Tom Ayton speaks to Elisa Cornish about the assessment of a patient with a corneal foreign body, the procedure to remove the corneal foreign body and provides some tips to help make it a little easier for junior doctors working in the emergency department.
Summary Writer: Evangelia Haralabopoulos
Script Writer: Tom Ayton
Editor: Tom Ayton
Interviewer: Elisa Cornish
Interviewee: Tom Ayton
Dr Elisa Cornish specialises in the management of medical retinal and inflammatory disorders of the eye as well as glaucoma and inherited eye disease.
Elisa has been passionate about research in retinal disorders since graduating with Honours in Science and completing a PhD in retinal development at the University of Sydney. She graduated in Medicine from the University of Sydney and then undertook her general ophthalmology training at the Sydney Eye Hospital network. She pursued sub-specialty training in Medical Retina, Uveitis, Glaucoma and Inherited Eye Diseases at the Professorial Unit at Sydney Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.
Elisa is a Consultant Eye Surgeon, Staff Specialist at Sydney Eye Hospital and Westmead Hospital, as well as being a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She is actively involved in ophthalmology registrar and medical student teaching and is part of the Inherited Eye Disease Unit at the Save Sight Institute, Discipline of Ophthalmology where she has a special interest in electrophysiology.
Dr Tom Ayton is an Ophthalmology Registrar at Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney, Australia. He is from Albany in Western Australia and has a background in exercise physiology and sport. During his postgraduate medical training Tom became interested in medical education, which he completed his course research in, as well as medical student teaching and Junior Medical Officer advocacy. Tom loves the beach, keeping healthy and is a very poor surfer.
With Dr Elisa Cornish, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Sydney Eye Hospital, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction
The assessment of a patient with a corneal foreign body is not an uncommon one for the junior doctor in the emergency department. Junior doctors should aim to become competent in removing an uncomplicated corneal foreign body, and should perform the procedure under supervision until they become confident. Using the slit lamp as well as the correct instrument to remove the object can be a little daunting.
Case: You are a junior doctor in the emergency department and you are about to see a 22 year old construction worker who has presented to the emergency department with an acutely painful and red eye. He complains of blurry vision and mentions that he has been grinding metal earlier in the day.
Eye Emergency Manual – An Illustrated Guide. Agency for Clinical Innovation (2nd edition) – https://www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/155011/eye_manual.pdf
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