Lacrimal syringing- the worst nightmare of the interns
Being an intern, it was very important for us to learn lacrimal syringing in the optometry community. I have always been afraid of the mere thought of me holding a syringe. But a day came when I had to perform it. It was in community ophthalmology OPD, where most of the patients come for cataract surgery. It is mandatory to perform syringing for these patients before surgery.
I practised it a few times on friends during the first month of the internship, but performing on a patient was very new. Patients think that it’s an injection and move away from the syringe. It took me a lot of time to understand that explaining the procedure before performing the test was more important, once I understood this things got a little easier.
I found another challenge- While we load the syringe, we push the plunger in to remove the air bubbles. I realized that the needle hub when not fitted properly in the barrel of the syringe would pop out during the process. Rectified the mistake by making sure the needle hub sits well in the barrel before I check and push the plunger in.
This way, I was saved from many embarrassing situations with the patients. Once I learnt the technique, it was a cakewalk since then. I did it passionately for the next year. I was the most active person in the ulcer OPD to record the history and do syringing. That’s my story of syringing.
For non-optometrists, who are wondering what syringing is, please check out the link below.
Hope this will help the new interns.
I am sure you too must have some worst nightmares during your internships. What was your worst nightmare? Let me know in the comments section!