PUBLICATION EXCLUSIVE: Finding balance in ophthalmology

Early in my career I received some sage advice: Emulate your mentors initially but then develop your own judgment and style. We were discussing the optimal delivery of podium talks at ophthalmology meetings, but these words of wisdom apply to many aspects of my career. My mentor provided many pearls like this over the past two decades, but there was one bit of guidance that I did not appreciate initially but I finally understood a decade later: There is more to life than ophthalmology, and finding balance in life is much tougher than it sounds. I thought a lot about this over the years, but it really hit home recently when my mentor passed away, decades too early.

As a resident 20 years ago, I looked forward to receiving trade magazines such as Ocular Surgery News more than the peer-reviewed journals because I wanted to learn about what surgeons were doing in practice now. I wanted to try their surgical techniques, use their products and learn from their teachings. These fellow ophthalmologists were seen as the key opinion leaders; companies wanted to consult with them, and other surgeons wanted to absorb knowledge from them. With my love of teaching, I decided that I wanted to be behind the podium, sharing my experiences with colleagues across the U.S. and abroad.

I put my heart into my lectures, spending countless nights editing surgical videos, making PowerPoint slides and writing content. And then I started taking trips across the globe, doing live surgery events at more than a dozen major meetings and lecturing in more than 50 countries. I had achieved the highest frequent flier status on multiple airlines and VIP status with hotel chains. Then my mentor’s advice hit me: I had no balance in my life. I was sacrificing other aspects of my life in order to be a key opinion leader and industry consultant. The highest hotel VIP status came after spending more than 60 nights in a single year in their rooms. The elite airline status meant that I sat on a plane more than 100 times in a single year.

Click here to read the full publication exclusive, Back to Basics, published in Ocular Surgery News U.S. Edition, July 25, 2017.