Paul’s morning lecture
Day two began with a great talk from Paul about equipment maintenance, reminding us that every staff member holds responsibility for the medical equipment. John followed this with an introduction to diabetic retinopathy, an incredibly pressing need to address soon in the Gambia, as the disease may well become more prevalent as the country continues to develop.
The new testing room in SZRECC, where children are first assessed. It’s based in the old laboratory used for manufacturing eye drops.
On Tuesdays, SZRECC holds a glaucoma clinic, which unfortunately for me doesn’t typically involve many paediatric patients. Nevertheless I hoped to use the day as a chance to teach paediatric assessment skills to some of the eye nurses and optometry students, as well as observe some of John’s oculoplastic surgical cases. The surgical list was regrettably postponed at short notice due to a poorly anaesthetist, but the training with the students went well. We had the afternoon free to run through testing young children’s vision, checking for squints, and checking the eye muscles. I was luckily able to demonstrate assessment of squints on a real patient, as a relation of a staff member was willing to sit patiently and be used as a practice subject. The highlight of my day was when a student from last year, Dou, perfectly remembered his teaching from last year despite not having had any further practice or lectures on the subject. It was the first time on this visit, that I really noticed having made a difference with my previous teaching, which was a really gratifying experience.
A busy day awaits tomorrow, another paediatric clinic, and a chance for the students to put some of their new-found skills to the test.