Can Myopic become Ophthalmologists?

To any practicing Ophthalmologists out there:

I am a current medical student and considering the field of Ophthalmology.  However, I am also pretty near sighted (-11 contacts) with corrected vision at 20/25 with binocular vision.  I also have lattice degeneration.

I was wondering if I should think about another specialty because of the heavy microscope use involved in ophtho and just b/c of the possible risk of retinal tears/detachments due to my myopia?  

I would also like to know if certain subspecialties in ophtho should be precluded such as retina surgery, etc also?  Any advice or opinions you have would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

[dukey]

This is a very good question. My retina surgeon is extremely myopic like me but has no degenerative changes and is probebly in his mid-30s. He is certainly not out of the woods yet but it seems unlikely that he will deveelop severe problems. However, as you know, things can change seeminlgy overnight with severe myopia. I have actually discussed this very question with him at depth and I know for a fact that he is very anxious about even having his eyes looked at because of the potential implications. If you lose binocular vision in opthalmology, I think it will be very difficult to perform the required duties, but certainly not impossible. In terms of retina surgery though, I imagine that it would be almost impossible for you to perfomr without good central vision in both eyes.  

Remember though that RD is really not the biggest problem in pathological myopia per se. Perhaps the more common issues are macular degeneration, CNV, staphylomas etc which can also be very damaging to central sight. However, also remember that pathological myopia is a very rare condition in its full form. Just because you have a high refraction and lattice does not mean that you will go on to develop degenerative changes. There is a good chance that you will avoid the horrors of this disease and all this will be moot.

I would suggest getting your eyes looked at for the presence of a posterior staphyloma by a well known myopia expert (there is not many of them!). My personal feeling is that this is the best predictor for future problems. Should things start to develop, you may also consider a posterior pole buckle which is available in the USA currently and is being improved all the time. The aim of this is to prevent worsening myopic degeneration.

Of course you are right to think carefully about this now but do not let this rule your life. Even if the worst happens later on in life (very unlikely), as an MD you will be adaptable and will find a way to make it work. Have faith in yourself, do your research now and make informed and smart choices.    

[dukey]

Apologies for the typo's....in a rush!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I have taught at several ophthalmology programs. I'm myopic about -2.50

Some programs will not accept someone with severe amblyopia in one eye, only one eye or very poor depth perception. If you have good binocular vision no reason you should not become an ophthalmologists.

Using a microscope does not cause eye degeneration or retinal detachments. The biggest problem with some that does microscopic surgery for 30-40+ years is musculo-skeletal problesm like back and neck arthritis.

Ophthalmology is a great field. I'm so happy I went into it. I even spent two years as a general practitioner to think over what I wanted to do.

JCH MD

[des900]

Go ahead,don't consider myopia as a disease or disability.