Candidate 31
Date: November, 2004
Centre: Plymouth
 
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Station 1: 
 
Keratometry - Bausch and Lomb - had read about the machine beforehand but foolishly hadn't given myself the opportunity to use one - despite this found it easier to use than a JS. Then questions on image doubling and image/object and PS images
 
Station 2
 
Focimeter - pretty straightforward although of course all the dials were way off when I sat down. Bifocal pair - at least they weren't varis
 
Station 3
 
Slit lamp - band keratopathy and pseudophake, then a terribly long time (it seemed) on different illuminations. 
 
Station 4
 
Fields. Homomous quadrantinopia, didn't find it at first and had to be pushed all the way by kindly examiners. Questions on pathway.
 
Station 5
 
Pupils. Adies. Questions on loss of tendon reflexes (central inhibitory control pathology)
 
Station 6
 
Motility - please oh please get together and practice doing it in two minutes. Had a horrible time, but again kindly examiners, woman's eyes were completely  baffling, hazarded a guess at CPEO and by her expression knew I was right. Not sure I actually got any points here though
 
Station 7
 
Direct. Normal eyes. Found this in fact very confusing and wasted my and the examiners time looking over the same area hunting in vain for a pathology and in fact actually convinced myself I could see one!!! Questions on using the eye as a loupe. Saw the woman outside the hospital later on, asked what was wrong with her eyes, and she replied NOTHING. She was an eye nurse.....
 
Station 8
 
By this time just plain tired of being stressed out, fortunately examiners were as tired as I was (17:30 exam time). Indirect on an old guy with an atrophic area at the macula, for some reason gave a ridiculous differential (optic disc pit with a resolved SRD) then saved myself by blurting out ARMD as the bell went.
 
Stay calm, practice exam skills ad nauseam, and you'll be fine. 
 
 
Refraction: 
33yr old myope 2/60 and 3/60 unaided down to 6/5 BE with -5.00DS RE and -5.50DS -1.00DCx170 LE and not accepting more plus. Also needed BO prism RE once corrected. I was relatively lucky - he was very co-operative.
 

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