More Teslas

11/1/2021

This week, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Truong-Le, a neuro-ophthalmologist. She gave great insight into the conditions and procedures of her field, emphasizing how often she has to look at the brain. This differs from other professionals I have interviewed within ophthalmology, which shows me how specialized ophthalmology gets. I learned about the advancements of technology within neuro-ophthalmology from Dr. Truong-Le, one being the MRI. The MRI is categorized under a measurement called Tesla, and it first came out with one Tesla. Now, 3 Teslas is the standard for disease diagnosis, which has led to sharper imaging. Color on MRI imaging has also allowed for the visibility of the pathway of nerves and blood vessels. I find this very interesting that technology has been developed that can see such details of the brain, revolutionizing the medical field. The MRI continues to advance, as Dr. Truong-Le described research of MRIs using 8 Teslas. The association between ophthalmic conditions and the brain is fascinating to me and how neuro-ophthalmologists can understand so much about the eye from analyzing the brain. I hope to further look into the indications in the brain of common neuro-ophthalmic conditions and the procedures used to treat them. Dr. Truong-Le provided insight into how one of the most prominent issues of the specialty to her is that a lot of conditions like a stroke to the eye have no medication and the vision loss can not be reversed. I hope to apply this to my original work research as I look into research recommendations and the steps that should be taken. All of the interviews I have conducted have been extremely helpful and fuel my interest in the medical field’s complexities.