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Ever wonder what the inside of your eye looks like? Or how are we able to see things the way we do.
The Medical Assistant students at Tennessee College of Applied Technology got a first- hand "look" to answer these questions. Ophthalmology is part of the training segment the students go through with this program. Instructor Christina Nagy took the class out of the book to a hands-on up close level with a pig eye lab. The lab allowed her students the ability to understand where things like the Vitreous Humor is located in the eye after discussing what it is and does during lecture. The students dissected the eye to visualize what they heard in lecture. Glaucoma, Cataracts and Macular Degeneration are things these students will encounter with patients once they enter the field of Medical Assisting. During the lab students inject the optic nerve with saline solution to simulate what the human eye would look like with increased pressure with Glaucoma. They also dissect the eye to locate the lens which normally is clear but becomes cloudy with Cataracts. Finally the retina is located to see where it is attached and what occurs with Macular Degeneration. Mrs. Nagy states "students do not always get a lot out of lecture and seeing pictures and videos only do so much. Most of my students are hands-on learners." Mrs. Nagy continues to come up with creative ideas to engage her students and take the coursework to a level where every student will have a chance to succeed and become an OUTSTANDING Medical Assistant.