Summary
Overview
In this Doctor's Notes episode, consultant ophthalmic and oculoplastic surgeon Mr. Raj Dasbomik discusses his unique specialty combining eye surgery with plastic surgery, summer eye safety, and the surprising connection between art and ophthalmology. He covers everything from sunglasses myths to eye trauma first aid, screen time effects, and his work reconstructing faces after cosmetic surgery complications. The conversation reveals fascinating insights about eye health, including why cheap sunglasses work just as well as expensive ones and how our blink rate dramatically decreases when using screens.
Journey into Oculoplastic Surgery and the Arts
Raj explains his path to becoming an oculoplastic surgeon, combining microsurgery skills with artistic sensibility. He describes how he moved beyond cataract surgery to a more creative specialty that allows him to reconstruct faces and restore normal appearance after trauma or tumors. His passion for arts in healthcare is evident through his role as Chair of Arts and Heritage at Moorfields Eye Hospital, where he advocates for integrating arts into healthcare settings.
- Oculoplastic surgeons are eye surgeons who are also plastic surgeons, specializing in skin and reconstructive work, not just cosmetic enhancement
- Every functional oculoplastic procedure has an equally important cosmetic component to restore normal appearance
- Blepharoplasty (eyelid lift) is the second most common cosmetic procedure in the UK, but complications from poorly performed surgery are common
- Raj is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and heads Arts and Heritage at Moorfields Eye Hospital
- Every pound invested in arts programmes reaps 14 pounds of benefit in health improvement
" I'm an eyelid plastic surgeon. That's my subspecialty. And plastic surgeon, lots of people may not understand it. It's not cosmetic enhancement work. It is skin and reconstructive. "
" Every pound you put into an arts programme reaps 14 pounds of benefit in health improvement. Those economics are, you can't argue with it, but it's kind of put on the back burner when you've got, you know, constraints and financial constraints. "
Art and Eye Disease Connection
The conversation explores the fascinating relationship between visual impairment and art history. Raj discusses how artists' works change as their vision deteriorates, citing examples of famous painters whose color perception and style evolved with their eye conditions. This connects to his broader mission of integrating arts into healthcare through exhibitions featuring both visually impaired patients and professional artists with visual impairments.
- Famous artists like Turner, Gauguin, and Rembrandt's work shows progression of their eye conditions
- Rembrandt's paintings become darker and browner through his career as he lost color perception
- Moorfields Eye Hospital runs rolling arts exhibitions featuring work by visually impaired patients and artists
" If you look at Rembrandt's work through the years, you'll see how his works become brunessant with age. So they become darker and browner as he progresses through his career. Because he stopped seeing colour. "
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