Ophthalmologists Share Their Strategies for Managing Stress

As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, an increasing number of ophthalmologists are canceling routine appointments and elective surgeries and transitioning to providing only urgent care. Many eye care providers are doing their best to keep their practices afloat, support their staff, care for their patients remotely, and juggle familial responsibilities. Eyewire News asked several of them how they are managing the stress.

“Coping has been a challenge on many different levels,” Malik Y. Kahook, MD, commented. Dr. Kahook is a professor of ophthalmology, vice chair of translational research, the Slater Family endowed chair in ophthalmology, co-director of glaucoma fellowship, and chief of the Glaucoma Service at University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. In addition to COVID-19 precautions, clinic work, and administrative tasks, he finds himself in the same position as many parents right now—balancing professional responsibilities with homeschooling. What’s seeing him, his physician wife, and their 7-year-old son through this time?

“The way we cope is by having fun, telling jokes,” he said. “We do a lot of puzzles and watch movies together. We play on the iPad a little bit.”

Teamwork is key. “We’re going to get through this as a family, and we are lucky to have colleagues who are really supporting each other,” Dr. Kahook said.

Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, is the director of refractive surgery for TLC in Greensboro, North Carolina. He makes a point of praying each morning for those affected by COVID-19, including many friends and ophthalmologists who have tested positive for the virus. Remarkably, he said that he is “pretty much at peace” because his close and extended family is healthy, safe, and isolated. What’s feeding his Zen? Daily exercise, meditation, yoga, and plenty of sleep, he said.

“I turned off the TV a long time ago except to watch something that will make my family or me laugh,” Dr. Stonecipher said. “My wife, Lynne, has terrible asthma, and she has been stuck at home for over 14 days now. … Making her laugh is of the utmost importance.”

Exercise has been a major stress reliever for S. Asha Balakrishnan, MD, who specializes in cataract, cornea, and refractive surgery at DLV Vision in Westlake Village, California. “I really enjoy working out, so I’ve been creating my own home gym,” she said. With more free time than she has had in years, Dr. Balakrishnan is also taking her two dogs on long walks and catching up on her reading.

Cathleen M. McCabe, MD, told Eyewire News that “it’s tough to find things in your life that help you to maintain your sanity and to relax a little.” Dr. McCabe is a cataract and refractive surgery specialist and the medical director of The Eye Associates in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida. Practicing gratitude, particularly for time together as a family, has been a stress-reliever for her. “We’ve been able to spend all our meals together, and … we have a 3,000-piece puzzle we’ve been working on together,” she said.

Time in the great outdoors has also been restorative for Dr. McCabe and her family. “We got out on the kayak, and that was very peaceful and wonderful, just another chance to reconnect with nature,” she said.

Brandon D. Ayres, MD, is also heading outdoors to relieve stress. Dr. Ayres is a surgeon on the Cornea Service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

“I love to work outside, work in the yard, do my own landscaping, do my own home repairs,” he said. “I find that to be a great relief of stress.”

He is also spending a lot of time cycling on his own, hanging out with his family and three dogs, and mountain biking with his children. “I’ve had the opportunity to eat dinner with my family for the past 2 weeks straight,” he commented. “That has never happened.”

The main recommendation to colleagues from all of the doctors interviewed for this article is to take time to relieve stress by enjoying favorite activities and connecting with loved ones at home and, through various communication strategies, with those farther away. “[Let’s] try to make the best use of this time that we have while we’re less busy at work because we know, once we get back, it’s going to be really, really busy,” Dr. Ayres said.