Protecting Sight #100: There’s no such thing as not voting. A peaked pupil, the association of eyeglasses to COVID-19 risks, and Leaves of Grass. (100 Ted Talks, cataract surgeries, journal articles, and book chapters in 100 days!)

Welcome to my 100th 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 – Eric Liu: There’s no such thing as not voting. “Many people like to talk about how important voting is, how it’s your civic duty and responsibility as an adult. Eric Liu agrees with all that, but he also thinks it’s time to bring joy back to the ballot box. The former political speechwriter details how he and his team are fostering the culture around voting in the 2016 US presidential election — and closes with a powerful analysis of why anyone eligible should show up on Election Day.” (ted.com).

I’ve known and admired Eric Liu since college. He was a freshman counselor when I was a college freshman. I enjoyed lunch with him when I visited Seattle a few years ago and marveled at his work on citizenship and advocacy. A most timely Ted Talk.

For Ted Talks, I recommend the Ted Talk iPad app to explore titles by new talks, trending talks, Tedcircle discussions, recommended talks, editors’ picks, etc. You can also Google the “Top 25 Ted Talks” for the most viewed ever. I much enjoy the diversity which trending and new talks include.

2. Cataract Surgery – Uday Devgan MD – Cataract Quiz: slight peak of pupil. Dr. Devgan writes, “This is a very subtle sign — look carefully at the picture. In the sub-incisional area, there is a slight peaking of the pupil. It seemed like a totally routine case up until this point, so what happened?”

I have featured Uday Devgan & CataractCoach.com more than any other cataract surgery website. Uday continues to move cataract surgery and ophthalmology forward, one pearl at a time. I love watching and learning from the submissions from talented colleagues worldwide.

3. Journal – Zeng W, Wang X, Li J, et al. Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With Susceptibility to Coronavirus Disease 2019 InfectionJAMA Ophthalmol. Published online September 16, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.3906

Excellent and brief report.

JAMA Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology and AJO have many superb talks. I’ve been drawn to the JAMA Ophthalmology clinical challenges, which have excellent discussion sections and classic photos.

Walt Whitman, steel engraving, July 1854.jpg

4. Book Chapter – Walt Whitman – Leaves of GrassSparknotesWikipedia, and Gutenberg. Book 19.

Since starting my daily learning journal on June 14th, I’ve read / listened to:

  • Marcus Aurelius Meditations
  • Sun Tzu The Art of War
  • Jane Austen Pride & Prejudice
  • Herman Melville Moby Dick
  • Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
  • Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  • Henry David Thoreau Walden, and On The Duty of Civil Disobedience
  • Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass (in progress)
  • And a few others I started and then set aside for another day.

My goal is to read/listen to classic works which this pre-med student missed out on back in the day. Please send me suggestions in the comment section below! I love the free audio books on LoyalBooks.com and made available by Librivox. I listened to almost all of the titles above via the LoyalBooks podcast apps. The narrators are phenomenal.

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