
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 – Kevin Briggs: The bridge between suicide and life. “For many years Sergeant Kevin Briggs had a dark, unusual, at times strangely rewarding job: He patrolled the southern end of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, a popular site for suicide attempts. In a sobering, deeply personal talk Briggs shares stories from those he’s spoken — and listened — to standing on the edge of life. He gives a powerful piece of advice to those with loved ones who might be contemplating suicide.” (ted.com).
Sergeant Briggs has saved more than 200 lives. His compassion, emotional intelligence, and story telling make this a transformational talk. #WorldSuicidePreventionDay.

2. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD – Resident Cataract Case with Iris Hooks. Dr. Devgan writes, “For a small pupil case, using iris hooks is helpful to give better access during cataract surgery. This case is being performed by a resident and the technique is excellent. The insertion of these iris hooks is initially done in the square (4 corners) configuration and then a fifth hook is placed in the sub-incisional area to create a pentagon shape that looks like home plate in baseball. Another method has been described by master cataract professor Dr Tom Oetting which uses 4 hooks in a diamond configuration to retract the sub-incisional iris.” Great case. I am partial to the Malyugin Ring, which I think is among cataract surgery’s greatest innovations.

3. Journal – Zhang AY, Reddy AK. Bilateral Decreased Vision During Pregnancy. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(7):807–808. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.5453

4. Book Chapter – Pankaj Mishra – The Romantics: A Novel. Chapter 2. He mentions the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
I can spend hours researching old photos and videos in black and white — particularly from India. I found a powerful poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, juxtaposed with videos from the 1947 Partition, on YouTube here.
