Christiana Dinah, UK – Euretina Women in Retina Interview (December 2025)
In this Euretina Women in Retina series, women in ophthalmology share their career challenges and evolution over time, discussing work-life balance and the importance of mentorship. They highlight the shift towards female leadership in a previously male-dominated field, and how organizations like Euretina are fostering diversity and support for women in medicine.
Learn more about the EURETINA Women in Retina Programme here.
Video Transcript
Reflecting on the start of your career, how did gender-based challenges shape your experience, and have they improved?
Christiana Dinah: I would say the greatest challenge I faced as a young female ophthalmologist coming up was being underestimated or in fact being counted out. Many senior consultants, when I was start working with them, clearly did not believe that I held promise and would certainly suggest I should try something else. And when I was score top marks in exams, you would see the look of incredulity, or even some would believe possibly that it was a fluke. Being underestimated is being in a room and no one expecting the solutions can come from you. However, I learned that being underestimated actually is a strength because it meant that there were no weight of expectations. And you also don’t get blocks put in your way. And I would just enjoy proving people wrong. I hope it’s easier now, as there are more people that look like me, thriving and leading in ophthalmology, but I’m sure there’s still yet a way to go.
How have changes in institutions or the wider medical community affected women’s advancement in your field?
Christiana Dinah: I believe that over the last 20 years or so our field has certainly seen more progress for women in our field. There are more women in leadership positions, more women on the podium, more women writing editorials and leading on pivotal trials. This normalises the woman as a surgeon and as a leading scientist, as a visionary in ophthalmology, and gets us closer to meritocracy and parity.
How have you managed the demands of a high-stakes medical career with personal life and family?
Christiana Dinah: In terms of work-life balance, so I have two little children, and raising them feels very high stakes and more mission critical every day actually. And I know that my career is also high stakes, where my role as an ophthalmologist is really to safeguard the vision of our patients and ensure that they’re able to have rich experiences with their family. And so I prioritise accordingly. The times my family knew I need to put my head down and complete a grant application or report, and I’m not as available as I usually am. And there are times where like, now my son has important school activities, and it’s the summer and I have to be at home more. So I try to vary my intensity based on what’s going on and try to outsource the administrative elements at home and at work and surround myself with women on the same journey. So I can copy paste and not reinvent the wheel. So I love being a woman, a wife, a mom, and I love being a research active medical retina consultant. And all of these things are purposeful and fulfil me. So I accept that, but I treat it really as a dance, maybe more like the tango dance where sometimes you have to step forward, sometimes you have to step backward, depend as you read the situation and the environment that you’re in at that time. There’s never a perfect balance but as I respond to the needs and to my priorities, I hopefully get it right overall.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to young women entering the field today?
Christiana Dinah: Based on my experience, I’d advise young women entering the field today to always remember to be their own cheerleaders, because you may have to be, you may be the only cheerleader, for yourself, for some of your journey and sometimes for longer than you would like. However, if you’re passionate about what you do, you identify the problems you want to solve and give it a good go. Inevitably, you’ll find your place and position and thrive in it. Don’t be shy to ask for help and don’t be bothered by being underestimated. But most importantly, do not underestimate yourself.
What actions can organisations like Euretina take to foster a more diverse, inclusive and supportive environment for its community?
Christiana Dinah: Euretina can continue to promote initiatives that embrace opportunities to hear from diverse voices, such as lower or free attendance for specialists from low income countries, fostering collaborations across territories, limiting presentations to two, so that there is capacity to hear from diverse and wide ranging voices, including new voices, and this is all crucial to fostering an inclusive environment. As the world has gotten much smaller, we can enhance and harness this insights from all over the world and foster rich collaborations that enable our patients to live rich lives. I believe Euretina is the largest or one of the largest retina communities in the world. And so it’s in a very unique position to bring about positive and positively influence the working lives of retina specialists across the world.
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