Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Cynthia Breazeal. The rise of personal robots. (Dec 2010) “Cynthia Breazeal wonders: Why can we use robots on Mars, but not in our living rooms? The key, she says, is in training robots to interact with people. Now she dreams up and builds robots that teach, learn — and play. Watch for amazing demo footage of a new interactive game for kids.” (ted.com)

This was a trending Ted Talk, and its timing (2010) allows us to enjoy Breazeal’s prescient views. Another mention of Leonardo da Vinci!

2. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD – Traumatic cataract with bulging capsule. Great pearls.

3. Journal article – Kasi SK, Adam MK, Ehmann DS. Bilateral Retinal Problem in a Patient With Alport Syndrome. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(9):995–996. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2017.0036

4. Book Chapter – Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapter 1, Part II.

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Juan Enriquez. What will humans look like in 100 years (Posted Nov 2016). “We can evolve bacteria, plants and animals — futurist Juan Enriquez asks: Is it ethical to evolve the human body? In a visionary talk that ranges from medieval prosthetics to present day neuroengineering and genetics, Enriquez sorts out the ethics associated with evolving humans and imagines the ways we’ll have to transform our own bodies if we hope to explore and live in places other than Earth.” (ted.com)

A trending Ted Talk. I was drawn to the image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Richard J. Mackool MD – Episode 10: The Floppy Iris. 20 minutes and many pearls. “Case Description: This man is being treated with Rapaflo because of partial urinary obstruction as a result of benign prostatic hypertrophy, and the drug has caused the iris to become extremely floppy. The video demonstrates several techniques that minimize the chance of iris damage and/or prolapse. A method of toric IOL positioning at the correct meridian in the presence of a miotic pupil is also demonstrated, as are several methods that can be used to maintain pupil dilation in this situation.”

2B. Cataract Surgery – Yehia Mostafa, MBBCh, MSc, PhD. Journal of Cataract, Refractive & Glaucoma Surgery – Long Anterior Zonules (4 minutes).

3. Journal article – Watson AH, Homer NA, Somogyi MB. Varicella-Zoster Virus of the Eyelid.  JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020;138(7):795–796. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.0575

4. Book Chapter – Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 1, Part I.

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Tabetha Boyajian. The most mysterious star in the universe (2016). “Something massive, with roughly 1,000 times the area of Earth, is blocking the light coming from a distant star known as KIC 8462852, and nobody is quite sure what it is. As astronomer Tabetha Boyajian investigated this perplexing celestial object, a colleague suggested something unusual: Could it be an alien-built megastructure? Such an extraordinary idea would require extraordinary evidence. In this talk, Boyajian gives us a look at how scientists search for and test hypotheses when faced with the unknown.” (ted.com)

I enjoy trending talks and subjects outside my current interests. Good stuff.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD. Resident recovers from capsule break.

3. Journal article Nguyen AX, Gervasio KA, Wu AY. COVID-19 Recommendations From Ophthalmic and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Societies Worldwide. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020;36(4):334-345. doi:10.1097/IOP.0000000000001776. Excellent article of ocuplastic society recommendations worlwide.

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 39-43 (The end!).

A great Huck Finn finish! I read Huckleberry Finn in high school — a high school classmate reminded me during 10th grade with Dr. Dwyer — and I loved revisiting a classic American novel. The free audio podcast (search Huckleberry Finn LoyalBooks) is wonderful and I highly recommend.

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Mary Lou Jepsen PhD. Could future devices read images from our brains? (Posted Mar 2014). “As an expert on cutting-edge digital displays, Mary Lou Jepsen studies how to show our most creative ideas on screens. And as a brain surgery patient herself, she is driven to know more about the neural activity that underlies invention, creativity, thought. She meshes these two passions in a rather mind-blowing talk on two cutting-edge brain studies that might point to a new frontier in understanding how (and what) we think.” (ted.com)

A remarkable talk. It would be most interesting to see how this technology has evolved since 2014.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD. Expert Surgeon versus The Rock. Great case.

2B. Cataract Surgery – Ike Ahmed MD – Phaco Debulk Chop for Dense Cataracts. Love this technique.

3A. Journal article – Acute Exaggerated Meibomitis as Initial Manifestation of Sweet Syndrome. Noemi Güemes-Villahoz, MD, Olivia Rodríguez-Quet, MD David Díaz-Valle, MD, PhD. Ophthalmology. August 2020: Vol. 127, #8, p. 1036, AUGUST 01, 2020. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.04.040

3B. Sudhakar P, Tobin S, O Connor W, Kedar S. Neuro-Ophthalmic Presentation of Neuro-Sweet Disease. Neuroophthalmology. 2017;41(4):202-206. Published 2017 Mar 15. doi:10.1080/01658107.2017.1291687

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 34-38. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer plan Jim’s escape.

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Jim Simons – The mathematician who cracked Wall Street. “Jim Simons was a mathematician and cryptographer who realized: the complex math he used to break codes could help explain patterns in the world of finance. Billions later, he’s working to support the next generation of math teachers and scholars. TED’s Chris Anderson sits down with Simons to talk about his extraordinary life in numbers.” (ted.com)

Legendary hedge fund pioneer. Nice discussion. Filled with life lessons. 23 minutes.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD Which resident will win this contest? Great examples. Love Uday’s pearl to strive for 1% improvement per week. (See also James Clear’s Atomic Habits.)

2B. Cataract Surgery – Richard Mackool MD – Episode 9: The Deformed Cornea. “Case Description: Here is a very unusual case! This 62 year old man has a cataract and severe keratoconus with a refraction of -20.00 D, -11.00 D of cylinder, and K readings in the 80s!” Awesome case.

3A. Journal article – Comparing the Management of Eye Injuries by Coalition Military Surgeons during the Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts. John Breeze, Richard J. Blanch, Robb Mazzoli, Joseph DuBose, Douglas M. Bowley, David B. Powers. Ophthalmology April 2020. p458–466

3B. Pictures: Atypical Corneal Deposits after Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty. Clemence Bonnet, Anthony J. Aldave. Ophthalmology April 2020. p466

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 23-33. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer reunite!

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Tanya Menon PhD – The secret to great opportunities? The person you haven’t met yet. “We often find ourselves stuck in narrow social circles with similar people. What habits confine us, and how can we break them? Organizational psychologist Tanya Menon considers how we can be more intentional about expanding our social universes — and how it can lead to new ideas and opportunities.” (ted.com)

Excellent pearls to expand a social network. 14 minutes.

I also recommend college classmate Keith Ferrazzi’s book Never Eat Alone, Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends & Influence People among many great resources. Guy Spier’s chapter on personal notes of gratitude in his book The Education of a Value Investor is also a must-read.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD Slow Motion Phaco Chop. Phaco Chop is, indeed, a difficult maneuver to master.

2B. Prism Eye Rounds – Ike Ahmed MD – Small Eyes, Big Surprises. Saturday webinar. 1st case was unreal!

3A. Journal article – Outer Retinal Plume Signature in Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome – Ophthalmology Retina. Pictures & Perspectives| VOLUME 4, ISSUE 8, P766, AUGUST 01, 2020. Posted via my Twitter feed today.

3B. Atypical Presentation of Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Involving Granular Lesions of Varying Size. Rahul Khurana MD et. al. AJO. BRIEF REPORT| VOLUME 139, ISSUE 5, P935-937, MAY 01, 2005. Found on the ONE Network after reviewing the first case above.

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 19-22. Huck masters Hamlet!

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Abilgail Marsh PhD – Why some people are more altruistic than others. “Why do some people do selfless things, helping other people even at risk to their own well-being? Psychology researcher Abigail Marsh studies the motivations of people who do extremely altruistic acts, like donating a kidney to a complete stranger. Are their brains just different?” (ted.com)

A compelling talk. 12 minutes.

2. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD – MSICS (Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery). Great teaching case & narration.

3. Journal article – Mehta N, Lee CS, Mendonça LSM, et al. Model-to-Data Approach for Deep Learning in Optical Coherence Tomography Intraretinal Fluid Segmentation. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online August 06, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.2769

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning … the future is now!

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 18. Huck & Jim reunite!

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Atul Gawande MD – How do we heal medicine? “Our medical systems are broken. Doctors are capable of extraordinary (and expensive) treatments, but they are losing their core focus: actually treating people. Doctor and writer Atul Gawande suggests we take a step back and look at new ways to do medicine — with fewer cowboys and more pit crews.” (ted.com)

“Having great components is not enough.” Many life lessons and teaching points in Dr. Gawande’s Ted Talk. “Humility, discipline, team work … Making systems work is the great task of our generation as a whole.” 19 minutes.

2. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD – Soft cataracts can be quite difficult. Great pearls.

3A. Journal article – Betsch D, Gupta RR. A Case of an Iris Cyst Not to Be Missed. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020;138(7):793–794. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.0571

3B. Shields J, A, Magrath G, N, Shields C, Mackool R, Eagle Jr. R, C, Grossniklaus H, E: Dissecting Aortic Aneurysm 55 Years after Diagnosis of Iris Flocculi. Ocul Oncol Pathol 2016;2:222-225. doi: 10.1159/000445719

The JAMA Clinical Challenge led me to the Shields et. al case report.

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 17.

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Amishi Jha PhD – How to tame your wandering mind. “Amishi Jha studies how we pay attention: the process by which our brain decides what’s important out of the constant stream of information it receives. Both external distractions (like stress) and internal ones (like mind-wandering) diminish our attention’s power, Jha says — but some simple techniques can boost it. ‘Pay attention to your attention,’ Jha says.” (ted.com)

This Ted Talk showed up in my Twitter feed. A superb talk (and with my own wandering mind I plan to watch again). Many pearls which I plan to revisit again. 18 minutes.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Richard J. Mackool, MD – Episode 8: Cataract Removal with Insertion of Two iStents for Treatment of Secondary Pseudoexfoliative Glaucoma. Like watching a symphony.

2B. VJCRGS – Ike Ahmed MD – Omni Surgical System – Day #4 of Ike’s MIGS review.

3. Journal article – Long-Term Follow-Up of Normal Tension Glaucoma Patients With TBK1 Gene Mutations in One Large Pedigree. Tyler S. Quist, Chris A. Johnson, Alan L. Robin, John H. Fingert. AJO (July 2020): p52–62.

Dr. Robin was a glaucoma faculty member in residency. He sat down with me over Labor Day weekend my third year residency and showed me his technique using just a pen and blank sheet of paper. He also insisted I tape every case (which I still try to do some 20 years later).

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 13-16. Love the free Huck Finn LoyalBooks audio podcast. The narrator is excellent! (and apologies for using the word “excellent” so many times in this post).

Welcome to my daily learning journal. My daily goal is to watch one Ted Talk and one cataract surgery. I also plan to read one journal article and read/listen to a book chapter, short story or significant work.

Here’s today’s list:

1. Ted Talk – Dolly Chugh: How to let go of being a “good” person — and become a better person. “What if your attachment to being a “good” person is holding you back from actually becoming a better person? In this accessible talk, social psychologist Dolly Chugh explains the puzzling psychology of ethical behavior — like why it’s hard to spot your biases and acknowledge mistakes — and shows how the path to becoming better starts with owning your mistakes. “In every other part of our lives, we give ourselves room to grow — except in this one, where it matters most,” Chugh says.” (ted.com)

Good talk and I like the concept. 12 minutes.

2A. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD – The hemi-nucleus tuck technique. I used this pearl today!

2B. VJCRGS – Ike Ahmed MD – Kahook Dual Blade. Great review of MIGS technologies.

3. Journal article – Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery Versus Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery (FACT): A Randomized Noninferiority Trial. Alexander C. Day, Jennifer M. Burr, Kate Bennett, Catey Bunce, Caroline J. Doré, Gary S. Rubin, Mayank A. Nanavaty, Kamaljit S. Balaggan, Mark R. Wilkins on behalf of the FACT group. Ophthalmology, August 2020: p1012–1019. Just read the abstract and you’ll be fine.

4. Book Chapter – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapters 8-10. Enjoying the free Huck Finn LoyalBooks audio podcast.