Scopes

Last week, we had a session at the clinical skills center to learn how to use otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes. I'm not sure which is harder, using the scopes or spelling them. The otoscope is pretty straightforward; it's used to look into the ear and infer whether there is an infection, mass, etc. The ophthalmoscope is used to visualize the retina, vessels of the eye, and optic disc (where the optic nerve emerges). This can help a physician diagnose or assess the severity of hypertension, diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment, and other eye disorders.

Using the regular ophthalmoscope is really difficult. I can manage to get a vessel, but when I try to trace it to the optic disc, I always end up losing it. However, at the beginning of the year, the bookstore people convinced me to buy a "Pan-Optic" ophthalmoscope. This thing is super cool! It makes visualizing the retina a whole lot easier; I managed to see the optic disc and everything. It also allows you to use either eye and takes away a lot of the difficulty of maneuvering the scope around. I recommend it to anyone thinking of going into ophthalmology or neurology.