When I told one of my friends that many ophthalmologists operated without wearing shoes, she responded with an insightful remark: “Isn’t that dangerous?”

In medical school, we were forbidden to wear open toed shoes while in the hospital. After all, who wants to have ascites or a bloody mess on your feet? The potential consequences of walking barefoot in the operating room are even more severe. Imagine delivering a C-section without proper gowns! With needles and other dangerously sharp equipment lingering around the OR, who wouldn’t be wearing shoes?

Indeed, I was uneasy the first time my attending told me to take off my shoes when I was operating as primary surgeon. Since then, I’ve realized that it’s nearly impossible to control the microscope and the Infiniti (I’ve only used the cautery mode) while wearing shoes. The pedals for the operating microscope control the focus and zoom on the operating field. A four-way joystick is situated above the pedals. An additional four buttons are also on the platform surrounding the pedals. All of this is controlled using ONLY your LEFT foot. A similar configuration to control the phacoemulsification machine is  located on a separate platform for your RIGHT foot. Having tactile sensation on the pedals eases the difficulty of learning the machine, especially for newbies like me.

Still, I cringe every time we lose a needle (or #57 blade) on the ground.

medicine humor, ophthalmology