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Transforming Eye Health and Healthy Aging with Dr. Inna Lazar · Building the Best You

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Building the Best You, a destination for you to reimagine what is possible in your life and then create it.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the show, everybody.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Gene Collins, and today we have Dr.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Ina Lazar on, and we are going to be talking about eye care.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I have to personally tell you, I had absolutely no idea that there was so much going on in the eye care industry until I started to follow her on Instagram.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: I went down a huge rabbit hole looking at her content till I met her in person and I went to her practice.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: And just to give you an inkling, there are eye drops that you can use that can help you see folks without reading glasses.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So that's just one of the many things I learned when I met her.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I am so excited, Doctor, to have you on the show.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for inviting me.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's such a huge honor.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So let's chat.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Let's chat about eye care.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: All right, but before we get into the details, because you do so many things that I would have never thought would be part of your profession.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think eye care doctor.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think you go once a year, maybe if you're really good couple every other year, you sit, you look in that machine, they blow the air in, you get your prescription for glasses.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: But what you do is on a completely different level of eye care that I didn't even know existed.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm really excited to share that.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: But before we do, your story is pretty cool.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: So can you just share a little bit of background about you and your journey and why you got so passionate about eye care?
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when I started practicing, I actually was, I was, I went to school in uh Pennsylvania and one of my rotations I did here in Connecticut, and I realized I love Connecticut and I love being so close to the water.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: So after graduation, I actually decided to come back to Connecticut.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: And after practicing for about a year, I realized there is a lot of issues that women in particular suffer with, such as oculosurface disease and dry eye.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: And we had nowhere to send these women.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: We would see the patient, give them used moisture, tell them to use moisture drops, and send them on their way.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I realized I want to be that doctor that will take care of these women and some men, but mostly women, and help them to look better, see better, and really optimize their health when it comes to their eyes and face.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I opened my own practice in Old Greenwich 10 years ago.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, time flies, right?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I when I started, you know, educating women and implementing everything I've learned and all the new technology that's coming out, how we can improve the quality of life of my patients.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And you actually, you have two practices, which is amazing.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you're a mom.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like you do all the things.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: You're like super mom.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: It is so amazing.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: You're an entrepreneur, you do so many things, you're so big in the community.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: You're really focused on building community within the community.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you do a ton of events at your place in Greenwich, which is also so inspiring as an entrepreneur.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: You're all about giving back.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: You're all about helping.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: You do a bunch of stuff with kids, helping little kids that can't see and have eye issues.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: You give so much of your time.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So kudos and thank you for that.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to skim over how much you give back, because I think that's so important as an entrepreneur to demonstrate that you do give back.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for that.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: But before we even move into all the good things, let's talk about what's the number one reason why people come to you.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: So, just like you said in the in the beginning, oftentimes they just feel like they need a new pair of glasses.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: Their eyes are tired and they think they need just something new in their life.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: They they're unable to read as well, especially that reading experience when you go to a restaurant and you need a flashlight.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's usually number one.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: And number two, my eyes are always red and watery.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And often patients rely on drops to help to relieve the redness.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: So those are the biggest ones.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, kids.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: I see a lot of children for vision issues or sports activities, to we can optimize that as well.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and I also love you, and I talked about this when I met you in person, is that you love to uncover the reason behind why these things are happening for patients.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, you and I went down a rabbit hole conversation about hormones.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I had so much to say about my own journey in perimenopause and menopause.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so, can you talk about hormone health and how that might actually be what's causing some symptoms that people have for their eyes, but they're not making the connection between the hormones and where they are with their hormone health and what's going on with their eyes.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of those conversations.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Where do I even start?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's just so much, everything is connected.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just, we no longer look at our body as just different parts of organs.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like a collection of organs and we separate them and then we treat them separate.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: We actually view everything as one.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: And these patients that at least I see and I've been seeing in other practices that suffer from often dryness.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, as we enter that perimenopause, the dryness is one of the big issues that we all experience, including their eyes.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: And the more we learn, the more we have the literature coming out, the more we realize the hormones, especially testosterone, decreases significantly.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: And that impacts oculosurface and women's health.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: Again, men, I see a lot of men in my practice, but their testosterone levels are much higher to begin with.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: So women are going to be much more sensitive to the drop and decline in testosterone.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: And these are the women that are uh I will see in my practice, and they'll say, my eyes have never been this dry.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: I can't sleep well.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: I wake up with dryness.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm unable to see well.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm unable to wear my contact lenses anymore.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: My eyes are constantly red.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I am using bisine to help with that.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: So now we're just entering this vicious cycle.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: And we're realizing that it's really every every patient is also very individual.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we do need testosterone, but we also need some progesterone and we need some estrogen.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: And if we change the formula, you can actually worsen the dry eye symptoms and redness and watering rather than helping the patient.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: So every patient needs to be addressed very individually.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: But in the grand scheme, it's really the testosterone that drives the whole cycle.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: And who would have known?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Then while we learn, like who would have known?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I was like, add that to the list of perimenopause issues and menopause issues.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: There we go.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Just one other thing that no one's ever talked about.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I think the other thing that happens to us in that hormonal stage is we often lose hair, which means we also lose eyelashes.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so then everybody is trying to combat, okay, how do I deal with the fact that my eyelashes are thinning now as a result?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so can we talk about eyelash serums just for a minute?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because this definitely resonates with me.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I know a lot of people who try these things, and you definitely have some opinions about the serum.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: So would you mind?
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's a little off topic, but yet not off topic.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Can we talk about eyelash serums?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because for those of us in menopause that are losing our hair, we also are losing our eyelashes and they also aren't growing as long.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so then people tend to want to move into fake eyelashes, which I'm personally not a fan of.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I would love your take on is there such a thing as a safe fake eyelash?
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if someone wants to use these serums to try to get their eyelashes to grow, what should they be looking for to be the most beneficial product that is still going to protect their eyes and not cause damage?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Lash serums are such a double-edged sword because just like you explained, everything is starting to change.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: You are losing the lashes.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: So now you're using the lash serum that will work.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: And there are a couple out there that will work, but they will actually cause more irritation and more redness and more hyperpigmentation.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: And some of them actually have been shown to cause atrophy of the fat that coats the eyeball.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: So now your eyeballs look more sunk in.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: And now you look older with these long lashes.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just you have to understand that there's always uh there's always a negative in the in the positive, right?
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we need to find a balance.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I would definitely, if you're one of these, you know, patients that are noticing your lashes are starting to thin out, it's okay to use lash serum, but make sure you avoid the ones with prostaglandins.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to have an eyelash that has some peptides in it, some nourishing ingredients, but nothing with prostaglandins.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: With that being said, there are serums out there that do not disclose their list, full lists to the public.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you may think you're using a healthier version of the lash serum, but it actually will have the prostaglandin in it.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: And over time you will notice a lot of irritation and pigment settling in the lash line.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're using one of those, definitely stop and see an eye doctor because that means there is a prostaglandin, which will aid you down the road.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Anyways, I can write a whole book on this because I have every time there's a new serum, I test it on myself.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because I do need to know.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Because these questions, every day, I every patient has the questions.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, of course.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: We all want to know.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, can we use this?
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Do they work?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know, is this good for me?
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: And especially when they're new things like serums like that, there isn't all this research out that shows you that, oh, by the way, you use that product and five years from now, you don't have any eyelashes at all because you killed something else that we don't know about yet.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: What about fake eyelashes?
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Are those okay?
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Or let's just say, is there a safe way to wear fake eyelashes in a what let's just even leave it at that.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a safe way to wear fake eyelashes?
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: When I started practicing, I was very much against it because, you know, when you leave the school, you're like, it's black or white.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're gonna do this or we're not gonna do this.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then over time, I've learned, I am losing this war so hard.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: I I just might as well join everyone and figure out a better way.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: How can I educate my patients?
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, really, the formula is if you're one of these patients that you like to wear lash extensions, fine.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Make sure when the the lash artist that does that place the lash uh individual, they don't glue multiple lash extensions onto one lash.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's already so fragile and you're about to lose that lash.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Just do the ratio is one to one ratio, less glue.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: And make sure you clean the lashes every night.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: And the best way to clean the lashes is do you use a makeup brush that has bristles?
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like a, you know, the eyeshadow brush with bristles.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: You use some soap, which is usually they have it for you.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: If not, I'm happy to make recommendations.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you will actually wash the lashes as if you want the bristles to wash around the lashes.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: So that way you have no dead skin, no makeup, nothing trapping.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: Because if you don't clean the lashes, that is how you run into styes, you know, those infected lids issues.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: So one-to-one ratio, less glue, wash them every night.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's a that is that is a good way to get on board.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Styes.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned styes.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like, you know, my boyfriend just had a sty.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, how did you as a guy get a sty?
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I kind of understand, I think women get it because your glands get clogged and we all wear makeup, and not everybody's good about throwing out their makeup every month or two months or three months or whatever the rule is, especially with mascaras and stuff.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: But how does someone can you explain a sty?
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is that?
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: So we have a lot of oil glands in our lid margin, and there the openings right in the waterline, and there's lower mybomium glands, are called mybomium glands, and the upper mybomial glands.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: And when one of these miomium glands gets blocked and the oil is unable to come out, it gets infected.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: So a sty is is just an infected oil gland.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: With that being said, often, and the literature shows us that these patients that get sty, it's actually these mites that live on our skin, is the reason why patients get sty.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: So when like your boyfriend, he should have an eye exam to see if he indeed has these mites, and we can treat it and he will never have a sty again.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: We can prevent it.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: He's coming to you.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Don't you worry.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, you have to go see her.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: She's right in Greenwich.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's stop using Dr.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Google and let's go and let's go and see you.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: All right, before we move off of some what I'm considering cosmetics things, I would just love your opinion on.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: How often should women replace their mascaras?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, whatever the recommended time is.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: So when you look at the cube, you will see a little, like a little box and it has three or six or whatever, you just follow that.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's really either the mascaras now, they have preservatives.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not really worried.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Unless you had a really bad pink eye, which is a viral conjunctivitis, you maybe want to throw that away.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: But the might situation is really just don't share your mascara and just throw it away whatever the recommended time is, which is usually three months for mascaras.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: Follow the recommended thing.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: But no one does.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's the problem.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't realize it's been three months.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, time just passes.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: No one pays any attention.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: No one does, that's for sure.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: We don't all clean our brushes like we're supposed to.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: There are just so many things.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, we could talk about makeup for an hour, but we're not going to because there are many other bigger topics we're going to talk about.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: So when I went and met you in person, I was shocked to find out how many plastic surgeons that do facelifts send their clients to you.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: Can you explain why that is?
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's something that we actually have never expected that it would happen.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's just, again, the power of social media, patients and the doctors, you know, we all follow each other, we all talk on DMs, you know, picking each other's brains, which that's why I love social media.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: But what we realized with all the uptake in facelifts and black roplastys, and that's totally expected, patients will have some changes in their lid function.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's expected.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we would have these, you know, patients either find us on social media or on the internet, or plastic surgeons would refer to us post-facelifts to restore the lid function.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: And again, it's something that we're able to do now, which is why I am grateful every day to be able to practice now rather than 10 years ago, where we had nothing.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: And now we have all this amazing diagnostic technologies, we have amazing treatment technologies where we're able to speed up the process of recovery post-facelift or post-blephroplasty, any cosmetic lid-related surgery, we can really help the patient to recover better and with less unwanted symptoms.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: So if someone has a facelift and it makes it so their eyes can't completely close afterwards, I don't even know if you can explain it in like an English layman's term, but how can you then fix that?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like what are you fixing around their eyes or with the structure of their eyes that's helping to fix that for them without it being another surgery?
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe it is another surgery.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really 50-50, but we are as a community, as eye care providers and plastic surgeons are becoming more aware of this.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: So we do get a lot of referrals prior to surgery to get the eyes evaluated and see if there's anything that needs to get addressed prior to surgery.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: But we still have some patients that have learned about this to be a problem post-surgical.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: So then we would just, we do do reactive work.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: But of course, my passion is preventative eye care.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: I would rather treat and make it everything seamless rather than being reactive.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: But it's just really we're we're doing a good job educating, especially social media is significant, such a huge tool in education.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's something I would have never thought of had you until you started to talk about it.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: So the other thing I had absolutely no idea that existed is this concept of eye drops that can make it so you can read for a day.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Can we talk about those?
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how I had no idea these exist.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: Can you talk about what this is, how it works, why it works, how you use it, who can use it, all the things about this concept.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: And this is one more reason why I love to be an eye care because it is one of these super growing fields that we had nothing and now we have everything.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: And now even the eye drop to help you see.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: So the eye drop is very unique.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's almost like old rediscovered new, but it actually works.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: So you have this eye drop that will you will use first thing in the morning.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: And what it does, it makes your pupils small to give you that depth perception to improve your depth perception, which allows you to see up close.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: So you don't need to rely on your readers as much as you used to.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: The one thing a lot of patients that are used to having readers and now they're switching to an eye drop, the eye drop is not magnifying the way the glasses were.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: So patients sometimes feel like, oh, I'm just not sure what I'm looking for.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: It is actually giving you the vision that you had 10 years ago prior to needing reading glasses.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: It just makes everything crisper, still small, but you're able to read.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: It just kind of gives you that back time that you had.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's really fascinating.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: You would currently have three drops.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: That is amazing.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: Can you use it every day?
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: Is it safe to use on a repetitive basis?
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just like you would use glasses, you would use this eye drop as um a morning ritual.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: You wake up, you do your thing, you drop, drop, and then you're able to see.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: Some drops there.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: We currently have three different drops that are available that are FDA approved.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: They found to be safe and effective.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it really depends on the patient, depends on their, you know, the prescription, their habits.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: I would go based on that and prescribe accordingly.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, they are safe, they're effective, and it's a good option for the right patient.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: We've certainly had patients that have tried the drops and it just doesn't work for them.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: So you definitely need to see an eye doctor to be able to prescribe this.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I would think if you're going to an event or something, like how incredible to not have to wear your glasses and still be able to see the program or the menu or, you know, get all dressed up.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then you're like, oh, wait, let me pull out my readers so I can read something at the event.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's stylish, but yet it'd be really cool if you didn't have to.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, yes, and I agree with you.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it hurts me to see these beautiful cobbles at the restaurant, well dressed, the makeup, the hair.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: And then they take out their tiny pair of readers.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, please let me help you.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, how I'm just personally curious.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: I have progressive glasses.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so I have both nearsighted and far-sighted.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure I'm like many people, my eyes are not the same.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like most of my difficulties is in one eye and not the other.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: So if I were to use the drops, it would only help me with seeing close up.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: It would only help me with reading, correct?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: It wouldn't help me with seeing far away.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: So it depends on the patient.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: No, we we don't know until you actually experience the drop.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: We've had some patients report that they actually can see better at distance because of that pinhole effect that the drop makes pupils small.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: So you just naturally start seeing crisper.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: But it depends on the patient, which is why the drop is so tricky.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like you actually have to experience the drop to be able to say, yes, it works or not.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so trying it.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm coming in.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to see you.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's just, I think it's so cool.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, some of the other things that you work on is you work on aesthetics.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I went into your office and you have all these before and after photos streaming on television all over the place, showing people's wrinkles going away.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, wait a second, I'm here for eye care.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: And yet you are showing like people's chin, their faces, their arms, their eyes, all these body parts of before and afters of wrinkles going away.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: So can you talk to us about what is that and how are you using that technology?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: So yes.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm so passionate about it because the more I do this, the more I realize, again, your lids are very important.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: They are, of course, aesthetic.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: We want to have nice and beautiful and youthful, well-opened eyeballs.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: But lids actually have extreme important functions to protecting your eyeball.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: And as we're treating the lids, as we're treating the eyeballs, we realize the face, the lids are on the face.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we can't really, it's very difficult to separate the lids from the face.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: There's no perfect line where the lid ends and the face starts, right?
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we started treating, incorporating the facial treatment because those patients, for example, with age, often we have lid laxity.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: The lids are no longer adhering to the eyeball as well.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: So when you blink, you just don't have a good quality blink.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: But then as we were treating the lids, we realized the heaviness of the lower face actually pulls everything down.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: So yes, we are restoring the lid function.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that seems to be better.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_01: But the heaviness of the lower face still is very impacts negatively the lid function.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that's when we started treating the whole face and really taking that full face approach to improve everything at the same time.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: So we currently have the technology I picked out to be at the office is a few different ones.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: We have dynamic muscle stimulation that helps you to strengthen the muscles and we can work on the face and give you that youthful, more plump effect, but really just to put the face back where it was, because it's the bone, and then you have the muscle, and then you have a fat, then you have a skin.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: So if we were to treat the logic, is if we're going to treat the muscle and increase the volume of the muscle, everything else will follow.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been has shown to be effective.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: Another treatment is soft weight.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: I love soft weight because we want to have, we want to bank the collagen, we want to strengthen the collagen, especially around the lids.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: So that's something I've started using two years ago before it became, you know, Kardashian viral device.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: I've been using it for around the eyes to tighten the lids, to improve the lid function and aesthetics.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then the light therapy is a huge one that I use to restore the gland function and influence the cell turnover.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: Everything that is aesthetic, it is actually has an important medical reason.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: And combining both and combining the therapies is just been such a huge change for my patients.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: That is so cool.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I would also think it isn't one size fits all, right?
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, let's say I come in and I'm like, okay, I'm feeling like there's like here, it's not like something's happening here.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's like feeling like your eyes are becoming more concave than they used to be.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's like it's sinking in.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: So what you might do for me might be different than, you know, I have a really good friend who her eyelids at the top, you know, she's in her 60s, are like drooping down and they're sort of like almost like making her eye close because her upper eyelid is just getting heavy.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: It like doesn't have the elasticity that it used to have.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I would think whatever you would do to help someone like me, if I said this is my issue and help my friend because that was her issue, it would be customized to that person based on what their actual eye issue is at the time.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's not everyone needs to do all the things.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: And even if sometimes patients, I have sometimes spouses, a husband and a wife, come in and we do the same treatments, but the settings are different, the amount of time we spend.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes patients have the asymmetry where we're able to even out by using these devices.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, I work really close with oculoplastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: And often, you know, I am going to improve as much as I can with whatever I do in my practice.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: But a lot of times the surgical is really the way to go.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: So we have such a great relationship with all the cosmetic like surgeons and plastic surgeons and lid surgeons because it has to be a collaborative work.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: There are certain things that can be improved using technology, and there's certain things that it needs to get addressed with surgical.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's really the combined approach is really the best.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's really what's best for the patient.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's how I see it.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: How do you stay on top of all this technology?
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, plus have your job and the mom and all the things.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do you stay on top of all of it?
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: That seems like a job inside itself.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it is.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: I just, I don't have an answer for that.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: I definitely, the social media and algorithm gods have figured out what I like.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: But no, it's really I am, I am a member of many, many boards, advisory boards, and you know, I'm I am part of the industry because I want to learn what's coming.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I just do prioritize my time to make sure to learn what's coming and how can I improve it and how can I bring it to my patients.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: But it is certainly challenging with time, especially.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: I wish there was like an extra day in the week.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, just to do research and learn about new things and go to conferences.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, where is the United States compared to the rest of the world in terms of eye care?
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: Because in some other facets, cosmetic especially, it's sort of everyone's like, oh, the US is so behind.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: We're so behind in medical care, our healthcare system is so terrible.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: Where's the United States when it comes to eye care and technology of eye care?
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think eye care when it comes to the United States is way ahead of the rest of the world.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: Because, and I'm going to speak by my own experience, I do speak and I lecture abroad.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's fascinating how much more experience we have with the technology that's being brought into the United States and how much more new molecules that we have that are being developed.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I do think the United States is ahead when it comes to eye care.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: I will not speak about everything else, but eye care is definitely ahead.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: And there are certain molecules that we use here that are not even available in the in Europe or any other country.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: You have to be here to be able to get it.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I am proud of that.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think, I think that's, you know, it's great.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think that is so incredible because I think in general, most people would say they're not happy with our healthcare system.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I think the fact that iCare is more advanced is wonderful.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's great to know we are succeeding and it and achieving a really high bar in this country with at least one thing.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's great.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: Can we talk about children for a minute?
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: So share with everybody some of the work you do with the little people and their sight.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: When I ordered my practice 10 years ago, it was really to address the dry eye, inocular surface, and lid function, but also to treat kids, those, especially those children that have been diagnosed with myopia or being near sighted and have shown to be progressive.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: So because right now we no longer view myopia as, oh, just need glasses or just need context.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: It is actually progressive disease.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: So now that we, if we have a young child that's at the age of six or maybe a little bit older, and they're a little bit negative, like for example, minus 50 or minus one in prescription, we are taking it very seriously.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: And we're going to be addressing this progressive disease to make sure it doesn't progress further.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: We can actually, we have the ability to slow down that myopia progression.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, when I started addressing this and implementing into my practice being in Old Greenwich, it gotten so busy.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I was seeing a lot of children that needed the care, but they were not able to get treated.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because it is currently, even though it is considered a progressive disease, it is the treatments are still not being covered by insurance.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I started treating these children just because how can you be a mom and let a child just go by and not being treated?
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's when I started my foundation actually.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's called ICE from the heart.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was using that to treat these kids that were unable to get treated.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it's very it's very warm to me.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like I am very happy about it that I'm able to help and change the trajectory of the future of these kids.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what it would have been, but for sure it is better than walking around with the glasses on their face.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it makes me very happy that I'm able to have that impact on their health.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's so beautiful that you do that.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you bring kids in for free eye exams and you do all kinds of things.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing I want to touch on for kids that I don't want to skim over that I hadn't even thought about, is that sometimes kids are diagnosed in schools with ADHD when in fact or dyslexia when in fact they can't see.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: And you've seen some of that in your practice too.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: So how would a parent know maybe when to go to an eye doctor as opposed to just going to a doctor for, you know, dyslexia or ADHD, which seems super common right now?
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, first of all, if the parent uh wears glasses, have the eyes checked.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's number one.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: If you see the child is squinting, bring the child for an eye exam.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: But really, the rule of thumb, every child should have an eye exam before going to kindergarten or first grade.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: That is really should be um a rule, just like they get their teeth checked for a camp.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: They need to have a dental form for kindergarten or first grade.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: They should have something like this for eye exams because so many children, for example, I recently saw a child doing well in school, but not doing well in sports.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: And during an eye exam, what we've learned, she actually can only see out of one eyeball.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: The other eyeball is nearsighted.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: So she can only rely on one eye.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: So her depth is not great.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why she's unable to gauge where the ball is.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: She trips, she's just not doing well in sports.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: Extremely bright child.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_01: So just addressing that and providing a contact lens for the other eye or giving the glasses, she's gonna thrive.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's game changing.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: It changes everything.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's again, it's it's life-changing and it's game changing.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it changes her self-confidence because yeah, the other way, it's like, oh, there's something wrong with me.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm less than, I can't do this.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not talented, I'm not athletic, I'm not this.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Where if it's, oh no, it's actually just that there's something wrong with your eye.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so let's adjust that, let's fix that.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then all of a sudden you can be a completely different person.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's life-changing.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's what I mean.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: I wish, you know, if you wear glasses, bring your child, if they're squinting, but really rule of thumb, have your child's eye examined before they go into first grade or kindergarten.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a great rule of thumb.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: And not by, I'm gonna just caveat this in my own personal opinion, and not by the pediatrician that makes them stand like far away from the alphabet chart that's like down the hall.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: And no offense, pediatricians, but I think I've seen them do that with my daughter when she was little.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, how are you what does that mean?
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, really?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: Look, it's if there are no um available eye doctor in town, I think it's a great tool.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like you just do the screening.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: But what we find, kids are so smart, they're so bright.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: And if they don't see well out of one eye, they will peek out of the good seeing eye.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: And the nurse, they don't really notice, they don't check the way we check.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_01: And these this kid would go for years with just reading with one eyeball, the other eye is just not even seeing well.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_01: So just have the professional eye doctor check.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, before we run out of time, what's on your bucket list for the business?
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: What would you like to see happen in the future for the business?
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think my my biggest passion is educating and really improving lives of my patients because most of the time when patients are coming in just for glasses, they they are not even aware what we're doing.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_01: So I think educating that, you know, having red eyes, waking up with red eyes is not normal.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: Having crusty lids, swollen lids, sunken eyeballs is not normal.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I just want to educate patients that yes, we're aging.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: And because often what I hear, oh, it's just, you know, the age.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: Not really.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's no longer the case.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: We're able to improve things.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, oh, it's just, you know, it's just my age.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_01: I don't see well.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: No, but we have drops for that.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_01: We have, we have, we're, we're so fortunate to say we have a solution to so many problems now, and we're able to do it really well.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_01: So, really educating the patients and letting them know that you don't have to suffer and struggle.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_01: There's we can do better for our patients.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's like my educating, just educating.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like me.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, 90% of the things that you do, I had absolutely no idea.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: But what I love is I was drawn to you because I saw you post on social media about the right shaped glasses to get for your face shape.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: So you like bring it down to stuff that like I can relate to and that I actually care about.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then I find out that you do all these other things.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: And now you have a client for life in me.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll have one in my boyfriend too.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: But that's one of the things that I love about you is that you do provide a lot of super practical advice to people on social media of just everyday health and wellness.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like everyday health and wellness for your eyes and your skin and your body, which I think is also important because I don't think people give enough attention to their eyes when they think about overall health and wellness.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: But you kind of like definitely look at it in totality when you talk on a social media platform, which I think is really important.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think we need to change the way we look at eyes and other organs.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's a part of your whole well-being.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: And there's stuff you can proactively do to help your eye care.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know?
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: And absolutely.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so before we get to my favorite question about recommending a book, is there anything that I missed or something that you want to like make sure we put a period on or summarize?
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: What didn't we talk about that we want to make sure we cover?
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think you did such a good job, and you definitely covered a majority of what I talk about in the exam room.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: One thing I think is important to address because what I hear a lot in my chair is I need new eyeglasses.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: My eyes are tired.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_01: That is actually literature has shown that tired eyes is not tied to a prescription change or lack of.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: It is actually the surface of the eye is drying out.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: So often patients say, My eyes are tired.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_01: I need new glasses.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_01: It is actually, we need to address the eyes and how they lubricate themselves.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: Sign me up.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: I've said that.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've totally said that.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: All right, you made me think of one more question.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna keep you for one more question longer because I am I am wondering about this.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, you hear all the time people say the more you wear your glasses, the more your eyes are dependent on your glasses.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I personally feel like that has become true for me.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: I wear my glasses now all the time and feel like I can't look at my computer without my glasses.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: Is that actually factual?
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, is there anything we can do to reverse that?
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: I will take this answer, this question and answer, and I will pin it on my website because this is every other patient in my chair.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're a little worried if they never worn glasses and now they're at the age where definitely need that reading pair, you know, just to read the menu or read a book.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're a little bit reserved because I don't want to be relying on my glasses.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: The truth is, there is no literature showing that glasses make you dependent and make your vision worse.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_01: The eye is going through the change, whether you wear glasses or not.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's like gray hair.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you dye or not, it's not going to change how fast you're gonna be graying.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_01: So the glasses are think of glasses as a device.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: What it does, it just makes it easier for your eyes and your brain to see.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't wear them, you're fine.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: If you wear them, you're also see great.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: You're also fine.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's really good to know.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, we're gonna create a little clip about that, and then you and I can both post it because it's a common question.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: And part B to this question is you said it yourself, the more I wear them, the more I want to wear them.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that is true because your brain is really smart.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_01: And the brain prefers to see clear versus blurry.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_01: So patients will say, Oh, yeah, but now I have to wear them all the time.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: You don't.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's just your brain tells you, please put the glasses on.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just so tired, squinting and tiring the eyeballs to be able to see.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really just your brain is guiding you, like, please, can I see well?
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: So it's you're not hurting yourself.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_01: If you make a decision not to wear the glasses, you're not hurting yourself.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: But you will end up, you may end up with headaches, just squinting, and you know, the the chrome feet around your eyes, more wrinkles, but you're not hurting yourself.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: So it's your choice, your body, your choice.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_01: You're not helping yourself either, though.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_01: No, not at all.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for clarifying.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna make me feel better when I have to grab my glasses to look at my computer.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'll feel better about that.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: Please wear the glasses.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_00: I know I wear them all the time now.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's just ridiculous.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm gonna come in and see you and I'm gonna try the drop.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm so excited.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: All right, before we go, I love to ask my guests if there's a book that they would recommend that has impacted them either personally or professionally, that they think the listeners and the viewers should read.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think it says a lot about someone, and I love to read the books that people recommend, and I learn and grow so much from a book.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I am curious what book or book, sometimes people recommend more than one, would you like to recommend that you think people should read?
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's one book that really sticks to me, and I do often actually go back to it and I re read certain chapters, and it's uh the four agreements, because I feel like when you're a mom and you're a wife and you're in healthcare, you always feel like you're not enough.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, when I I at the end of the day, I just ask myself, did I do my best?
• 42:04
  unknown: Yeah.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: If I'm not able to answer that, we need to go back and redo things.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really, I just need to make sure I do my best.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how I sleep well at night.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_01: And also don't take things personally because a hundred percent of the time, since reading this book years ago, it's just often, you know, you have a negative interaction on the street or something happened, you know, anywhere.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_01: You just have to understand oftentimes you can't take that personally because you don't know where the other person is coming from.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they're having a bad day.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they're, you know, there's just so many things are happening in life in this world today.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_01: You can't take things personally and always do your best.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_01: Those are the two things I always teach my son, who I am having read this book now, because he's growing up and there's friends and you know, relationships.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I want him to not take things personally because it's often not him.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's so true.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's such a good lesson for your kids.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's so often when people are bullying you or being mean to you, it is almost nothing to do with you.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: It has to do with them.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: But trying to teach kids that lesson is really hard.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_00: But if they can read it in a book, a lot of times that helps to teach that lesson.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that's so important, especially being on social media and especially being someone who's trying to build community.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there are going to be people that are going to comment negatively on your content or argue with you about your point of view, especially as a doctor.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: Find plenty of people that are gonna argue with you about your point of view, right?
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's just the nature of the beast of how it works.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_00: People like to argue, especially with people they deem as authorities.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's just how it goes.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: So having a thick skin and not letting it be a reflection and not letting it impact who you are and standing firm in who you are is so important.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_00: So Ina, thank you so much.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_00: You are so incredible.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: We are going to link everything in the show notes.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: You have events coming up.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: You do events all the time in the community.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: You bring people to your showroom, which is your doctor's practice, which is in Greenwich.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_00: You also have one in Darien.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can be found online.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_00: I know people fly up here to come and see you.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's not that hard.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_00: You're right outside of New York City.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_00: There's an airport close to us.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I just, I love how committed you are to educating people.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: Your passion for eye care, your passion for helping patients of all ages is so beautiful.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: And you have educated me tremendously.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_00: And you now have lifelong customers in myself and my boyfriend.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for taking the time.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_00: I know you're so busy.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for being such a wonderful guest.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_01: And you're making me blush.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_01: You've said so many incredible things, and I really appreciate your time and inviting me.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, I welcome you to my practice.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: I would love to take care of your eyeballs.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_01: And your boyfriend's eyeballs.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'm gonna talk about it.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna talk about it on social media.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we're gonna talk about like what's going on and what I learned and how it worked, and all I like, oh my goodness, I have eczema on my eyelids.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we have so much we could talk about, and I'm all about understanding how my hormones and what I'm doing hormonally and HRT and all the things I'm taking and how that's impacting me.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_00: And like, there's so much.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: I might need like a double block of time on your calendar for us to talk because there's so much.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_00: So which is why our appointment's an hour long because we just talked.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: We need an hour to talk about it all because it's not just the fact that I can't see the book anymore.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's about so many other things that are going on.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_00: So many other things.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much, Dr.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: Lazar, for your time.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: We will absolutely be connected, and I look forward to sharing you and your brilliance with the world.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for being a guest.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us for this week's episode of Building the Best You.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you are ready to take a deeper dive into transforming your life, check out my Empowerment Fundamentals course on my website, houseofger.com.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, and I will see you next week with another inspiring guest.