Just remember this: Everything your eye doctor does to you, he or she has done to him or her (multiple times), by someone who had never done it before.
Earlier this semester in anterior segment lab (which deals with the front of the eye) we learned how to "properly" administer tests to determine if a patient has dry eye. This involves putting special little pieces of paper in between the eye ball and the eye lid, first without anesthetic and then with anesthetic. Then you compare the two strips. Jenny was my wonderful partner on this day and being her sweet self let me be doctor first. So I put the strips in and she started to complain and while describing how bad it felt one of the instructors came over. Jenny asked how any patient would sit for this and comply, and the instructor's response was along the lines of 'well we don't really do it the proper way, we just anesthetize them right away since it is such an uncomfortable feeling.' Good to know...
Jenny all smiles for the camera:
How she really felt:
Then there is vision therapy lab where we learn all kinds of stuff, and goof off with the equipment a little. Here is Jenny again with some prism while we learn about how they can be used to help people who have had a stroke or traumatic brain injury that has affected their vision:
The big thing on all second years minds right now is pre-clinic checkouts. This is where we preform an entire eye exam on a fellow classmate while a staff doctor watches and grades us. This is the right of passage you could say for us to get the go ahead to give eye exams in the clinic next semester (no pressure). We have an hour to perform the various procedures required. While practicing with Jessie last week Sam stopped by after playing basketball and showed off his lid laceration he had just gotten. We took a peek at it using the slit lamp (a sort of microscope), and I took a picture through the oculars to show him:
The last couple weeks also included learning how to give injections in anterior segment lab and posterior segment lab. We learned how to do intramuscular (a shot into the muscle), sub cutaneous (a shot just under the skin), start an IV, intralesional (a shot into the eyelid) and subconjunctival (a shot just beneath the clear lining of the outer eye). I was rather nervous for the shots in the arm and the IV. But I managed to administer and receive all of them without passing out! The subconjunctival injection can cause a subconjunctival hemorrhage. This can look bad, but its really not. Most of us wanted to get one, what can I say it's kind of like a badge that says "look what I did!" Jessie and I both got hemes from the ordeal. We took pictures to show each other.
Jessie's was really impressive. She got a good reaction from the crowd:
Sadly mine wasn't as impressive:
I had my pre-clinic checkout today and it went pretty well. I won't get my grade back for 2 weeks or so when all 125 of us have completed them, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted (even though I have 5 quizzes left this week, and 1 quiz, 2 exams and a practical next week.) Back to studying!
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