Inside Ophthalmology

Early summer

Haircuts at home, empty classrooms and warm beaches. Clare Quigley MRCSI (Ophth), FRCOphth, reports

YouTube is Considering the few exams useful. When I have coming up, it may be a I open the site good idea not to have too many these days, the distractions. Settling down to top suggested reading and MCQs is that bit videos are from the cataract easier when the alternative coach, Uday Devgan. Browsing activities are not too enticing. his channel, there are lots of Alongside studying, as I imagine interesting clips, where he must be the case elsewhere, gives feedback to surgeons in we are strongly encouraged training and beyond. Devgan to do research and audit. analyses different techniques Narrowing my focus down to for operating technically get a manuscript polished and challenging cases, including ready to go is that much more posterior polar, and white doable in lockdown. And of pressurised cataracts. With course, we need to take part in a pleasant speaking voice, he departmental teaching. is easy to listen to, and gives At the last teaching session an honest appraisal, but in a it was my turn to present – I generous manner. He extracts spoke about topics in cornea, learning points from each case. my current rotation – and

After Devgan’s channel, I found myself alone in an there are a variety of videos empty clinic room, talking on the homepage, generated to other ophthalmologists by my searches of late. in training via Zoom on my Surgical knot tying. Walking tours of cities that are under consideration for fellowship; it seems likely now that I will need to decide where to go without physically visiting, given the COVID situation. Illustration by Eoin Coveney laptop, about keratitis and techniques for sampling or gluing corneas. Presenting in that way, I alternate between self-consciousness, listening to the sound of my own voice, and unease about whether Music videos, especially from attendees can hear me and see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even if the procedure were to go complete- the slides. Mostly, I miss the Most recently, how to cut your hair. Even if the procedure were ly pear-shaped, I reasoned, I could hide it. I could wear a theatre cap all day, chat, before and after, often over a coffee. When COVID case numbers to go completely pear-shaped, along with scrubs had fallen enough for the I reasoned, I could hide it. In government to allow us to work, I could wear a theatre move outside a five-kilometre cap all day, along with scrubs. This would be unusual, as most radius of home, it took a few days for the idea of this new of the time in clinic people wear ordinary clothes, not scrubs. freedom to properly sink in. There was a sense like we were Scrubs are worn when working in theatre. But I could get away being let out of an institution, when the radius of potential with it, I imagined. People – patients and colleagues – would free movement opened up. It happens that there are a few keen assume that I was in scrubs as I might be just coming back from, sea swimmers in the Eye and Ear, and when it looked like the or about to go to, the operating theatres. And a theatre cap goes weather would be good, we took advantage of that first weekend along with scrubs, naturally, so my hair could be tucked up into of travel-within-county to make for the sea. it, out of sight. That Saturday, summer had arrived early. Perfectly blue

Outside work, I could get in the habit of wearing a hat. That sky, with bare wisps of fluffy clouds. The sea at Killiney beach way, only my family at home would need to see my new hair. was bitterly cold, but the sun and the sand were warm. Sitting I told myself this, before taking up a scissors in front of the eating sandwiches and watching the sea glitter, was a good dose mirror in the kitchen. This was months after I had last had a of normality. haircut, with the hairdressers still shut, and no indicative date So, in the end, I went for it. There was a YouTube video, ‘Bob for re-opening. haircut! DIY’, that looked suitably quick and straightforward. I

It is odd how normal this new way of life has become. No enlisted my husband to tidy up the back, which he agreed to do, restaurants, no theatres, no pubs, no parties. The last time we only after I had promised not to give out if I did not like it. It went to the cinema was in December 2019, to Knives Out (it was turned out that I did not have to be so tactful as Uday Devgan with fantastic). The last foreign holiday we took was to Galicia, Spain, my feedback, as my husband did a pretty good job. in August 2019 (highly recommended). These days, weekends involve a stroll around the neighbourhood, taking in the local Clare Quigley is a specialist registrar in the Royal Victoria Eye parks and playgrounds, with a takeaway flat white as a treat. and Ear Hospital, Dublin, Ireland