Sounding stupid - Ophthalmology Chapter

Consultant: "Tofu, look at these glasses and tell me about the prism, and the direction of his double vision"
*consultant takes the glasses from the patient and passes them over to me*

Me: "okay"
*okay...he probably just wants me to tell him if the patient is short of long sighted*
*takes a look at the pair of glasses*

Me: "i think he is long sighted"

Consultant: "Yes, he is, but tell me about the prism"

Me: "okay"
*okay, damn....that's not what he wanted!
hmmmm he definitely said prism...and as far as i know, a prism is long and triangular shaped with a light shone in one end, and a spectrum of colours beaming out the other.... and these... well... these are definitely just a pair of glasses....*

Tofu's Prism

Me: "well, er.... these are glasses. I'm not sure if they're a prism or not *mumble mumble* ummm, i mean, a prism is triangular and long........ er..er....  Dr... i'm actually not sure what you're asking me"

Consultant: "okay, never mind"
*continues with his consultation*

----------------------------

Yep, unfortunately when i had both the patient and the consultant sitting and staring at me, expecting an answer... i did the foolish thing of just saying anything i had in my mind to fill the silence.

Luckily i admitted i didn't have a clue about what he was asking me, and i didn't embarrass myself further by going on about the spectrum of light and all....

As it turns out, almost every other patient turning up to the clinic this afternoon had these prism lenses, which corrected for their double vision, and unfortunately with every question that came firing in my direction, the impression i left with the consultant sort of just went from "she needs to revise" to "how the hell did she get into medical school?".

At one point he blurted out something Latin sounding, and was asking me what it meant. Lucky i didn't start guessing the patient's condition, as it turns out, he was asking me about medical ethics (!!!!!!!!!)!

So yep.. it was a very long afternoon clinic.

I best go and do a bit of reading before i turn up to the remaining clinics.

Consultant's Prism