Cataract surgery

In our down time, we alternated shifts, and shadowed the doctor as she completed cataract surgeries. This wasn’t my first time shadowing a cataract surgery, but it was my first time outside the U.S. I was curious to see if the process had distinct differences. One thing that I noticed in DR was that they were more hygienic compared to the United States. When I shadowed at the doctors office, they had me change my shoes, wear booties, tie up my hair, wear a hair net, full body gown, and a facemask. I’m used to all of this except for the gown and the changing of the shoes. I was all for it though because I believe that everything in the surgery room must be sterile; I was just shocked that a country could be more sterile than America. It actually made me happy that things are coming a long way in various countries and something as small as hygiene to us, was taking the biggest toll.

Since I had previously seen a surgery being done, it was cool to actually understand what was happening in the room as the doctor was inserting the lens, making the incision, and adding dye. All of this intrigued me even though I have a weak stomach. I couldn’t stop looking. The doctor was great during the whole thing as she thoroughly explained her every move and allowed us to look through the microscope as she made the incisions and performed the surgery. We got to see all the details and got to see the doctor do her thing. It takes about 8-12 minutes to do one eye. To me, this is crazy to even think about because cataracts are a big deal but it can all be fixed within a matter of minutes!! The eye is pretty cool :)