EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/387844
27 EW NEWS & OPINION October 2014 Sitting down with Senator (and ophthalmologist) Rand Paul by David F. Chang, MD been giving me the easier cases! Like "There's one where you can see a red reflex, so maybe he should do that one!" But no, I've done some white cataracts, too. I'm maybe not quite as good as the pros yet, but I'm try- ing to get there, and it's exciting to be able to be a part of it. At home I do some charity surgery in different parts of Kentucky, and I've become friends with ophthalmologists in different parts of the state, so every couple of months we go to a surgery center and do 4 or 5 cases. Dr. Chang: A lot of ophthalmologists don't know about your background. You did your residency at Duke and then went out into private practice. How long did you practice? Sen. Paul: I did my residency at Duke. I got out in 1993 and my wife was from Kentucky—and you know how that works! So I came to Kentucky and we wanted to live in a small town. Our town has about 50,000 people, with the university [Western Kentucky University] add- ing about 20,000 more. I did private practice but was always interested in the Lions Club. As a member of the Lions Club, we had our own Lions Eye Institute. Dr. Chang: I am conducting this interview with Sen. Rand Paul in Salamá, Guatemala, where we are operating with the Moran Eye Center's International Outreach team. Senator, what's your impres- sion of the setup here so far? Sen. Paul: It's been exciting to do it. I've felt a connection to Guatemala for a long time but have never been here. We have a neurosurgeon in my town in Kentucky who was born in Guatemala, and I've done surgery on some kids from Guatemala, but I've never been here. We're in a town about 3 hours away from Guatemala City—3 hours by car through some very winding mountain roads. I was told by you and Dr. Crandall that there's only one eye surgeon for 800,000 people, so there's just too many cataracts that go untreated. It's exciting to be a part of such an esteemed group to try to help these people. Dr. Chang: We've seen all sorts of pathology here today, and these are really tough cases. However, watch- ing you, you seem very comfortable operating here. How are you keeping up your surgical skills? It isn't like riding a bicycle! Sen. Paul: Yes, but I think you guys have been cheating—I think you've S en. Rand Paul, MD (R-KY), is an ophthalmologist who practiced for 18 years in Bowling Green, Ky., before being elected to the Senate in 2010. He has been a strong legislative ally for physicians and was a keynote speaker at the 2014 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress in Boston, where he received several standing ovations. As a physician, he both understands and articulately advocates for our positions on many major issues. As a result, many ophthalmologists are excited that he is considered one of the early frontrunners for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Earlier this year, Sen. Paul approached ASCRS Director of Government Relations Nancey K. McCann about doing an international cataract surgical outreach trip. Although senators are barred from receiving outside compensation (e.g., for practicing medicine), Sen. Paul maintains his surgical skills by performing occasional pro bono cataract surgeries in his home state of Kentucky. The logical choice to organize this trip was the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center. Their highly acclaimed international outreach division has operated in every corner of the globe, and Sen. Paul joined their August trip to the small town of Salamá, Guatemala, where only one ophthalmologist serves a popula- tion of 800,000. Under the leadership of ASCRS past president and current ASCRS Foundation International Committee member Alan Crandall, MD, a small team of ophthalmologists performed 250 surgeries during the week. Moran has a 5-year commitment to assist, train, and support the local ophthalmologist and his rotating resident at this eye hospital. As a participant, I was privileged to see Moran's amazing team of surgeons, nurses, technicians, and coordinators in action. I was also quite impressed with Sen. Paul's surgical skills under challenging conditions. Not only were these among the most advanced and challenging cataracts that any of us would ever encounter, but the press was literally "embedded" in the operating room with us as they learned about cataract surgery and sized up his performance. Sen. Paul is ambidextrous enough to alternate doing phaco right- and left-handed according to the eye, and it was obvious that he missed performing surgery and practicing ophthalmology. Our trip was reported on by the Washington Post, National Review, "Meet the Press," "NBC Nightly News," and the "Today Show." Although the political angles made this newsworthy, the coverage certainly increased awareness of global cataract blindness and cast our profession in a favorable light. I took advantage of this opportunity to interview Sen. Paul for EyeWorld. David F. Chang, MD, chief medical editor continued on page 28 Chief medical editor's corner of the world Sen. Paul performing phaco in Salamá, Guatemala, with assistance from Alan Crandall, MD. Source: Jeff Pettey, MD