Women and Their Role in Ophthalmology

In general, it is very easy to look at people around us and draw conclusions about large groups. I believe this phenomenon is reflected in people who are practicing ophthalmology or were trained in ophthalmology. Certainly my experience with female ophthalmologists exemplifies this phenomenon. At the risk of dating myself, I will share that I completed my fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus in 1983. I had the privilege to know one woman who was an ophthalmologist during my residency. At the time I started my residency, there were two other women. At the annual AAO meeting, it was very…

I was inspired by the JAMA article “The Other Generation” to think about what matters to me in my career and in my life. In the article, the authors envision a conversation from the standpoint of 3 doctors: one in training, one midcareer, and a senior internist. The messages may hold true for each generation, but also can carry messages for ophthalmologists of any age, at any career point. These are in order of importance to me based on life experience, and perhaps they will speak to you as well. Medicine to be fun Let’s face it. We all spend…