teen power's entrepreneur spotlight
Can you explain what it is you do? - I am an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist is a physician and surgeon that has a medical degree and is able to diagnose and treat, both medically and surgically, diseases of the eye.
What's the hardest part of being an ophthalmologist? - The hardest part is constantly keeping up with the latest medical and surgical treatments and techniques for glaucoma and other diseases of the eye.
What is the most satisfying part of your job? - The most satisfying part of my job is being able to help people by restoring or preserving their vision. For example, did you know that the leading cause of blindness in African Americans is glaucoma? Being able to diagnose glaucoma early and start the appropriate treatment helps to save vision and prevent blindness, which is very satisfying and challenging.
What inspired you to do what you are doing? - Well, my family has a history of a medical background. My father was a physician and my mother was a nurse so I was oriented to medicine at an early start in my life. During my medical school years I was exposed to ophthalmology and I was very interested in the fact that you can mix surgical treatments of diseases of the eye with medical office treatments. Also, you get to see many diseases that affect the eye. For example, you can see how diabetes,hypertension or high blood pressure, and glaucoma affect the eye. Seeing the pathology of diseases that affect the eye was fascinating for me.
How old were you when you decided what you wanted to be? - I would say at a very young age. In fact, at the age of 13, I started to have an interest in the sciences and I first thought about a career in medicine.
More questions for Dr. Laroche
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