Australia's Science Forum

Can someone remind me which is the better equipment to dissect an eye. Would it be a scalpel or a sharp pair of surgical scissors? It is Y9 students and possibly some tricky customers in the batch. We haven't done an eye dissection for years and I have lasting memories of having at least one swallowed by some cherub who was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Don't need a repeat performance. Those eyes were fresh from the abbatoir and the ones I currently have are preserved.

Lyn.

I tend to send out surgical scissors, scalpels might be better because of the membrane, but the disposable scalpels I have at the moment are a bit dodgy and seem to break easily. Not sure if anyone else is having the same problem, it doesn't seem to take much pressure before they snap. Ones I had before seemed a better quality.
I have had to tend to some minor cuts (so far) because of scalpels so would prefer the use of scissors.
Estelle

I usually give them both, plus myself and a teachers aid to help with really suspect cherubs. Are you saying someone swallowed an eye, haaaaaaaaaaaa yuuuuk

We never give scalpels with juniors - especially an eye, because we have had some 'cowboys' who stick it into the eye and get a spurt of the gel going everywhere - even into their own eyes.. I only give out scissors ..
With a difficult class I prpare them first by cutting a small slit, just enough for them to put the scissors point into it and continue cutting.

Yes Macca,
It was a fair while back and I had pigs eyes from the abbatoir. The kids were a bit free range and there was a dare from one kid to another to swallow the pig's eye they were dissecting. Teacher first knew about it when other kids started to shriek with disgust. The child's parent was contacted and the student was taken to emergency at the hospital for observation. His mum was highly unimpressed with her idiot child. He was a bit of a legend for a while with the other kids but fortunately we didn't have any repeat episodes from later students.

Lyn.

PS Thanks to the quick response with advice. Surgical scissors it is.

We give out both. We have never had a problem with the junior kids but I do give them a stern talking too, including gory details, about what will happen if they misbehave.

Eyeballs are a delicacy in some countries....was he Turkish????

Under strict supervision (the Yr9 science teacher is also the assistant principal) I put out razor blades and dissection scissors. I collect the best lens for display and me (or someone else if I'm not here) walks around with the camera, we print and then laminate photos for display. Thus the kids behave, as I will have photographic evidence if they dont.!!!
So no more black gunk balls stuck to the ceiling. PS you can freeze fresh eyeballs if the black stuff is an issue. But fresh is best.

We usually give the students scissors and the teacher goes round with a scalpel at the beginning and makes a small slit in the eye to start them off.

Scalpels are only used by senior classes here, if it necessary for junior years to have something sharper than scissors we give them gem blades (one sided razors blades). I'm still feeling nausea over the kid who swallowed the eyeball. I'm impressed there wasn't more than dissection goo to clean up.