Lasik eye surgery...Is it for me?

For a person with myopia and astigmatism, the idea of Lasik eye surgery is like a dream come true. You can't imagine, unless you're in the same situation, how wonderful it would be to have 20/20 vision without the aid of glasses and/or contact lenses.

Since I've been using contact lenses, I've had at least five eye infections and increased sensitivity. For example, last month, something so severe happened to my eyes, and I don't even know what it was. I had run out of contact solution and was using the same stuff from the night before (big no, no--I know). When I put them in the next morning, my eyes were fine and I went to school, ready to learn! Throughout the day, my eyes became increasingly blood shot and began to burn painfully.

I took the lenses out, but the burning didn't stop. I could hardly open my eyes. I tried using saline to clean my eyes and was extra careful with hand washing. I felt like I was going to pass out, so I napped in my car over break. When I woke up my eyes were like normal, except for a slight dryness that never goes away. How was I supposed to go home now? I had no glasses, and I was afraid to put my lenses back in. I put them in anyway, and my eyes instantly began to burn again. I can honestly say I knew it was wrong to drive home in that state, but I had no choice. I'm lucky I made it in one piece. It took a good 3-5 days for my eyes to recover.

Now, imagine I had undergone Lasik eye surgery? Would situations like that ever occur? Could I finally be free of my poor eye sight? My optometrist seems to think so; she told me I would want it sooner or later. Still, I'm unsure...What if I wind up blind?

Research and talks with people who have had the surgery might reassure me. Watching actual procedures on YouTube has shown me what it's like. I don't know that I'd ever be willing to take the chance. Is the risk really worth it? Guess I'll find out...Here's a sample of the video I watched:



Jackdakota. (2006). My Lasik Eye Surgery. [Video]. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4kDC4sZ5Jg

Myopia

I was fairly young when I discovered I had myopia, around nine years of age. At the time, I didn't know what "near-sightedness" was. I didn't figure out that Myopia is the correct term for my condition until many years later. All I knew was that I couldn't see the chalk board, the detailed contours of my parents' faces or the sign we passed by in the car on the way to the shopping mall.

I also thought that glasses made me into a nerd or geek. My first pair of glasses was huge, oval shaped, blue and gold framed, coke-bottle-thick glasses. Let's just say I wasn't fond of wearing them. Soon, my vision became so bad; I wasn't even able to recognize my friends without my glasses! When I was fourteen I discovered the wonder that is the contact lens. By this time, I knew that my eyes were bad (worse than both of my parents--so bad I could see through my mom's glasses perfectly clearly with my contact lenses in) and that I had astigmatism. I still didn't understand what I had, what I was living with.

When I was seventeen and nearing the end of my introductory course in physics, I finally understood the concept of myopia. We were studying light and colour. We experimented with different lenses, and when we began drawing diagrams and calculating magnification it dawned on me that the lenses in my eyes are overly convex--that is they are "fat" or stretched into an oval shape. This means that the light sent through to the lenses of my eyes was refracted, forming an image that sits in front of the retina. This prevents the retina from producing a clear image. The picture below is a depiction of what happens in a myopic eye.
I learned that my glasses and contacts used concave lenses to refocus light onto the retina, so I can see clearly. One day, I hope to work in ophthalmology and explore more of the human eye. What I learned about my eyes not only helped me understand myself but also inspired my nursing practice. I can apply the same thirst for knowledge and understanding in clinical settings, and hopefully, improve the lives of my patients.

The Human Eye

The human eye is an amazing component of the body. With it, we can see! Imagine what life would be like if you couldn't see? I wear glasses, and my prescription is rather strong, but I would prefer to retain some vision than none at all!

Our eyes do a lot for us, and we sometimes don't take that into consideration. You can see a loved one's smile...You can enjoy a beautiful summer's sunset...You can drive! Many of the wonderful things we enjoy and need in our lives today can be attributed to our helpful set of eyes.

Being extremely complex in design and function, the human eye is difficult to describe in detail. In essence, our eyes recognize light. Light streams through the pupil and then the lens of the eye. The lens focuses what we see (hopefully) onto the retina, where an inverted image is turned so what we see isn't upside down. The retina is also what gives us the ability to see in colour. Packed with rods and cones, which interpret light and colour respectively, the retina is a vital part of the eye. Problems occurring in the lens cause our vision to be unfocused (myopia and hyperopia).

Imagine performing a nursing procedure without the use of your eyes. Could you take vital signs blindfolded? Change a bandage? Assist in childbirth? Life would be a lot more complicated without our vision! So, it's important that we take care of our eyes so that we can work effectively and enjoy life in a full range of colour and light.

Photo taken from: http://www.freedomscientific.com/resources/vision-anatomy-eye.asp

Technology crosses barriers in communication...

Technological advances in society improve its methods of communication. We use e-mail, smart phones, pagers, and text messaging to get in touch with people around the word, all the time. Communicative technology, when applied to nursing, is an effective tool in crossing communication barriers.

The Electronic Health Record allows immediate access to patient information over long distances, thus improving the quality and timely delivery of nursing care; nurses are all reading, understanding, and acting on the same information.

Improvements have also been made to improve communication between nursing staff—the use of e-mail, for example. This helps me prepare myself for clinical situations, as I receive information about clients in advance. Technology will help me to communicate effectively with my colleagues and provide better care to my clients. What more could a nurse ask for?! =)

The Achilles Tendon

Anyone who is mildly interested in Greek mythology is familiar with the term "Achilles' heel", and how the great warrior, Achilles' only weakness was in the back of his ankle because he was killed by an arrow directly hitting that spot. Whether or not you put any stock into mythology isn't very important; what is important is recognizing how truly vital the Achilles' tendon is in the human body.

The Achilles' tendon is located in the back of the leg and connects with the underneath of the foot. It's the reason we can stand on our tip-toes and run long distances. Without the Achilles' tendon, we would not be able to perform all of the bending and twisting of the feet.

So we have these amazing tendons in our body, so what? Well just as you can overuse a muscle during exercise, you can injure your Achilles' tendon. An injury to this tendon is not only painful, but it affects all movement of the lower limbs.

An example of this is of a football quarterback who snapped his Achilles' tendon when he moved his foot backward during a game. He was pulled from the game, and asked if he needed an ambulance or ride home. He declined, but found when he got to his car that he could not even use the clutch. He could not push his foot down on it. That's how important and undervalued the Achilles' tendon is.

There are ways to treat injured tendons, but it takes time and patience while enduring pain and limited mobility. So, it is a good idea to consider taking care of your Achilles' tendon! This doesn't mean you can't enjoy running or wearing stilettos, it just means that you have to be careful with how much and how long you strain the tendon.

Check out this link for more information: http://www.pedorthic.ca/public/when_03A.html
Photo taken from: http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles/achilles-tendonitis.htm

Elections 2008!

Back again!

As we all realize, election day is about six days away, and now is an important time to be considering which candidate we will vote for. Not only is it important to understand a party's platform, but also to understand the party's decision-making principles.

As part of the nursing community, I think now is a crucial time period during which nurses can make themselves heard and improve our health care system. Just by participating, we are changing things!

So, I just implore everyone in nursing (student, practitioner, professor) to act on his or her right to vote. It's an important thing!

Pick a party that represents you, nursing issues, and issues you feel strongly toward. Think with your mind--think ahead to the future.

Judge calmly by taking in all aspects of each party to decide who you believe would act in the best interests of the country as the Prime Minister of Canada.

Blogging, here I come!

In case you were wondering...








http://www.healthsciences.uoit.ca/nursingprograms.html

My name is Emily and I am a first year Nursing student at UOIT. I’m new to blogs and the “art” of blogging, but I’m interested in learning new methods of communication, as they are vital in the developing community of nursing.

I look forward to learning new nursing skills in the coming years, and hopefully I will meet and correspond with fellow students, nurses, and professors through blogging.

I’m unsure about how big of an impact blogging will have on my nursing education and career, however, I’m curious about whether I’ll become hooked or alienated by this blogging thing. With any luck, I’ll help contribute to a growing, online nursing community!