Trainees archive for 2016
Training on the go
In this guide, we aim to provide trainees with novel ideas to maximise learning in the workplace to make the most of your working hours and balance the multiple demands on your time. They say time flies; and it really...
The Arclight: A ‘pocket’ ophthalmoscope to revitalise undergraduate teaching?
Ophthalmoscopy should be a core skill for every doctor and should be firmly embedded in the undergraduate curriculum similar to the unquestioned position of the stethoscope. The simplicity of the Arclight means it is easy to useand, importantly, to learn...
The approach to angle-closure glaucoma
Further to my last article in Eye News (print issue) describing the diagnostic approaches to various clinical scenarios in glaucoma, the approach to angle-closure glaucoma (ACG), a situation terrifying for patient and registrar alike, will be discussed. Please refer to...
An arm and a leg
“It cost me an arm and a leg.” – Mr B told me. An arm and a leg to be seen by the famous Russian eye surgeon who said that everybody can be spectacle-free. He took Mr B’s money (roughly...
The approach to trabeculectomy postoperative complications
Performing a trabeculectomy is like giving birth to a baby. It may be traumatic and there is scope for devastating error but once the operation is completed only then does the real work begin. The bleb must be nurtured into...
The treachery of images – making sense of OCT imaging
In 1929 Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte produced his painting La Trahison des Images. It depicted an old fashioned pipe for smoking tobacco and underneath were the words “ceci n’est pas une pipe”, this is not a pipe. You may wonder...
Take this waltz
My last weekend on-call was the busiest I can remember for a very long time. We were just completely swamped with patients. The weather was not too good that Saturday and it felt like every second inhabitant of our ocean...
The medical student syndrome
It is often said that “a little learning is a dangerous thing,” but being super savvy can’t put us at the brink of harm, can it? Each year as thousands of students commence their medical degrees, they begin a journey...
Unravelling ocular motility
Ocular motility can often be a slightly abstract concept during the earlier years of ophthalmology training. A large variance on what embodies normality; mythical concepts like fusion and binocular vision, examination techniques that can be fiddly, and complex neuroanatomy all...
The ‘art’ of refraction – designing a refraction course
Learning how to refract requires theoretical knowledge, practice and determination. Refraction is a notoriously challenging skill to acquire and the competing demands on junior ophthalmologists can often be restrictive of the development of this core skill. To consolidate theory learnt...
Embryology in clinical practice
The fascinating world of embryology is both beautiful and practical. It is a home video of our evolutionary history through the ages from the single cell through to the life aquatic, the development of gut, limbs and brain, and most...
A tale of two membranes
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness... I am fortunate to work on a vitreoretinal firm at the moment and only a few...