Due to Deepavali, today we have our make up practical for Contact Lens Fitting from 3pm to 7pm. Oh my goodness, I mis-diagnosed Merlyn's eyes totally.
Mr Konda helped to supervise my recordings. Lid eversion was alright. However, when it comes to preliminary examinations, here comes all the inaccuracy. Mr Konda detected cellular infiltrates. I didn't know what was that. So I put her cornea as 'clear' in the recording. Mr Konda told me that I should not miss it. :( I asked further what was that, I bet no one in the class know what is cellular infiltrates. All we know was corneal infiltrates and that's all. We were never taught what is cellular infiltrates.
Mr Konda explained that cellular infiltrates is due to inflammation. So, Merlyn's cornea was actually inflamed and it was asymptomatic. Mr Konda asked Merlyn if she has any problems with her contact lens and she said "yea, my eyes were red yesterday due to lens wear". In my heart, I thought: what the hell, I forgot about it, I saw her eyes red yesterday and even suggested her to go to SPOC or T1 lab to at least borrow saline to flush her lens maybe it will be better. And, when I asked about any previous contact lens problem, she only told me her eyes feels dry towards the end of the day with lens wear. WTH, she nvr remind or tell me about her eyes red due to lens wear the day before.
Mr Konda suggested Merlyn to cease lens wear for at least 3-4 days or even a week. To me, it is a serious ocular complication due to lens wear, IT's INFLAMMATION YOU KNOW???!!! and I missed it. Imagine, if it is a real walk in patient and the patient's cornea go damaged or beyond healing due to my mis-diagnosis. I felt guilty today for not detecting such a serious yet common complication due to lens wear.
I was rather sad the whole day thinking about my mis-interpretation and diagnosis of Merlyn's eyes. Yet when we had dinner @ FC 2 after that, when I told her about the stopping of lens wear as per Mr Konda recommended, she can tell me the most she dun wear tmr, since tmr is practical day. But she sure will wear on Friday one, because she cannot stand her spectacles.
At that moment, I didn't voice out, but deep down I was thinking, she is an optometry student and the more she should be more concerned about her own eyes that any other people and set the right example for her future customers or patients to follow. But instead she followed a famous hokkien saying : "ai swee mai mia (爱美不要命）" and decided to go for looks rather than to allow her cornea to heal and recover from the inflammation.
Though some ocular conditions may be asymptomatic, but if it aggravates, I bet one would definitely regret his/her own actions for compromising their own eye health. If Merlyn is reading this post, yea, think through what I said. To look pretty without glasses is more important, or protecting your own eyes is more important. Haiz....
After dinner @ FC2, we walked to dover stn, Shirlyn, Merlyn and Evan decided to go and catch a movie called 'Butterfly Lovers' at Jurong Point @ 9.35pm, the only slot available today. I didn't join them for movies as I have atc final meeting today. I took a bus down to bukit merah mac for meeting. I am guilty for not turning up regularly for meetings due to my busy school work and Japanese Language Class.
Meeting ended at 9.30pm. I left and didn't loiter around mac and chit chat with other CIs because I was still upset by the misdiagnosis in contact lens fitting practical, I have got no mood and plus I am too tired and just want to rush home to rest. Today is the first time I had such long hours in school - 10am to 7pm with only 1 hour of break.
Okay, I am super tired as I said, I shall go to bed right now.
