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 – Priti Krishtel – Why are drug prices so high? Investigating the outdated US patent system. “Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled — but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system, accumulating patents not for new medicines but for small changes to existing ones, which allows them to build monopolies, block competition and drive prices up. Health justice lawyer Priti Krishtel sheds light on how we’ve lost sight of the patent system’s original intent — and offers five reforms for a redesign that would serve the public and save lives.” (ted.com)
As a physician & ophthalmologist, I see on a daily basis how patents are abused and patients are ultimately harmed. Priti Krishtel’s five reforms to update the patent system are compelling.
2. Cataract Surgery – Richard J. Mackool MD – Episode 11: Full Thickness (Penetrating) LRIs to Correct Astigmatism During Multifocal IOL Insertion. Dr. Mackool writes, “During this case I demonstrate the differences between phaco aspiration vs phacoemulsification of the nucleus, as well as the use of Penetrating Limbal Relaxing Incisions to control astigmatism in a multifocal IOL patient. ” Filled with pearls.
3. Journal article – Douglas KAA, Douglas VP, Cestari DM. Relapsing Optic Neuropathy and Multiple Cranial Neuropathies in a Middle-aged Woman. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020;138(1):95–96. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2019.4410
4. Book Chapter – Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. LoyalBooks.com, SparkNotes, and Gutenberg. Chapter 9.
