My hospital equipment case

It’s not a case that’s meant for optometry equipment – it’s actually a make-up case. It’s got hard sides, removable compartments so that I can make certain bits bigger or smaller, and pockets for my occluder and other pieces of equipment.

Practicality on placement

On placements, I could have just used my shoulder bag – but I didn’t like it. I wanted something nicer, but also, I’m short, and it has quite a long strap, so it was hitting the back of my knees when I was walking. It’s just plain black and a bit boring. I was struggling when I was carrying things, so it was easier to get another bag.

In the hospital setting it’s a confidence thing, because you don’t want to be worrying about what’s happening to your equipment when you leave it somewhere

Buying the case evolved from an Amazon search. I originally thought I could get a pencil case – one with three compartments. They’re quite large, and they’ve got a middle bit and then two bits at the side. I thought all my retinoscope handles could go in there, and then my cross cyls in one side and other small pieces of equipment in the other. I wanted something hard, because I didn’t want to risk breaking my retinoscope if I ever dropped it. So, I went down the rabbit hole on eBay and Amazon, and eventually found these make-up cases. I thought, ‘actually, this is better.’

If I hadn’t found this solution, I would be doing multiple trips to the place where I keep my equipment, which would be inefficient and annoying. Or, I’d be risking dropping something that is actually really difficult to replace. I really like it, because everyone knows it’s mine.

In the hospital setting it’s a confidence thing, because you don’t want to be worrying about what’s happening to your equipment when you leave it somewhere. I wouldn’t feel safe leaving it out – not because it might get stolen, but because we have trays, and other people put their things in the trays too. If someone put their bag on my retinoscope and didn’t realise that it was there, they might break it, whereas in this case I know it is padded and secure. I’m not worried about someone putting something on top of it, and I’m not worried about dropping it. I’m less worried, overall.