Diplopia

Double vision = red glass test.

To diagnose diplopia, a red piece of glass is placed over a patient's right eye. The left eye remains uncovered. They are then instructed to follow around a white light. Their right eye is looking through the red glass, so naturally, the right eye is seeing red light. The left eye is looking straight at the white light, so the left eye is seeing white light. The visual cortex in the brain melds together what the two eyes are seeing and a patient with normal vision actually sees a pink light.

On the other hand, a patient with diplopia, or double vision, has eyes that are not in sync. Their eyes are physically looking in different directions. Therefore, the visual cortex in the brain is not able to meld the images and the person sees a white light and a red light separately. Based on the results from the testing, a neurologist can determine where the damage to the nerve that controls the "bad" eye is located.

I've had two midterms this week and one more on Friday. During days like today, I feel that I am at the limit of what my brain can hold in its fatigued state. It just doesn't seem possible that I am going to have to learn more - much more - to continue to be in medical school. However, my brain apparently is still working as I am sitting here, in the library, my new home, where I spend more time than with my family, learning and reviewing.

It helps that my classes this term are really interesting. Physio is difficult but intuitive in a lot of ways, especially cardiovascular physiology. Neuro is not my strongest subject, to be sure, but we are studying visual and other sensory pathways and if you think about how complicated and precise eye movements are, you can appreciate how interesting that can be. Immuno is horribly taught (I am more confused when I attend class), but doable and so far, I am holding my own. Well, to be honest and for my own sanity, I have to believe I am doing ok, but I won't know for sure until grades are posted.

So for now, I am looking through the red glass and the view from here looks pink.