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Atlas of the Ocular Fundus, 3rd ed
656
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
tains just the right amount of information to make it an excellent textbook for the ophthalmology resident in training and the general ophthalmologist in practice. If this textbook falls short in any way, it is that it leaves corneal fellows, or ophthal mologists in corneal practice, somewhat in the air, with its lack of detail in the basic sciences of immunology of grafting, corneal endothelial function, astigma tism, and its less than comprehensive review of previous scientific publications. Paradoxically, these very shortcomings make it a superb textbook for most oph thalmologists.
Corneal Disorders. Clinical Diagnosis and Management. By Howard M. Leibowitz. Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company, 1984. 704 pages, index, il lustrated. $98 Reviewed by MARK J. MANNIS
Sacramento,
California
This is one of a growing number of texts designed to be inclusive, state-of-the-art compendia of information on diseases of the cornea and external eye. It is intend ed to be a practical reference as well as an adjunct to the clinical teaching of corneal disease. Twenty-four authors have collab orated to produce a text that covers a broad range of corneal disorders. The book is divided into 11 sections dealing with the normal cornea, developmental abnormalities, corneal edema, limbal dis ease, surface disorders, corneal infec tions, lacrimal insufficiency, trauma, keratoplasty, and contact lenses in corneal disease. Each section is divided into chapters that discuss specific subtopics. The book is well illustrated with good photographs, some of which are in color. The medical illustrations are also notable, particularly the beautiful drawings of the corneal dystrophies by Mark Lefkowitz.
NOVEMBER, 1984
The editor stresses his intent to con centrate on the clinically relevant topics and to discuss diseases in the context in which they are encountered. Thus, for example, a great diversity of corneal dis orders are discussed in "The Corneal Limbus." This approach is not uniform throughout the book, but is a departure from the usual organization of such texts. As is often the case in books with several contributing authors, there is significant variation and inconsistency in style from chapter to chapter. This inconsistency extends to the depth and breadth of cov erage as well. Some topics are treated in a cursory manner while others are covered comprehensively. In the section on trau ma, for example, there is no discussion of corneal lacerations and their manage ment, yet there is a ten-page chapter on epithelial downgrowth. In others areas, there is redundancy from chapter to chapter. Despite these drawbacks, there are many fine contributions; particularly outstanding are those chapters on the use of corticosteroids, chemical burns, and specular microsopy. The bibliography is generally good. This text is recommended for the oph thalmologist who wants a book covering the full spectrum of corneal disease. It should also be available in residency li braries.
Atlas of the Ocular Fundus, 3rd ed. By Hans Sautter, Wolfgang Straub, Rüd iger Turss, and Hermann Rossman. Translated by Frederick C. Blodi. Balti more, Urban & Schwarzenberg, 1984. 198 pages, illustrated. $124.50 Reviewed by M I C H A E L J. H O W C R A F T
Toronto,
Canada
This color atlas is intended for both specialists and nonspecialists. It has 70% more figures than the second edition had,
BOOK REVIEWS
VOL. 98, NO. 5
and there are many excellent new com posite photographs. The book is divided into six parts: The ocular fundus in exper imental animals; the normal fundus; physiologic variations and congenital anomalies; the optic nerve; retina and choroid; and injuries. There is an adden dum on the fundus changes in onchocerciasis. Of the book's 523 illustrations, 450 are in color. The figures are accompanied by a brief description that often includes a short vignette on the clinical presenta tion and the subsequent course. Some times a helpful fluorescein angiogram is included. The text is simple and easy to follow. There are particularly good sections illus trating retinal vascular diseases, chorioretinal dystrophies, and trauma. The index is concise but complete. Minor drawbacks include the use of some terms unfamiliar to North American specialists such as "arteriosclerotic choroidopathy" for senile macular degenera tion. Several lesions are misidentified, including subretinal neovascular mem branes as toxocara and as central hemorrhagic chorioretinitis, full-thickness mac ular holes as lamellar holes, and ischémie optic neuropathy as optic neuritis. These criticisms, however, do not sig nificantly detract from the value of the atlas. The fundus photographs in this volume are of very high quality and their reproduction is unusually good. It should be required reading for all ophthalmic photographers and I would recommend it to any specialist or generalist with an interest in diseases of the ocular fundus. Management of Retinal Vascular and Macular Disorders. Edited by Stuart L. Fine and Sarah L. Owens. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1983. 290 pages, index, illustrated. $67 Reviewed by D O N H. Miami, Florida
NICHOLSON
657
This attractive festschrift, honoring Dr. Arnall Patz, focuses on selected issues in retinal vascular and macular disease, from the perspective of a mid-1980 Sun Valley symposium. The diverse topics in clude descriptions of clinical protocols for studies in progress at the time (branch vein occlusion, diabetes control, senile macular degeneration); clinicopathologic correlations (retinal vein occlusion, preretinal membranes, parafoveal telangiectasis, reticulum cell sarcoma); laboratory investigations (retinal neovascularization, retinal pigment epithelial tissue culture); subject reviews (retinitis pigmentosa, op portunistic retinitis, vascular hamartomas, retinoblastoma, uveal melanoma); clinical studies (Eales's disease, angioid streaks, juxtafoveal telangiectasis, acute multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy, adult vitelliform macular dys trophy); and rare findings in common conditions (central serous retinopathy, subretinal fluid drainage, toxoplasmosis, diabetic retinopathy). One of the definitions of the word "management" provided in the MerriamWebster dictionary is "the whole system of care and treatment of a disease.' There are very few chapters in this book dealing with this kind of management. Two chap ters on vitreous surgery are notable ex ceptions, and some specific management suggestions do appear in discussions fol lowing other chapters. These include in dications for an electroretinogram in re tinitis pigmentosa, the precise treatment parameters in argon vs xenon diabetic treatment groups, and treatment of choroidal hemorrhage occurring during laser photocoagulation. In general, however, the title of the book is misleading. It is a readable, well illustrated posterior seg ment potpourri. It is not a guide to the management of these diseases for the general ophthalmologist or resident, nor is the volume of sufficient depth or time liness for the retina specialist.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
tains just the right amount of information to make it an excellent textbook for the ophthalmology resident in training and the general ophthalmologist in practice. If this textbook falls short in any way, it is that it leaves corneal fellows, or ophthal mologists in corneal practice, somewhat in the air, with its lack of detail in the basic sciences of immunology of grafting, corneal endothelial function, astigma tism, and its less than comprehensive review of previous scientific publications. Paradoxically, these very shortcomings make it a superb textbook for most oph thalmologists.
Corneal Disorders. Clinical Diagnosis and Management. By Howard M. Leibowitz. Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company, 1984. 704 pages, index, il lustrated. $98 Reviewed by MARK J. MANNIS
Sacramento,
California
This is one of a growing number of texts designed to be inclusive, state-of-the-art compendia of information on diseases of the cornea and external eye. It is intend ed to be a practical reference as well as an adjunct to the clinical teaching of corneal disease. Twenty-four authors have collab orated to produce a text that covers a broad range of corneal disorders. The book is divided into 11 sections dealing with the normal cornea, developmental abnormalities, corneal edema, limbal dis ease, surface disorders, corneal infec tions, lacrimal insufficiency, trauma, keratoplasty, and contact lenses in corneal disease. Each section is divided into chapters that discuss specific subtopics. The book is well illustrated with good photographs, some of which are in color. The medical illustrations are also notable, particularly the beautiful drawings of the corneal dystrophies by Mark Lefkowitz.
NOVEMBER, 1984
The editor stresses his intent to con centrate on the clinically relevant topics and to discuss diseases in the context in which they are encountered. Thus, for example, a great diversity of corneal dis orders are discussed in "The Corneal Limbus." This approach is not uniform throughout the book, but is a departure from the usual organization of such texts. As is often the case in books with several contributing authors, there is significant variation and inconsistency in style from chapter to chapter. This inconsistency extends to the depth and breadth of cov erage as well. Some topics are treated in a cursory manner while others are covered comprehensively. In the section on trau ma, for example, there is no discussion of corneal lacerations and their manage ment, yet there is a ten-page chapter on epithelial downgrowth. In others areas, there is redundancy from chapter to chapter. Despite these drawbacks, there are many fine contributions; particularly outstanding are those chapters on the use of corticosteroids, chemical burns, and specular microsopy. The bibliography is generally good. This text is recommended for the oph thalmologist who wants a book covering the full spectrum of corneal disease. It should also be available in residency li braries.
Atlas of the Ocular Fundus, 3rd ed. By Hans Sautter, Wolfgang Straub, Rüd iger Turss, and Hermann Rossman. Translated by Frederick C. Blodi. Balti more, Urban & Schwarzenberg, 1984. 198 pages, illustrated. $124.50 Reviewed by M I C H A E L J. H O W C R A F T
Toronto,
Canada
This color atlas is intended for both specialists and nonspecialists. It has 70% more figures than the second edition had,
BOOK REVIEWS
VOL. 98, NO. 5
and there are many excellent new com posite photographs. The book is divided into six parts: The ocular fundus in exper imental animals; the normal fundus; physiologic variations and congenital anomalies; the optic nerve; retina and choroid; and injuries. There is an adden dum on the fundus changes in onchocerciasis. Of the book's 523 illustrations, 450 are in color. The figures are accompanied by a brief description that often includes a short vignette on the clinical presenta tion and the subsequent course. Some times a helpful fluorescein angiogram is included. The text is simple and easy to follow. There are particularly good sections illus trating retinal vascular diseases, chorioretinal dystrophies, and trauma. The index is concise but complete. Minor drawbacks include the use of some terms unfamiliar to North American specialists such as "arteriosclerotic choroidopathy" for senile macular degenera tion. Several lesions are misidentified, including subretinal neovascular mem branes as toxocara and as central hemorrhagic chorioretinitis, full-thickness mac ular holes as lamellar holes, and ischémie optic neuropathy as optic neuritis. These criticisms, however, do not sig nificantly detract from the value of the atlas. The fundus photographs in this volume are of very high quality and their reproduction is unusually good. It should be required reading for all ophthalmic photographers and I would recommend it to any specialist or generalist with an interest in diseases of the ocular fundus. Management of Retinal Vascular and Macular Disorders. Edited by Stuart L. Fine and Sarah L. Owens. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1983. 290 pages, index, illustrated. $67 Reviewed by D O N H. Miami, Florida
NICHOLSON
657
This attractive festschrift, honoring Dr. Arnall Patz, focuses on selected issues in retinal vascular and macular disease, from the perspective of a mid-1980 Sun Valley symposium. The diverse topics in clude descriptions of clinical protocols for studies in progress at the time (branch vein occlusion, diabetes control, senile macular degeneration); clinicopathologic correlations (retinal vein occlusion, preretinal membranes, parafoveal telangiectasis, reticulum cell sarcoma); laboratory investigations (retinal neovascularization, retinal pigment epithelial tissue culture); subject reviews (retinitis pigmentosa, op portunistic retinitis, vascular hamartomas, retinoblastoma, uveal melanoma); clinical studies (Eales's disease, angioid streaks, juxtafoveal telangiectasis, acute multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy, adult vitelliform macular dys trophy); and rare findings in common conditions (central serous retinopathy, subretinal fluid drainage, toxoplasmosis, diabetic retinopathy). One of the definitions of the word "management" provided in the MerriamWebster dictionary is "the whole system of care and treatment of a disease.' There are very few chapters in this book dealing with this kind of management. Two chap ters on vitreous surgery are notable ex ceptions, and some specific management suggestions do appear in discussions fol lowing other chapters. These include in dications for an electroretinogram in re tinitis pigmentosa, the precise treatment parameters in argon vs xenon diabetic treatment groups, and treatment of choroidal hemorrhage occurring during laser photocoagulation. In general, however, the title of the book is misleading. It is a readable, well illustrated posterior seg ment potpourri. It is not a guide to the management of these diseases for the general ophthalmologist or resident, nor is the volume of sufficient depth or time liness for the retina specialist.