO, jacket ASOS, boots Stuart Weitzman

outfit 5 - tank Express, skirt Alice+Olivia

outfit 6 - turtleneck Amazon, skirt AQUA

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