Originally posted by smiegal
It seems as though mudphuds are aplenty in Ophthalmology. Just wondering if most tend to do research and, if so, how their time is allotted between research and clinic/surgery. Also, are there any areas within the field that are more MD/PhD-friendly? Or, the other thought is that mudphuds are just more likely to get into Ophtho due to their additional training.
I will soon become a garden-variety MD. Would it be more difficult for me to do research in a field with so many PhD's? What are some of the prime areas of Optho research these days? 
smiegal,
Most MD-PhDs and MD ophthalmologists do research, either clinical or basic science research. You can do research as a MD, but I recommend doing a fellowship that allows you to dedicate at least 1-2 years of research. Academic ophthalmology is flexible in regards to how you structure your time.
For instance, I know a genetic retinal specialist (mudphud) who spends one day per week in clinic and the rest of the week in the lab. He is a HHMI investigator and pulls in mucho research dinero.
I know an oculoplastics surgeon (mudphud too) who studies ocular malignancies. She operates, sees patients in clinic, and does research.
I plan on pursuing ocular pathology. I'll likely dedicate 1-2 days per week in clinic. one-half day or 1 day in the OR. The rest of the time will be dedicated to reading pathology slides and doing research. Ocular path is great for those interested in research. You usually don't spend all day looking at path slides, so there's time to do bench research.
It's my opinion and experience that all sub-specialities of ophthalmology need good basic and clinical researchers.
Some areas of research include: gene therapy for genetic ocular disorders, infectious diseases of the cornea, age related macular degeneration, tumors, control of angiogenesis, and preservation of the retinal cells in diseases like glaucoma.
