Covid Vaccine update

Today, Moderna applied for FDA Emergency Use Authorization for its COVID vaccine. Pfizer applied for theirs a couple weeks ago.

As a healthcare professional, this is extremely exciting. 🩺 Not only have these vaccine trials shown promising results (both with over 94% efficacy preventing COVID and, in Moderna's case, 100% effective against severe disease), but among approximately 75,000 participants in total, neither trial revealed any serious safety concerns. 👏🏼

In general, vaccines work by "revving" up your immune system so that it is ready to fight disease before it overwhelms your body. The main side effects can include fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and fevers (all signs that your immune system is working), but are transient and - in my book - far less dangerous and worrisome than COVID itself.

It really feels like Christmas is on its way. 🎄 I cannot think of a greater gift this year than health, safety, and peace of mind. 🎁

#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #doctormom #saferathome #hcw4science

Style series: If I were going to a work event

Happy #fashionFriday!

Starting a new series: “If I were going to...” 👠 (cuz with numbers on the rise and twindemic season upon us, we surely aren’t going much of anywhere right now... 💔) Sometimes a girl needs to dress up, even if just for a Tiktok. 😅

If I were going to... a WORK EVENT. Missing and can’t wait to get back our in person happy hours and style/skincare socials! 🥂 For now, dressed up from the waist up zooms will have to do...! 😅

#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼

coat: Zara/ dress: AUxNuuly/ bodysuit: Amazon/ shoes: Enrico Cuini/ bag Celine

myopic progression in children

Did you know that the prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness, is on the rise in school aged children?

Refractive error (aka need for glasses) is typically determined by genetics - a myopic eye is long, while a hyperopic or farsightedness eye is short. The exact etiology for this rise in myopia is still to be determined. Possible factors could be the increase near work or decreased outdoor time over recent decades.

Treatments for myopia include glasses or contacts - but while they can help clear vision in the short term, they don’t really slow down the progression. And methods to slow down progression like prescription eye drops can further blur children’s vision.

Given that my husband and I are both nearsighted, it will be just a matter of time before our children will have these issues.

But good news! The FDA has recently approved CooperVisionUSA’s MiSight 1 day soft contact lenses that can do both - help vision immediately AND slow down progression. Ask your optometrist for more information!

You can call me Doctor…

When I first posted this video on TikTok, I got lots of comments - mostly supportive, but some not so much:

"So do you expect your friends to call you Doctor too? Ha ha."
"You are so uptight."
"Sometimes I just forget, no big deal."

I hear you, but I wonder: Would you respond to a male doctor this way? If he introduced himself as "Doctor" - Would you make fun of him too? Would you also call him uptight? Would you tell him it's no big deal? No, my bets are that you wouldn't.

And that's kinda the whole point.

Healthcare workers for Vaccines

Have you gotten your flu vaccine? Are you planning on getting the COVID vaccine when it becomes available?

According to the CDC, only about 49% of Americans got the flu vaccine last year. According to recent polls, only 21% of Americans would definitely get the COVID vaccine once approved. This is concerning, given that these vaccines are our best defense for staying out of hospitals and ending this pandemic.

One concern is whether vaccines are safe. I know there is a lot of nervousness especially surrounding this newest COVID vaccine (set to release at the end of this year or early next), but before being FDA approved and released to the public, every vaccine must be rigorously tested for safety and efficacy. Yes, ALL of them, regardless of what is promised or said. With so much riding on these meds - scientists will NOT skip or rush on safety protocols.

Per Dr. Fauci, “extensive checks and balances that include independent data analysis and a host of advisory groups staffed with career scientists will likely shield the FDA coronavirus vaccine approval process from political pressure... each of these vaccines has a data- and safety-monitoring board that is not beholden to the administration” or anyone else. This is reassuring.

Another concern is whether vaccines are effective. Definitely. This is one of the research end-point must-haves. However, true herd immunity and protection can only be achieved if the majority of the population get the vaccine. Everyone getting the COVID 19 vaccine is our best shot at ending this pandemic ASAP.

#WeStandWithFauci, the FDA, and the Scientific Process. We are Healthcare Workers for Vaccines #hcw4vaccines!

#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 #doctormom

World Sight Day

October 8 is World Sight Day! As an ophthalmologist, my goal every day is to help patients have the best vision possible. And a big part of that is prevention and education.

The leading causes of blindness worldwide include cataracts, glaucoma, infections (of the cornea or retina), diabetes, and macular degeneration. What are these exactly? 👀

Cataracts are the clouding of the lenses inside your eyes. Most people will get these with age (like white hair and wrinkles) - the question being whether they bother you enough to get surgery to remove them.

Glaucoma is typically an inherited disease in which high eye pressure causes damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma can be treated with drops, lasers, or surgery. This happens to be my specialty! 👩🏻‍⚕️

There are many types of eye infections that can cause vision loss - from contact related bacterial infections to viral retinal infections in immunosuppressed patients. Prevention and/or quick diagnosis and management by an eye care professional are key.

Diabetes is a well known systemic disease - especially in the US - that affects your blood sugars and can damage blood vessels. In the eyes, it can lead to cataracts, bleeding, glaucoma, and retinal detachments. Early detection and control of systemic disease is paramount.

Just like its name suggests, age related macular degeneration is an inherited age related degeneration of the macula (or center of your vision). Unfortunately there is no cure for macular degeneration but there are supplements that can help progression and injections that can help preserve vision.

Thankfully, most of these eye diseases are preventable and treatable, so see your eye doctor regularly for screenings! 🥼

#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼#2020vision