I was really excited when, a few months ago, Dr. Christolyn Raj contacted me to discuss the idea of writing an article about women in eye health.
We know the gender balance has completely shifted in optometry and it’s starting to shift in ophthalmology. There are now more women than men qualified as optometrists. While there are many more men than women in ophthalmology, the number of female registrars continues to grow.
This is something I’ve been aware of for some time, and since I started taking more editorial control of mivision, I’ve made an effort to invite more and more women in eye health to contribute articles. Inevitably, they’re happy to do so and as a result, I believe we’ve created a journal that is more representative of the workforce and presents a well-balanced perspective.
Dr. Raj worked with colleagues in ophthalmology and optometry to write our lead story on women in eye health. Their collective article presents a positive, optimistic view that acknowledges the support of men and women who are helping other women to develop careers in the field. I particularly liked a comment made by Dr. Amy Cohn who said, “We do not have to become the same, but we do have to respect each other’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities”. And another by Dr. Smita Agarwal, who said, “The goal for today should be to empower both women and men to define their notions of success and to remove any psychological barriers to achieving this. With the help of each other, within a family as well as within our communities, we can live by example.”
I’d like to congratulate Todd Tai, who recently took on the role of Managing Director of mivision (Toma Publishing) following a decision by his former business partner, Mark Cushway to sell the shares he owned. Todd is a great leader and he’s passionate about supporting eye health and the associated professions. There are very few in this sector who don’t recognise him – he is such a dynamic presence at conferences and events.
I also acknowledge the massive contribution that Mark has made over the years since he and Todd established mivision. Personally, he has been instrumental in my professional development from writer to editor. He has a way of cutting straight to the heart of an issue and he has taught me plenty, for which I am extremely appreciative.
