An eye for fashion

Key Points

Dressed to the nines, Arun C. Gulani, MD, the founding director of the Gulani Vision Institute, Jacksonville, FL, receives patients and students from all over the world. His love for high fashion reflects his pride in his work and his desire to impart elegance wherever he can.

Dr. Gulani joked that he would be a member of the "fashion police," if there was such a group.

"Bombay is the Hollywood of India," he said. If he had not fallen in love with ophthalmology, he said, he may have sought to become a model or a movie star.

Dr. Gulani designs his own suits and wears one to work every day.

"I like contemporary styles, to look 'uniquely attractive,' " he said. He enjoys mixing and matching colors and marvels at the unique looks one can create with shirts, ties, cufflinks, footwear, etc.

Dr. Gulani sometimes designs suits for fellow ophthalmologists and is exploring the idea of designing his own line of eyewear.

He said he also expresses his artistry in poetry and painting, as well as in surgery. Dr. Gulani has introduced what he termed "a new super-specialty in ophthalmology." He said he performs laser refractive surgery as an art that he calls "corneoplastique," and he is called "the da Vinci of eye surgery" by colleagues and patients, he said.

"My clothing is an extension of my attitude," he explained. "I am constantly innovating to make eye surgery more elegant and am aiming for perfect vision. How I dress is a reflection of those goals and the responsibilities I feel as an ophthalmologist."

Patients want and deserve to see professional, put-together physicians, Dr. Gulani said.

"People want to see a doctor in good form, someone who can help them," he said. "It's not about spending money on clothes, but about upkeep and pride. Doctors have a huge responsibility and get to perform amazingly gratifying work; we should dress the part."

He said he encourages office staff to be "extremely decent, well groomed, appropriate, and professional." They do not wear scrubs. He receives compliments every day from his patients, he added.

Dr. Gulani's colleagues continually ask for fashion advice.

"I am on speed dial for a number of world-renowned ophthalmologists for when they need advice on what to wear for a particular event," he said.

When the Gulani Vision Institute moved into new offices recently, Dr. Gulani incorporated his style into the design.

"Our new office is very contemporary, very international, with great curves and flow," he said. "I wanted it to reflect my love to educate both patients and eye surgeons. And I wanted it to be very personal, too, like I am. Our practice is known to be 'high tech and high touch.' "

Dr. Gulani's sense of style is as unique as his work. Although people suggest he should design his own line of clothing, he said he is passionate about ophthalmology and helping others see the beauty around them everywhere.