GETTING TO KNOW DR. VICTORIA S. CHANG

Dr. Victoria S. Chang joined the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Naples Fall of 2016 and what a welcome addition she is. The Naples Bascom Palmer team now has seven full time resident ophthalmologists covering a variety of subspecialties including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal and external diseases, cataracts, vitreoretinaldiseases, pediatric ophthalmology and ocular oncology. In addition, six other visiting specialists from Miami comemonthly seeing patients in our community.

In order to “get to know” Dr. Chang better we decided to ask her about one of her favorite hobbies.

I hear you are a bit of a foodie? What is your favorite restaurant?

I love food. My parents owned several restaurants in South Florida as I was growing up, so I spent a lot of my childhood in busy, bustling kitchens and around food. In a way, the culinary experience has been a large part of my identity, and is something I enjoy exploring. I would have to pick Neptune Oyster in Boston as my favorite restaurant. I discovered this small place in Boston’s North End, while I was a fellow at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Although small, it has a well-known reputation for serving top-notch seafood. Unfortunately, they do not take reservations, and I’ve waited more than three hours for a table before! But, the food is well-worth it. They have an oyster tasting menu, the best lobster roll in Boston, lobster spaghettini, and an amazingly rich cioppino.

I took my parents here for my last meal in Boston, before returning home to Florida two years ago.

What was your most epic culinary experience?

Tokyo is a food lovers’ paradise. I recently had the pleasure of eating at Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, Japan. A lot of foodies have watched the documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” and may recognize this 2 Michelin start restaurant. It was, hands down, the best sushi I have ever had! You must make your reservation three months in advance. The sushi is meticulously prepared right in front of your eyes by the chef, and is served immediately. A 15 piece meal (including sea urchin, saltwater eel, giant clam, and tuna) lasts about a hour, but you leave with a lifelong memory. While in Tokyo, I also dined at Narisawa, which was awarded “the world’s most sustainable restaurant” in 2013. Its fixed menu is based on “innovative Satoyama Cuisine,” which is a food culture inspired by Japan’s natural environment. This memorable meal included carbonized Wagyu steak, pine nut and citron bread that is baked on the table, and a delectable white peach dessert.

Who is your favorite author?

I don’t necessarily have a favorite author, per say. I’m currently reading “When Breath Becomes Air” by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. It’s an autographical account of how after receiving his terminal diagnosis with lung cancer, he came to grips with his role as a physician, patient, and coming to terms with the philosophical conundrums of living a meaningful life.

MEET YOUR DOCTOR

Victoria S. Chang, M. D.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology

Clinical specialties include:

• Cataracts and Intraocular Lenses• Corneal and External Diseases
• Corneal Transplant Surgery• Ocular Surface Diseases

In addition to her clinical specialties, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is an academic research institution, her research interests include:

• Dry Eye Disease Ocular Surface Diseases and Infections
• Corneal Transplantation

Education:

• B.S. – University of Miami
• M.D. – University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Residency – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Fellowship in Uveitis and Ocular Immunology – Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI)/Harvard Medical School
• Fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery – Bascom Palmer Eye Institute(BPEI)/ University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

As the only university-based eye care center in Southwest Florida, Bascom Palmer is proud that its patients in Naples come to the Institute from the local community, as well as from around the globe. In their annual survey ranking America’s Best Hospitals, U.S. News & World Report once again ranked Bascom Palmer Eye Institute the nation’s best in ophthalmology. It’s the 15thtime America’s leading ophthalmologists have recognized Bascom Palmer asthe best in the country for vision research, education and patient care.

For more information visit bascompalmer.org or call us at 239.659.3937