The Lens Pod

In this week's episode, our resident host shares her personal advice when making your rank list. This episode reflects one person's opinion and is meant to serve as a pep talk/resource for approaching the nearly impossible task of ranking residency programs for The Match. There is no "right" way to make a rank list, but it is our hope that this episode helps you get started. Skip to minute 17:25 for the Spark Notes of this episode. We hope you enjoy!

On this episode we're speaking with Dr. Nimesh (Nemo) Patel, who helped create the pediatric retina fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. The episode is about the new pediatric retina fellowship and a brief introduction to retinal disorders that affect children. After listening to this episode you will have a better understanding of this very sub-specialized field and impress your attending & senior residents! Take a listen now to our fourth episode of season 4!

In this episode Dr. Oboh-Weilke teaches us how to distinguish between a corneal abrasion and a corneal ulcer, the 1-2-3 rule for culturing the cornea, the differential for infectious corneal ulcers, and management strategies. Disclaimer: this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat anyone's eyes.

In this episode we talk innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence in ophthalmology with Cornea specialist Dr. Michael Ullman. We also learn about his newest invention, the My Call Bag App (formerly known as the Eye Chart App), which offers a variety of ocular exam tools in one application. Download the app here (it's free!): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-call-bag/id6471442410

In this episode Dr. Kevin Schnieder, a resident at the University of Wisconsin Madison, walks us through what you need to know about orbital fracture as a medical student or resident on call. There are many great pearls for medical students who are starting to think about ophthalmology rotations, who have their first call shift coming up, or want to impress during their away rotations. 1:00- What is an orbital fracture? 1:40- How do people develop orbital fractures? 2:30- History & work-up 6:35- Imaging 11:20-Operative Management 16:50- Lid lacerations 

In this episode Dr. Joel Kovoor, a resident at Henry Ford Health System, walks us through all things Neovascular Glaucoma. There are many great pearls for medical students who are rotating through comprehensive or glaucoma clinics or preparing for away rotations! Time Stamps 1:00 - Definition of Neovascular Glaucoma 2:30 - Open vs Closed Angle Glaucoma 4:10 - Is NVG Open or Closed Angle? 6:00 - Where do you look for NVG? 8:00 - Visualizing the Angle with Gonioscopy 9:58 - Symptoms and History of NVG 14:30 - Retinal Exam 17:00 - Optic Nerve Thinning 19:20 - Working up NVG 22:00 - Visual Field Testing 24:00 - Including the PCP 26:40 - Glaucoma medications 31:00 - Laser Treatment

This episode we speak with Dr. Narmien Murdock about everything you need to know before your first away rotation. The beginning of the episode focuses on tips for being successful as a rotating student. At timestamp 39:30, logistics regarding the away application process are reviewed. Quick tips: - be on time - say "yes" - do not be afraid to ask how you can best fit in the flow of clinic - be willing to learn - send thank you emails/notes - request feedback for presentations/assignments

In this episode, we finish our conversation with Dr. Al-khersan by asking him to help us learn indirect ophthalmoscopy and how to use a 90D lens.

In this episode we walk through a case of diabetic retinopathy (DR) with Dr. Al-khersan. This episode focuses less on the granular details of grading DR and more on how to interpret relevant information from a diabetic eye exam.  Learning points from this episode: Common causes for decreased vision in diabetes Vitreous hemorrhage Macular Edema Cataracts  Tractional Retinal Detachment Common causes of decreased vision in ANYONE Misplaced glasses? Presbyopia A framework for taking a solid ocular history for EVERY patient HPI, “what brings you in today?” Past Medical History Medications Drops, if using, frequency, which eye Past Ocular History Past Ocular Surgical History Allergies to drops Glasses Rx Follow-up questions for the patient: Previous intravitreal injections (anti-VEGF, steroids)?  Have they been hospitalized Recent HbA1C, or common at home glucose readings Ocular Vitals: External (bruising, BCC, lesions, proptosis, ptosis) Visual acuity, best corrected Pupils IOP EOM Confrontational VF Slit Lamp findings associated with diabetes Rubeosis iridis  Hyphema Cataracts  Retinal Hemorrhage Vitreous Hemorrhage  Imaging modalities  OCT Fluorescein Angiography  The Lens Pod is a podcast intended for educational uses only and reflects the opinions of the hosts and guests.

This month we spoke with Dr. Jacquelyn O’Banion, MD, MSc, director of Emory Eye Center's Global Ophthalmology-Emory program (GO-Emory), about global ophthalmology and how medical students can get involved. Time Stamps: 0:56- Defining global ophthalmology 6:40- Looking for a residency program with global ophthalmology? Ask follow-up questions! 10:30- What is “sustainable global ophthalmology?” 19:00- A lost skill and its relevance to global work 25:00- How foreign strategy can inspire domestic change 29:25- Did you know you could do a global ophthalmology fellowship? Explained here! 34:05- Dr. O’Banion’s advice for medical students looking to get involved in global ophthalmology 40:30- An AAO resource dedicated to looping trainees into global ophthalmology opportunities 

This week we speak with Dr. Evan Waxman about community outreach in ophthalmology. Dr. Waxman is a comprehensive ophthalmologist at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as a professor of Ophthalmology, Vice Chair of Medical & Resident Education, and Director of both the UPMC Eye Center Mercy and the comprehensive ophthalmology division. In this episode he teaches us about the Guerilla Eye Service, a community eye clinic that he founded over 15 years ago, in addition to providing helpful advice for getting involved in community efforts to improve vision health.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Katherine Hu to learn how medical students and trainees can get involved in ophthalmology advocacy. Dr. Hu attended medical school at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, then completed her ophthalmology residency at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah where she is currently completing a cornea fellowship. Listen now to learn about current legislative policies impacting the field of ophthalmology, improving your confidence in public speaking, and the power of storytelling in advocacy! Time stamps: 2:00- Check out Moran Eye Center’s “Moran Core” for foundational ophthalmology learning! 3:00- How do physicians, specifically ophthalmologists, contribute to advocacy? 4:00- The optometry scope expansion bill explained. 10:55- An avenue for medical students to get involved in ophthalmology advocacy. 15:00- Public speaking and how to feel more confident. 23:00- Advocacy reimagined. 27:00- The cardinal rule for being involved in advocacy work. 27:45- Believe in the power of your voice– especially as a trainee.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ben Szirth, PhD to learn about the utility of teleophthalmology in clinical practice and its relationship to artificial intelligence and community outreach in ophthalmology. Dr. Ben is the director of the TeleHealth Program at the New Jersey Medical School and leads the Vision Threatening Diseases screening community-based program at the Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science in Newark, NJ where he works with current medical students every week. Episode Timestamps 0:20- Introduction 2:18- Learning about EyeNuk, Inc.’s EyeArt® and its ability to screen for vision threatening diseases  3:24- Another interesting ophthalmology podcast recommendation! 5:40- Explaining how teleophthalmology in partnership with artificial intelligence allows us to bring advanced ocular care to disadvantaged communities 9:17- What is teleophthalmology? – Summarized. 10:00- A novel approach to monitoring Type 1 DM eye disease progression– at Disney World! 12:10- Dr. Ben’s open space model for his Vision Threatening Diseases Screening Program 15:20- Leveraging community leaders and peer advocates to establish and maintain lasting relationships within a community 17:30- Teleophthalmology offers a unique solution to improving access to care 18:31- Artificial intelligence research offers a system to validate the impact of teleophthalmology in ocular health and facilitates funding 22:20- Artificial intelligence and telehealth trend analysis 28:00- The surprising disadvantage of portable screening equipment 31:50- What does artificial intelligence research look like? 35:00- Deep learning explained 40:30- How medical students make a difference in community health 46:00- How teleophthalmology breeds innovation *No participants of this podcast have any financial disclosures pertaining to research, products, or equipment discussed in this episode.

Description:  In this episode, we speak with Dr. Jay Sridhar to learn what students should know before (or after) their first research project. Dr. Sridhar is an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology and the assistant residency program director at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. During this episode he imparts meaningful advice for all students and provides helpful tips for the research beginner. Episode Goals: -After this episode, medical students will understand the value of finding the right research mentor. -After this episode, students will learn the importance of time management, setting expectations early, and having a peer mentor or colleague proofread your work. -After this episode, students will learn simple questions to consider when preparing to write a manuscript. Time stamps: Part I: Intro, Icebreaker, & Life Advice 1:48- Dr. Sridhar’s hang-gliding excursion 4:28- Discussing our inner voice and Dr. Sridhar’s podcast recommendation 6:00- Dr. Sridhar’s non-ophthalmology book recommendations 7:15- Seize the day and the additions of small moments Part II: The Research Basics 10:20- The value of finding the right research mentor 13:20- Set expectations early, articulate how much time you can give, NEVER ghost 14:40- Early skills that any student can contribute 15:30- Have a peer mentor double check your work BEFORE sending to your PI 17:35- Don’t put all your research eggs in one basket/PI 18:20- Three branches of research: basic science, translational, clinical 20:55- Authorship order Part III: Navigating your First Project 22:35- Start with one project 24:40- Sending a “cold” email of interest to a potential PI 26:00- Case reports 26:38- What’s my target journal? 29:05- What’s my backup plan Part IV: Research as it applies to my residency application 31:28- How many publications do I need to be a competitive ophthalmology applicant? 34:00- Don’t participate in research at the expense of other medical student responsibilities 37:20- “Good medical students = good residents” 40:13- Helpful tips 46:00- Parting advice

Episode 10: Introduction to Glaucoma (part 1) Description: In this episode, we speak with Dr. Andrew Pouw to get a broad overview of glaucoma. Dr. Pouw is a glaucoma specialist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Iowa and also the co-host of the popular ophthalmology podcast Eyes for Ears. Episode Goals: After listening to this episode, medical students should be able to: ● Acquire a general understanding of the breadth of practice for glaucoma ● Acquire knowledge of the pathophysiology of glaucoma and aqueous humor generation and drainage pathways ● Describe the common examination techniques in glaucoma Time Stamps: Introductions - 0:41 Eyes for ears and Dr Steven Flynn recommendation for medical students and junior residents  - 2:47 What is the glaucoma subspecialty? - 3:32 Overview of aqueous humor pathways - 6:34 Can you drop IOP too low? - 9:29 Measuring IOP - 11:32 Central corneal thickness and IOP - 14:15 Why do eyes have different pressure goals? - 16:45 Pearl when to not measure IOP using Goldmann applanation tonometry - 19:17 Slit lamp exam findings in glaucoma - 19:54 Pearl about superior and inferior quadrants  - 26:52 Tilted optic nerves - 30:10 GONE project - 31:55 Drance hemorrhages - 33:53 Pearl about contextualizing cup to disc ratios - 36:40 What is gonioscopy? - 37:52 Gonioscopy.org - 43:48 Links: Eyes for Ears glaucoma episodes (https://eyesforears.net/episodes/category/Glaucoma)

Episode 7: Introduction to Neuroophthalmology Description: In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kalla Gervasio to learn about what medical students should know before their first neuro-ophthalmology clinic and OR. Dr. Gervasio completed her ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital where she was selected as Chief Resident and Text Editor of the newest edition of the Wills Eye Manual. Episode Goals: After listening to this episode, medical students should be able to: Acquire a general understanding of the breadth of practice for the neuro-ophthalmology subspecialty. Describe the common examination and imaging techniques in the neuro-ophthalmology clinic Describe common pathologies seen and procedures/surgeries performed on the neuro-ophthalmology service. Time Stamps: Introductions - 0:30  What is Neuroophthalmology - 4:00 Tips for medical students - 7:30 Overview of anatomy - 9:15 Common examination techniques - 15:00 Minor procedures - 21:00 Blepherospasm - 21:30 Common pathologies to review before starting - 23:30 Origins of interest in neuroophthalmology - 30:00 Common questions on rotations - 33:00 Links: Tim Root OphthoBook: https://timroot.com/ Slit lamp techniques: https://www.slideshare.net/optometristiem.lv/slit-lamp-illumination-techniques

Episode 6: Introduction to Cornea Description: This week, we talk about the cornea subspecialty for the medical student learner with Dr. Jimmy Hu who is a private practice attending who also is an instructor at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Episode goals: After listening to this episode, medical students should be able to: - Acquire a general understanding of the breadth of practice for the cornea subspecialty - Describe the common examination and imaging techniques for the cornea - Describe common pathologies seen and procedures/surgeries performed on the cornea service Time stamps: 3:03 What is the cornea subspecialty and what makes it unique? 6:18 Brief overview of anatomy of the cornea 10:20 An intro to dye drops 13:01 Brief intro to corneal topography 14:03 What is regular versus irregular astigmatism? 17:25 An aside on keratoconus and Steph Curry 20:15 Working up corneal ulcers 27:21 Most common corneal surgeries 28:30 Corneal transplant surgeries (PK vs DALK, DMEK vs DSEK) 34:50 Dr.Hu’s advice for medical students in the OR 40:00 Dr.Hu’s youtube channel and patient info sheets Links: Tim Root OphthoBook: https://timroot.com/ Slit lamp techniques: https://www.slideshare.net/optometristiem.lv/slit-lamp-illumination-techniques Corneal ulcer example: https://www.reviewofcontactlenses.com/article/no-pain-no-gain  Dr. Hu’s youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7TWhyT-YahM_nJQUq41A2A Dr. Hu's patient infographs (to be added!)

Description: This week, we talk about the pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus sub-specialty for the medical student learner with Dr. Angeline Nguyen from the University of Southern California. Episode goals: After listening to this episode, medical students should be able to: Acquire a general understanding of the breadth of practice for the pediatric ophthalmology subspecialty Describe the pathophysiology of retinopathy of prematurity and when to screen newborns Describe the difference between amblyopia and strabismus and related treatment options Time stamps: 3:08 What is the connection between strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology? 4:30 Favorite aspects of pediatric ophthalmology and dispelling misconceptions 8:18 Most common reasons for patients to see a pediatric ophthalmologist 9:34 General advice and practical tips for a medical student rotating on pediatric ophthalmology 13:12 Retinopathy of prematurity introduction 17:00 The ROP exam 19:43 Treatment options for ROP 20:18 When to screen (30 weeks 1500 grams) 21:18 Amblyopia & Strabismus 25:42 Breaking down some of the jargon around gaze deviations 29:22 Clarifying misconceptions on tropias and phorias 30:50 Key parts of history for strabismus 31:38 The impact of verbal staging on examination 34:30 When to treat to prevent amblyopia 35:14 Surgical treatment options for strabismus 36:17 Botox for strabismus 38:20 The pediatric ophthalmology OR as a medical student 39:22 Final takeaways 40:30 Plug for Dr. Sudha Nallasamy at CHLA’s upcoming work Links: Who Moved My Cheese -  https://bookshop.org/books/who-moved-my-cheese-an-a-mazing-way-to-deal-with-change-in-your-work-and-in-your-life/9780399144462 Tim Root Website - https://timroot.com/ AAO simulators - https://www.aao.org/interactive Botox in strabismus - https://eyewiki.aao.org/Botulinum_Toxin_Use_In_Strabismus Sticker chart for kids - https://ortopadusa.com/product-category/shop/reward-posters/

Hello everyone, this was our first episode that we recorded so the format is slightly different, but we hope you enjoy it and find it educational all the same!  Description: This week, we talk about the retina sub-speciality for the medical student learner with Dr. Benjamin Young from the University of Michigan. Episode goals: After listening to this episode, medical students should be able to: Acquire a general understanding of the breadth of practice for the retina subspecialty Describe the common examination and imaging techniques for the posterior segment. Describe common pathologies seen and procedures/surgeries performed on the retina service. Time stamps: 0:55 What is retina subspecialty and what makes it unique? 3:14 Favorite aspects of retina subspecialty 4:27 Different methods of examining the posterior segment 12:46 Tips for indirect ophthalmoscopy and examining posterior segment 19:48 Common in-office procedures 23:38 Other procedures like PRP and laser retinopexy 27:00 What is a vitrectomy and when to perform 32:03 First time OR tips 32:57 Takeaways: top skills to practice 34:00 Closing remarks Links: Eyes For Ears Podcast: https://eyesforears.net/  Tim Root OphthoBook: https://timroot.com/ EyeRounds: https://eyerounds.org/ EyeWiki: https://eyewiki.org/Main_Page OCT anatomy review: https://www.octscans.com/anatomy-review.html EyeGuru OCT Essentials: https://eyeguru.org/essentials/interpreting-octs/

Description: This week, we talk about oculoplastics for the medical student learner with Dr. Andrea Tooley from the Mayo Clinic. Episode goals: After listening to this episode, medical students should be able to: Acquire a general understanding of the breadth of practice for the oculoplastics subspecialty Describe the common examination and imaging techniques in oculoplastics clinic Describe common pathologies seen and procedures/surgeries performed on the oculoplastics service. Time stamps: 2:59 What is oculoplastics and what makes it unique? 4:40 Tips for first-time medical learners in oculoplastics 7:30 Top anatomical structures to learn and know 11:12 Common examination techniques and skills to learn 19:19 In office or minor procedures 22:17 Related rotations/topics for oculoplastics 29:20 A brief aside on Teprotumumab for thyroid eye disease 31:45 Approach to eyelid lumps and bumps 36:12 Common surgeries in the oculoplastics OR 46:40 Surgeries performed outside academic centers 48:42 First time OR tips 51:32 Takeaways 53:34 Closing remarks Links: Practical Ophthalmology Text: https://store.aao.org/practical-ophthalmology-8th-edition.html Eyes for Ears Podcast: https://eyesforears.net/ AAO Oculoplastics Education Center (images of eyelid lumps and bumps): https://www.aao.org/oculoplastics-center/oculoplastics-education-center AAO Careers in Ophthalmology Oculoplastics Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wswGbU8ZUpU