WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
I grew up in Clovis, New Mexico, a small town in the middle of nowhere. My parents were both family medicine doctors, and I witnessed firsthand the joy that they experienced taking care of their patients. I was never pushed to go into medicine but gravitated toward it anyway.
MY PATH TO RETINA
I went to the Pennsylvania State University/Jefferson combined BS/MD program. I had every intention of going into internal medicine (specifically oncology) because I wanted to work with the most vulnerable patients and help make a difference. However, during my ophthalmology rotation at Wills Eye Hospital, I shadowed in the retina clinic with the current fellow, Rajiv E. Shah, MD. His love of the retina was infectious, and I fell in love with it, too—I loved the pathology, complexity, and ability to help patients in such a meaningful way. I remember shadowing surgery and seeing how scared but grateful the patients were, and I knew I wanted to have that kind of effect. I was so sure of my decision that on my application for ophthalmology residency, I wrote that I wanted to do surgical retina.
Dr. Vakharia’s advice: Be true to yourself, and pursue the avenues that bring you happiness, whether that's clinical trials, working with industry, or being a great community retina specialist. Also, always treat patients the way you would want to be treated—if you follow that rule, you will always do what is best for your patient.
SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY
Retina is an incredible group of like-minded people who work hard for our specialty and our patients. I want to call out two of my biggest mentors, Jeffrey S. Heier, MD, and David A. Eichenbaum, MD. Both have been instrumental in shaping my career, providing guidance, and connecting me with opportunities that I would otherwise never have received.
Dr. Heier was an attending during my fellowship, and he shaped how I approach clinic, staff, surgery, and patients. His calm demeanor, compassion, and incredible skill serve as an inspiration to me.
Dr. Eichenbaum has helped shape me as an early-career retina specialist, and he is always available for advice on patient care, my career, or clinical trials. He never stops working, and his leadership and work ethic are inspirational.
I am also incredibly grateful to everyone in my practice at Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida. We have a group of eight doctors who are my best friends and biggest confidantes.
AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER
I cared for a middle-aged man who had a macula-on retinal detachment in his right eye and a macula-off retinal detachment in his left eye. His surgeries were successful, and he regained a VA of 20/20 OD and 20/30 OS. When I saw him 1 year later, he was so thankful, stating that he saw me on the worst day of his life and is so grateful for the care he received. He said to me, “You will never understand the impact you have had on my life.” These words resonated with me, and I was reminded of how great of an effect we can make on our patients.
