A doctor who began going blind in medical school said her potentially career-ending condition has actually made her a better doctor by teaching her “the importance of advocating for your own health.”
Dr. Tara Narula, a New York City cardiologist, lost some of her vision in medical school.
New York City cardiologist Dr. Tara Narula was sitting in a lecture room during her second year of medical school in the early 2000s when she noticed colored lights flashing in the corners of her right eye.
Her symptoms continued for several months until she went home for the holidays. She visited an ophthalmologist who found no problems beyond a small hemorrhage in the back of her right eye, which is when blood vessels in the eye break and cause bleeding.
However, when a neuro-ophthalmologist ordered a test that required Dr. Narula, now 40, to press a button every time she saw a flash of light, “there was a whole series of flashing lights that I had missed.”
Shortly after, she was diagnosed with an inferior arcuate defect, which causes blurred vision and spots in direct vision and has led to permanent vision loss in the lower part of her right eye.
“Receiving this news at the beginning of my medical career scared me and I feared the worst,” Dr. Narula, an associate professor of cardiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York, wrote in the paper. TODAYwhere she is also a collaborator.
Her condition has remained stable since she was originally diagnosed and she now says her experience has made her a more empathetic doctor, better able to connect with and treat her patients.
Doctors are unsure what caused Dr Narula’s vision loss, although they have suggested her eye became deformed due to nearsightedness.
Doctors were not sure what had caused the vision loss, although they pointed to multiple sclerosis (MS) as a possibility. However, after a series of MRIs, doctors ruled out that possibility.
They also suggested it could have been the result of a small, undetected stroke or an accidental poke in the eye during a night out.
“Being told something was wrong was hard enough, but the hardest part was not having a real diagnosis or answer for what had happened to me,” Dr. Narula said.
She added: “Also, not knowing if it could happen again or if my vision could continue to deteriorate was one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with.”
“It’s a challenge to exist in that gray area, where there are some answers but no full picture.”
Although Dr. Narula returned to medical school at the University of Southern California, she had trouble concentrating due to stress, until her mother gave her some valuable advice.
“She said that if I spent too much time worrying about what might happen, I wouldn’t enjoy the life I was living,” the doctor explained.
The last specialist who saw her now believes that her severe case of myopia (difficulty seeing distant objects) may have deformed her eye, causing partial vision loss.
Inferior arcuate defect is a form of glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that affects 3 million Americans.
Although Dr. Narula was initially frustrated by the unknown surrounding her condition, she said her experience has made her a better doctor.
TODAY medical contributor Dr. Narula said her vision has remained stable since she was diagnosed, although she undergoes regular scans.
‘Every time I get my annual visual field test, I still worry. Every day I realize in an instant that I could be a patient again,’ said Dr. Narula.
“Having gone through my own journey always reminds me that behind every patient’s number, picture and medical history is a human being who is scared and struggling to find a path to hope and a new normal.”
As part of his empathetic approach, he noted that whenever a patient needs a test or scan, he makes sure to respond as soon as possible so the patient can have answers quickly.
“I know how frustrating and scary it is to not have a definitive diagnosis or know what will happen,” she said. “Being patient taught me the importance of defending one’s own health.”
Dr. Narula recently shared her advice for patients navigating their own health journey.
First, he recommends keeping an open mind and seeking multiple opinions, especially for a condition that is difficult to diagnose.
Similarly, she said it’s important to find a doctor you feel comfortable with, someone who will listen to your concerns and make you feel “heard.”
She also suggested keeping a diary of symptoms and test results to bring to appointments.
“I also encourage patients to ask for copies of all their tests, including MRIs, CT scans, blood tests, etc.,” she said.
“That way, they have all the relevant information they need about their health and can share it with providers instead of waiting for the doctor’s office to send the results.”
And for women, who are dismissed by doctors far more often than men, Dr. Narula said they should “learn to express what they feel.”
‘Women know their bodies and they know when something is wrong. I advise my patients to trust their instincts when something feels wrong and not let others downplay it,’ said Dr. Narula.
“Defending health begins, in many cases, with believing in one’s own experience.”
An important aspect of facing a health challenge is finding a support system to help you “deal with the difficult emotions of a difficult-to-diagnose condition.”
She recommends asking a friend or family member to accompany you to medical appointments.
Dr. Narula added, “It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the healthcare system and wonder how you can possibly address a health challenge.”
“But the advice my mother gave me in medical school still rings true: ‘If you put one foot in front of the other and don’t look too far ahead, you’ll realize it’s been months. Take it one day at a time. “‘