As we all can attest, our paths in life—both professional and personal—are shaped by a complex amalgam of decisions, some hard and some easy; opportunities, some seized and some missed; and circumstances, some good and some bad. I have long been intrigued by all of the intricacies that shape the past, present, and future of those around me, in ophthalmology and beyond.
My residency and fellowship experiences were rich in external disease, complex cornea/anterior segment, and cataract surgical training. The importance of astigmatism management during cataract surgery was made very clear to me from the start by two of my mentors, Jon Rubenstein, MD, and Doug Koch, MD. My understanding of and passion for ocular surface disease management, again, was due to an amazing mentor and colleague, Steve Pflugfelder, MD.
Ultimately, these experiences opened doors and built the foundation needed for me to grow my anterior segment practice with a focus on refractive cataract surgery and dry eye disease. Coupled with the formal training I received, I believe timing has a lot to do with my excitement for my subspecialty. Our field has experienced incredible innovations that have greatly enhanced refractive outcomes with cataract surgery and even greater discoveries in the management of dry eye patients.
Along these lines, there are great breakthroughs and disruptive technologies happening in various facets of eye care. Regardless of the clinical focus of your practice or where you may be in your career path, I hope this issue of MillennialEYE provides you with some exciting information about our great field.
