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

We all have our travel horror stories. Some of us have missed our flights due to weather or airplane mechanical issues. I’ve read accounts of getting stuck on the tarmack for over 5 hours, or getting rescheduled to a flight after the holiday season.

My travel plans were recently foiled by weather AND the airline industry. Several hours after I had checked into my flight online, I discovered that my flight was canceled. Not via phone or email, but via seatcounter.com. I initially intended to find out whether I could catch an earlier flight, but noticed that my flight was not listed. Subsequently, I verified the cancellation on my Continental Airlines account page.

Canceling a passenger’s flight without notifying them until several hours prior to departure isn’t exactly the most responsible approach. Some of us travel hours to reach an airport. Not everyone has ubiquitous internet access to check on flights. For my return flight, I checked the airline website right before leaving for the airport (I was fifteen minutes away). According to the website, my flight was “on time”. Twenty five minutes later, when I arrived at the departure gate, my flight was 4 hours delayed.

One way to avoid being stuck at the airport is to reschedule your flight prior to arriving at the airport, especially if you know that bad weather is approaching. Airlines have become more amenable to rescheduling trips prior to the delays, and typically waive the hefty rescheduling fees. If you’re not in a rush to reach your destination, you can also volunteer to take a later flight. I’ve seen a number of travelers volunteer their seats on overbooked flights in order to obtain a complementary travel voucher and even first class seats on a subsequent flight. With rising airfare costs, a free travel voucher in exchange for a flight 4 hours later seems quite reasonable.

For tips on obtaining Wifi at the airport, see my previous post.

misc travel