Preferences of ophthalmic plastics patients and their caregivers toward the doctors’ attire and initial communications: A tertiary eye care study.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to determine the acceptability levels of different styles of the doctors’ dress and the expectations from the initial phases of physician‑patient encounter. Methods: The study design was a cross‑sectional descriptive type using the survey methodology. A survey based on a five‑point questionnaire was performed on all consecutive patients or their caregivers, aged ≥15, visiting the ophthalmic plastics outpatient clinics at a tertiary eye care institute. The participants were shown three sets of photographs and were required to answer a questionnaire which consisted of five questions. Data collected include participant demographics and their preferences with regards to the physician’s attire and initial communications. Results: A total of 300 consecutive responses were analyzed. The mean age of the participants was 37.2 years. Among the participants, 87.6% (263/300) and 90.3% (271/300) preferred a white coat for the male and female physicians, respectively (P < 0.001). The most common second preference was scrubs for both the males and female physicians. 92.3% (277/300) preferred the attire to have an identification display. The overwhelming majority of respondents (95.6%, 287/300) preferred the physicians to address them by their name and 98.6% (296/300) liked if their physicians smiled while addressing them. Conclusions: White coat was the main preferred attire among respondents. Increased awareness of the patient’s expectations plays a crucial role in enhancing their satisfaction.

Surgeon point‑of‑view recording: Using a high‑definition head‑mounted video camera in the operating room.

Objective: To study the utility of a commercially available small, portable ultra‑high definition (HD) camera (GoPro Hero 4) for intraoperative recording. Methods: A head mount was used to fix the camera on the operating surgeon’s head. Due care was taken to protect the patient’s identity. The recorded video was subsequently edited and used as a teaching tool. This retrospective, noncomparative study was conducted at three tertiary eye care centers. The surgeries recorded were ptosis correction, ectropion correction, dacryocystorhinostomy, angular dermoid excision, enucleation, blepharoplasty and lid tear repair surgery (one each). The recorded videos were reviewed, edited, and checked for clarity, resolution, and reproducibility. Results: The recorded videos were found to be high quality, which allowed for zooming and visualization of the surgical anatomy clearly. Minimal distortion is a drawback that can be effectively addressed during postproduction. The camera, owing to its lightweight and small size, can be mounted on the surgeon’s head, thus offering a unique surgeon point‑of‑view. In our experience, the results were of good quality and reproducible. Conclusions: A head‑mounted ultra‑HD video recording system is a cheap, high quality, and unobtrusive technique to record surgery and can be a useful teaching tool in external facial and ophthalmic plastic surgery.

Epibulbar schwannoma in a 12-year-old boy: A case report and review of literature.

Schwannomas are benign, encapsulated, primary neurilemmal tumors composed of proliferating Schwann cells. Schwannomas are commonly seen in the orbit, but are rare on the epibulbar surface. Herein, we report a case of a 12‑year‑old boy who presented to us with a slow‑growing painless subconjunctival mass in the left eye. There was no intraocular extension of the mass and intra‑operatively, the mass could be clearly delineated and was excised off the underlying sclera. Histopathological examination of the mass showed typical features of schwannoma and immunohistochemistry helped to confirm the diagnosis. There was no recurrence of the lesion observed at follow‑up 26 months after surgery. Here, we describe this uncommon tumor and review the available literature. Although rare, an epibulbar schwannoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an amelanotic, painless subconjunctival nodular mass. Excision of the lesion is the recommended treatment.