With guidance, millennials ready to handle the future of ophthalmology

I was trained by what is now called the Greatest Generation. After completing my own training, I have participated in the training of anterior segment ophthalmology fellows since 1978, which is 38 years. The fellows I have trained include baby boomers, Generation X and millennials. I am also the senior partner in an ophthalmology practice and have partners from all three generations. Finally, I live in an extended family that has five generations currently alive, ranging in age from 2 years to 90 years. These experiences have allowed me to develop a few impressions of generational differences. I may ramble a bit, but to start, let me first give my definition of the five generations currently inhabiting our country.Different experts in demography use somewhat different definitions, and the following are mine. Members of the Greatest Generation are the parents of the baby boomers. Most, including my parents and ophthalmology mentors, were born in the early 1900s. Most experienced the Great Depression and the Second World War and in general had a positive impression of the United States and its government. The majority were more affluent and better educated than their parents and enjoyed successful careers followed by a comfortable retirement. Those in this generation remaining alive are in their 90s, and nearly all my Greatest Generation mentors have died. They were a hardworking, dedicated group of physicians with a high level of altruism.