Beyond The Walls: The “how and why” behind what drives today’s ophthalmologists

In this inaugural episode of the Ophthalmology Times® “Beyond The Walls” podcast, host Deborah Ristvedt, DO, of Vance Thompson Vision, welcomes Marguerite B. McDonald, MD, FACS, a trailblazer in refractive surgery, dry eye research, and ophthalmic leadership.

The conversation traces McDonald’s journey from childhood experiences with severe myopia to her pioneering role in laser vision correction, as well as ongoing research and advice for the next generation of eye care professionals. McDonald is clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York and Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, and in practice at OCLI Vision in Oceanside, NY.

McDonald reflects on her early inspiration: “My dad was a doctor. He was an orthopedic surgeon, and it was very clear that he loved what he did.” Her path to ophthalmology began with a dramatic childhood experience. Severely nearsighted and undiagnosed, she recalls running into a pond she could not see: “It was the same color as the grass… I go running full tilt and all of a sudden, I’m under water.” Following her rescue, an optometrist diagnosed “malignant myopia.”

When she first wore corrective glasses, she remembers, “I saw a tree, and I said, ‘Oh, all those little green things I’ve been finding on the ground… they’re all up there together, up in the sky, in that tree.’ It was a revelation.” Years later, she predicted, “Someday we’re all going to see without glasses or contacts,” a vision she realized by performing the world’s first excimer laser procedure.

McDonald emphasizes the role of patients: “The patients—they are our North Star.” She also reflects on challenges. She credits perseverance, ethical conviction, and support from her spouse, Stephen D. Klyce, PhD, FARVO.

She discusses leadership and balance: “It’s give and take depending on what you’re working on… It’s very, very important to spend time on your marriage. Keep the relationship healthy,” and of her team, “they respect me as their leader, but I respect them. And I listen to them.”

Her current research includes amniotic membranes in ocular surface disease, with “a recurrence rate of zero” in pterygium surgery.

McDonald advises young ophthalmologists: “Speak up… You don’t have to be forceful. You don’t have to be obnoxious. Just say, ‘If there’s room for somebody else, I’d love to be on that committee.’ You can’t win unless you try.”