Dr. Vaitheeswaran LG
Research Associate, Growlab
Narayana Nethralaya, Bengaluru
Dr. Vaitheeswaran LG, a budding young ophthalmologist and a fellow from Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and currently a research associate at Narayana Nethralaya talks about his aspirations from being an ophthalmologist.
Why I chose to be an ophthalmologist?
A reason for having chosen a specialty looks different in retrospect always. But revisiting my thoughts when I completed my under-graduation, I realise that I wanted a specialty which would allow me to be as interventional as I decide how I would like to see me any particular day in my life, giving me flexibility to switch between being a hardcore surgeon to a physician in clinic any day. The satisfaction I experienced in my undergraduate days in my surgical rotations definitely wanted me to be a surgeon in my career. And to be frank, one of the important factors determining my plunge into this field was just the awe, the sight of my wonderful alma mater, R P Centre created in me on first look. If there is one field in India, which by its place of post graduate training can give you an early professional push and put you ahead in the race right from the beginning, it is ophthalmology at AIIMS, Delhi.
What are the challenges for young ophthalmologists in practice today?
In the current generation where technology is on a boom, influencing every field of ophthalmology, not just from the health-care providers’ perspective, but also in the way patients seek treatment, the biggest challenge for young ophthalmologists (YOs) is to keep themselves not just aware of the advancements, but be trained enough to be able to deliver the same.
Most of the above requires understanding of research and being involved in active research. Sadly, leaving 1-2% of training centres for post-graduation and fellowship training in India, rest of them do not train YOs adequately to gear up for the future. The initial 5 to 6 years of ophthalmology training is turned to a ridicule where at the end, the majority of them are made to seek further training just to be able to get confident with basic surgeries in order to start practice. With the backlog in knowledge and skill created, YOs are pushed away from seeking advancements and their interests in research are dampened in the quest to first get competent with basics.
Great leaders or researchers of ophthalmology today were not created overnight as they turned 40. It requires a constant nurturing and a gradual transition. This requires that YOs are given opportunities to speak on their work, research etc. in smaller to larger platforms on a regular basis. Meetings and conferences all over the world are filled with people who are established ophthalmologists, thereby turning YOs to mere spectators, which further deters them from attending these events. YOs desperately need regular opportunities to present their work and mingle with colleagues. With the efforts of YOSI, now an official YO body under AIOS, a few forward strides are taking place in this direction.
One of the major challenges YOs are facing today is the lack of career guidance. Leaving a small chunk of YOs who have their families established in the field, majority do not have right mentors to shape their career and help them take decisions.
Why I chose an institutional practice?
With the advancing requirements from patients and the need to incorporate advancements in ones’ practice amidst the growing complexity of doctor-patient relationship, lawsuits and safety standards required, practice of ophthalmology is no longer possible without a team work. But, even with a team of like-minded people, establishing a clinical practice may be possible, but research requires further support which is more likely to be available at an institution level only. I strongly believe that if a YO has to advance in career and be recognised around the world, it is only possible with research, never with clinical practice alone. Unlike in the 20th century, research in ophthalmology is proceeding in lines of artificial intelligence and complex mathematical modelling and molecular research. To contribute in this growing field, an institutionbased association is definitely required. If you can convert your group practice to your own multispecialty institute with advance research facilities, it would be a dream come true.
What I hope AIOS can do for me?
AIOS, as a parent organisation has the responsibility to address the concerns of its YOs as much as it should of its’ senior members. In those lines, I, both as a YO and a YO leader, have a few suggestions and recommendations for AIOS.
a. Enforce monitoring of residency and fellowship training across the country. If a guideline or accreditation process can be established with respect to every aspect of training of a young ophthalmologist from clinical to surgical exposure, YOs across several training programs would benefit and it will set standards for training. Several training programs would realise that YOs are supposed to be trained to a certain standard and not be utilised solely for their clerical purpose.
b. Organise mentorship programs in different AIOS platforms along with YO forum with speakers consisting of prominent mentors and YOs. These should not be just restricted to a few didactic lectures, but the opportunity for one to one personal mentoring to help YOs discuss their career choices, place of training, possible future avenues, etc…
c. AIOS should provide a YO session in every conference organised under the aegis of AIOS. This should be a scientific session restricted to the YOs alone. This will help nurture YOs of today and help them to transform to leaders of tomorrow.
d. AIOS for YOs should be a platform to the rest of the world. By that, I mean AIOS should not have just a provision to support YOs for international meetings in the form of travel grants, but also be able to provide financial support like ICO (International council of Ophthalmology) to young ophthalmologists for research fellowships across the world.
e. AIOS should initiate student exchange programs with prominent eye centres across the world to provide a short-term experience with international experts for interested YOs. YOs from other countries as well would benefit from their experience in our major centres.
In short, “Organisations that succeed are not just those with good leaders, but those that nurture the development of other leaders at all levels of organisation”… and as someone said in the past, “Membership of an organisation is good as long as YO (modified from original quote) can make yourself heard”.