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3700 Joseph Siewick Dr., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22033 (703) 620-4300 • EyePlasticMD.com
NOVEMBER 2025
EVERYDAY EPICS Family Feats Worth Remembering
November is known for a historically joyous occasion (Thanksgiving), but let me tell you about another one.
found. The coach and I searched for him nervously until our eyes met the goalpost at the extreme end of the field. Somehow, Nicholas had shimmied up the goalpost, made his way to the center, and sat at the middle. He was very tiny back then and he likely would have really hurt himself if he had fallen off. Of course, all the other kids saw where he was and immediately wanted to try it themselves. Interestingly, none of them could figure out exactly how Nicholas had managed to shimmy up the pole to get to the crossbar, and neither could we. No other kid reached the top, but Nicholas was apparently a total monkey! Later, his rare skills made him a bicoastal phenomenon. Always a wanderer, he disappeared on us while we were in San Francisco for a Scouting event. The street was overcrowded due to some big to-do I can’t recall, which made finding him even more difficult. Thankfully, we thought ahead and made him wear a bright-colored shirt. We eventually spotted that shirt … and Nicholas waving to the crowd below while perched on top of a light post, right above where it says, “WALK. DO NOT RUN.”
This is National Family Stories Month. The idea of a month devoted to sharing moments from our family histories is spectacular, as it reminds us of the special moments that mark the greatness of our lives. Here are two from my family that are particularly memorable. When my daughter, Alecia, was still little, she told my wife and me that she was sad that she didn’t have any memorable stories about her family. Well, that all changed one day when we were on our way back from her early morning skating lesson, and she noticed something in the center median of the four-lane road we were traveling on.
“I think there’s an animal over there? Can we go back?” she asked.
We looped back. Lo and behold, a baby skunk was running in circles with an empty Yoplait cup stuck on its head. After stopping, I called Animal Control and the lady who answered said it could take hours before someone could come by and help the skunk. Alecia was heartbroken.
Of course, this meant I had to step in.
Yep, that’s our kid.
I approached the skunk as it ran in circles. Every time I moved closer, it seemed its butt faced me, and I thought, “Oh, goodness. This is not good.”
I have enough stories like that to fill 10 newsletters and I’m sure you also have plenty of stories about your family. How lucky are we?
Then, the skunk stopped and faced me. I grabbed the Yoplait cup and yanked it hard, and it popped off the baby skunk’s head, and then we both, equally scared, ran to safety.
This month, take a moment to remember those beautiful moments with a smile … and share them as much as you can. Time moves quickly, but the memories we pass along become the treasures that shape tomorrow’s stories.
Later, as we were pulling into our driveway, Alecia turned to me and said, “Dad, now I have a story!”
On another occasion my son, Nicholas, was playing on a baseball team when he was very young. When a particular practice ended, he was nowhere to be
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The CIA once tried to turn a cat into a spy. No, really.
The CIA’s Most Purr-plexing Mission Cats as Spies? Probably Not, but Maybe a Beetle
In the 1960s, the agency launched a project called Acoustic Kitty. The idea was to implant listening devices into live cats so they could eavesdrop on foreign officials. One unlucky feline became their test subject. A surgeon embedded a microphone in the cat’s ear, ran an antenna through its fur, and tucked a transmitter into the base of its skull.
The CIA planned to train the cat to sit near targets and secretly transmit conversations. The outcome? Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned.
For the first trial run, CIA agents released the wired-up cat near a park bench where two men were talking. Instead of heading toward the bench, the cat unfortunately wandered into traffic and was immediately hit by a taxi. The mission was over before it began. It turned out cats weren’t very good at following orders. In a later memo, the CIA admitted that the program wasn’t practical or suited to its “highly specialized needs.” No surprise there. If you’ve ever tried to get a cat to do anything it doesn’t want to do, you understand. Still, the idea of using animals for covert missions didn’t die with Acoustic Kitty. In the 2000s, the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) picked up the baton and funded experiments with remote-controlled insects. Researchers at UC Berkeley managed to control a beetle’s flight using neural implants. They could steer it left and right and make it start and stop in mid-air. It was like a bug-size drone. Science has shown that bugs might make better spies than cats. And unless your housecat suddenly develops a taste for espionage, your conversations are probably safe. So, if your feline friend stares blankly at you while you share secrets, don’t worry. That’s not surveillance. That’s just a cat being a cat.
“I’ve always been lucky to have 20/20 vision, especially with the help of LASIK surgery I had about 25 years ago. Still, I encountered a situation in 2024 that could have seriously hindered my ability to see. “My upper eyelids had started to droop more and more over time. One day in late 2024, my primary care physician noted that the droopiness was beginning to impact my vision. She recommended surgery to address the problem. “‘Sooner or later, you might as well get this done,’ she said. I followed her advice and scheduled a visit with Dr. Scott. He made upper and lower eyelids recommendations, including laser resurfacing. I had both procedures done in January of this year. FROM FADE TO FOCUS Bill’s Better Blink
“I don’t think the surgery and recovery could have gone any better and the results are outstanding. I didn’t experience any discomfort. I was prescribed pain medicine, but I didn’t take it or need it. Everything went exceptionally well. “Dr. Scott and his staff were outstanding. If I had a question, they answered it immediately. He’s very serious about making sure his patients check in with him. During my most recent visit with him, he said my healing was progressing nicely. He’s always briefed me fully on everything that was happening and the results I could expect. He’s a true professional; there’s no doubt about it. He’s the best at what he does, and I was happy to get an appointment and finally get my work done.”
–Bill Poe
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FALLEN LIDS Droops, Diagnosis, and Direction
Have you ever heard of an eye condition called ptosis ? If so, do you know how to pronounce it?
great short-term, non-surgical option. This FDA-approved solution can lift drooping eyelids for 6–8 hours by temporarily lifting a part of the lids called the Müller’s muscle . I like to call Upneeq “Cinderella Drops” because they give patients a nice lift to their eyelids for many hours before returning them to their previous position. While Upneeq is generally harmless, individuals with narrow-angle glaucoma or cardiac conditions should consult their physician to discuss possible risks and side effects. When a patient presents with complaints of “droopy eyelids,” their examination needs to distinguish between droopiness of the brow, redundant upper eyelid skin, referred to as dermatochalasis, or true eyelid ptosis. As you might expect, the correct treatment varies widely based on what is actually causing the droopiness. Of course, I can only cover so much about ptosis in a brief article. Please contact me if you’d like more information or to discuss your specific eyelid- related issue. Together, we can eliminate the droop once and for all!
Over the years, several patients have told me, “I think I have pa- tosis.” I’ll reply, “Well, I’m going to pa -fix you!” All kidding aside, it’s pronounced toe-sis . Allow me to explain what it is and how it can be treated. “Ptosis” is shorthand for blepharoptosis , a fancy word for droopy upper eyelids caused by improperly positioned eyelids. Although ptosis can appear at birth, it’s commonly the result of natural aging. When ptosis occurs, the upper eyelid margin gets too close to the pupil. The more the eyelids droop over time, the more a person’s vision is constricted. Patients frequently benefit from corrective procedures that fix the ptosis internally underneath the upper eyelid, which is how I approach it, or externally via the levator muscle . I’ve successfully performed several thousand ptosis surgeries over the years. Recovery from ptosis surgery is generally smooth, with most patients reporting only minor swelling and bruising and slightly increased eye dryness. However, patients with severe eye dryness typically aren’t good candidates for this procedure. Instead, a prescription eye drop called Upneeq is often a
Apple-Cranberry Salad
INGREDIENTS • 6 slices of bacon •
• •
3/4 cup dried cranberries 1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette
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• • •
1/3 cup olive oil 2 tbsp raw honey
• •
8 oz fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup feta cheese
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove it from the pan and set on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, and honey. Set aside. 3. In a large bowl, add spinach, cranberries, apple slices, red onion, and feta. Crumble bacon pieces over the top. Use salad forks to toss ingredients thoroughly. 4. Add dressing to the salad and toss again until well-coated.
“You never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” –Dr. Seuss
Inspired by RecipesByJanet.com
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3700 Joseph Siewick Dr., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22033 (703) 620-4300 • EyePlasticMD.com
Inside This Issue
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Stories Worth Sharing
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Furry Agents and Failed Espionage
Surgery, Support, and Success
Eyelift Essentials Explained
Apple Cranberry Salad
How Background Noise Shapes Your Workflow
Sound Advice: Is Your Work Playlist Helping or Hurting Your Focus?
CUE THE QUIET Noise most often gets in the way of more complex or challenging work, such as reading, writing, meetings, learning new skills, or finding solutions to issues. Deeper tasks require more brainpower, like using memory or vocabulary skills. When your brain engages in more concentrated tasks, it is more sensitive to interruptions, so a song lyric or burst of action on the TV can win out against the quieter goal you’re trying to accomplish. Background noise can be a sound decision or just more racket. The trick is tuning into what helps your mind focus without being carried away by the clatter.
The hum of a busy coffee shop, traffic outside, your favorite song through your headphones as you work — we live in a noisy world with constant background noise. But is that ambient buzz boosting your brainpower or creating static in the system? While some swear a little noise helps them focus, for others, every passing siren or side conversation is a distraction. Let’s tune in and find out if that background noise could be a productivity playlist or sound sabotage. BRAIN BEATS Your brain is always busy trying to filter out distractions, and how background noise impacts your noggin depends on what it is. Steady or low- level sounds, like raindrops or white noise, can help hide other intrusive interruptions, making it easier
to focus on the task you’re working on. Irregular, sudden, surprise, or meaningful sounds, like a direct conversation, notifications on your phone, or lyrics to a beloved song, activate your brain, pulling you out of the concentration zone. SOUND SUPPORT If you are working on something that requires light focus, like answering emails, then the right kind of background noise, something like instrumental music, can help you stay on track. Other beneficial times for background noise include working in a loud environment or letting low-level sounds shift your brain into creative or problem-solving mode. The key is choosing something that won’t distract your mind from what you’re trying to focus on.
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