- Email: [email protected]
Laser Therapy in Glaucoma
Vol. 99, No.4
informative book based on solid evidence. It is a historical document that reads like a novel. The infirmary was founded 1824 (incorporated 1827) by two young ophthalmologists, Dr. Edward Reynolds and Dr. John Jeffries. It was a charitable institution caring for the sick poor of Boston and the Commonwealth. The founders acted out of a deep religious conviction and began their work in a single hired room in an office building. The institution was first the Boston Eye Infirmary and, just as in the other old eye hospitals in the United States (New London, New York, and Philadelphia), the "Ear" was added later. This strange association of diseases of two sensory organs (which have nothing in common but their location in the head) is a unique Anglo-Saxon phenomenon apparently based on the composition of the private practice of John Cunningham Saunders in London. The infirmary was soon supported by the Commonwealth and in 1839 moved into its own house on Green Street. There were 20 beds available, but the average stay was about six weeks (some patients were hospitalized for many months). In 1850, the Infirmary moved into its first house on Charles Street (The "New" house was occupied in 1899). Most delicious are some of the smaller morsels accompanying the main dish, for example, the history of women physicians on the staff, the role of the matron and the development of nursing in this hospital, and finally the two most famous patients during the first 90 years of the Infirmary: Howling Wolf, the chief of the Cheyenne tribe who, although nearly blind, became a painter of some distinction, and Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's famous teacher. Anybody with even a slight interest in history in general or in the history of ophthalmology will read this book with pleasure and profit.
Ocular Differential Diagnosis, 3rd ed. By Frederick Hampton Roy. Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger, 1984.466 pages, index, illustrated. $30 ($37.50 Canada).
Reviewed by JOEL M. WEINSTEIN Madison, Wisconsin Readers familiar with the first two editions of this work will welcome the newly revised third edition. The book consists of a catalogue of visual signs, symptoms, and symptom complexes, with a listing of disorders that may produce each sign or symptom. These signs and symptoms are indexed anatomically
Book Reviews
499
(for example, orbit, eyelids, cornea, iris). Additionally, there is an index of "general signs and symptoms," such as hallucinations and colored halos that are not referrable to a specific anatomic location. A nice section at the beginning of the book entitled "How to Use This Book" explains just that. This work serves two major purposes. First, it assists the practitioner in diagnosing a condition with an unfamiliar set of signs and symptoms. Second, it assists the practitioner in remembering all of the diseases associated with a familiar sign or symptom when the patient does not seem to have a common disease; the listing for dislocated lens, for example, contains 19 entries. Although this book is generally useful, it has two shortcomings. Some of the lists contain incorrect entries and important omissions. This in inevitable in a book that covers the entire spectrum of ophthalmology. Also, I would have preferred a more exhaustive bibliography with reference numbers in the text. Only about 50% of the diseases listed are referenced. The reader faced with an unfamiliar disease that fits signs and symptoms has nowhere to go if he is unfamiliar with the disease in question. Despite these reservations, I think that the book serves a useful purpose both for residents and for busy practitioners.
Laser Therapy In Glaucoma. By Jacob T. Wilensky. East Norwalk, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1985. 148 pages, index, illustrated. $32.50
Reviewed by JOHN R. SAMPLES Portland, Oregon This is one of a growing number of books designed to be a concise how-to manual on the many uses of lasers in the treatment of glaucoma. It is based on a course held at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in March 1982. Thirteen well-known authorities discuss their techniques for the use of laser in a variety of disorders. As Dr. Wilensky points out in the preface, the book makes it evident that there are a variety of approaches to laser iridotomy. The book addresses many of these approaches. The discussions on laser trabeculoplasty are well-written. A number of useful tables are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of this procedure. Unfortunately, the duration of follow-up is short. Such tables could now be revised with more useful information. This short manual contains a variety of useful
500
AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
April, 1985
illustrations and tables. The two final chapters, one on the use of the YAG laser in the treatment of glaucoma and the other on the use of lasers in trabeculotomy, are already outdated. This book will serve the clinician looking for a useful and simple description of the commonly used techniques for argon laser trabeculoplasty and iridotomy. I recommend it for the practicing ophthalmologist who wants to begin doing iridotomies and trabeculoplasty with the argon laser.
some chapters are deficient. The indexes, for both subject and author, are superb. This excellent source of practical information is for anyone interested in cataract surgery. Its relative lack of detail in the basic sciences and in carefully researched studies reflects the deficiencies of this subspecialty of ophthalmology, rather than shortcomings of the book itself. J especially recommend this text to residents-in-training and general ophthalmologists.
Cataract and Intraocular Lens Surgery. By Stephen P. Ginsberg. Birmingham, Aesculapius PUblishing Company, 1984. Volumes 1 and 2, 728 pages, index, illustrated. $150.
The Pharmacological Basis of Migraine Therapy. Edited by William K. Amery, Jan M. Van Nueten, and Albert Wauquier. London, Pitman, 1984. 287 pages, index, illustrated. $37.50
Reviewed by CARLOS OMPHROY Wahiawa, Hawaii
Reviewed by B. TODD TROOST Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Fifty-six authors contributed to this two-volume work, which is a compendium of theories, techniques, and recent advances in cataract and intraocular lens surgery. The book is organized into 14 sections dealing with preoperative and operative considerations, surgical techniques, complications, management of the posterior capsule, indications for intraocular lens removal, glaucoma and cataracts, pediatric cataract surgery, astigmatism control, aphakic spectacles and contact lenses, corneal surgery and aphakia, outpatient surgery, pathology of intraocular lenses, medical treatment of cataracts, and factors involved in the manufacturing of intraocular lenses. Each of the sections is divided into one to eight chapters dealing with a specific subtopic. The text is easy to read, although the many authors have marked variations in style and philosophy. If the book is read from beginning to end, there is some repetition. The strength of this book, however, lies in the individual chapters. Each is written by a leader in the field who discusses his ideas and techniques, usually dropping a few "pearls" along the way. Most of the contributions are excellent, and the inconsistencies in style are of little consequence. Particularly noteworthy are the chapters on the history of intraocular lenses, preoperative evaluation with intraocular lens power determination and specular microscopy, posterior segment complications, endophthalmitis, treatment of flat anterior chambers, infantile cataracts, epikeratophakia, aphakic spectacles, and ultraviolet and visible radiation and their effects on the eye. The medical illustrations and black-and-white photographs are of very good quality. The bibliographies are in general good, although
This book is a compendium of papers presented at an international migraine symposium held in Belgium in 1983. The text is divided into three parts the pathophysiology of migraine in animal pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, and perspectives. Papers in the first section include a discussion of the role of vasoconstriction in the pathogenesis of migraine, the role of arteriovenous shunting, and the effects of antimigrainous drugs on arteriovenous shunting. The importance of platelet function and of the autonomic nervous system in migraine and the role of spreading cortical depression are reviewed. There is an interesting discussion of the hypothesis that focal cerebral hypoxia is the cause of migraine symptoms and the way in which antimigrainous drugs are supposed to protect the brain from focal hypoxia. The section on the clinical pharmacology of migraine describes a wide variety of agents used in the acute and prophylactic treatment of migraine and focuses on the role of tyramine mydriasis as a diagnostic test. Throughout the text various theories on the pathogenesis of migraine, including vasospasm, arteriovenous shunting, platelet factors, neurotransmitters, and hypoxia, are critically reviewed. Unfortunately, there is no unifying theory that can explain all the clinical phenomena or the response to the wide variety of therapies. An excellent summary chapter reviews the symposium and discusses in detail the concept of spreading depression. Each section is well-referenced and there is a surprisingly complete index at the end of the text. This collection of papers will be of interest primarily to those deeply con-
informative book based on solid evidence. It is a historical document that reads like a novel. The infirmary was founded 1824 (incorporated 1827) by two young ophthalmologists, Dr. Edward Reynolds and Dr. John Jeffries. It was a charitable institution caring for the sick poor of Boston and the Commonwealth. The founders acted out of a deep religious conviction and began their work in a single hired room in an office building. The institution was first the Boston Eye Infirmary and, just as in the other old eye hospitals in the United States (New London, New York, and Philadelphia), the "Ear" was added later. This strange association of diseases of two sensory organs (which have nothing in common but their location in the head) is a unique Anglo-Saxon phenomenon apparently based on the composition of the private practice of John Cunningham Saunders in London. The infirmary was soon supported by the Commonwealth and in 1839 moved into its own house on Green Street. There were 20 beds available, but the average stay was about six weeks (some patients were hospitalized for many months). In 1850, the Infirmary moved into its first house on Charles Street (The "New" house was occupied in 1899). Most delicious are some of the smaller morsels accompanying the main dish, for example, the history of women physicians on the staff, the role of the matron and the development of nursing in this hospital, and finally the two most famous patients during the first 90 years of the Infirmary: Howling Wolf, the chief of the Cheyenne tribe who, although nearly blind, became a painter of some distinction, and Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's famous teacher. Anybody with even a slight interest in history in general or in the history of ophthalmology will read this book with pleasure and profit.
Ocular Differential Diagnosis, 3rd ed. By Frederick Hampton Roy. Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger, 1984.466 pages, index, illustrated. $30 ($37.50 Canada).
Reviewed by JOEL M. WEINSTEIN Madison, Wisconsin Readers familiar with the first two editions of this work will welcome the newly revised third edition. The book consists of a catalogue of visual signs, symptoms, and symptom complexes, with a listing of disorders that may produce each sign or symptom. These signs and symptoms are indexed anatomically
Book Reviews
499
(for example, orbit, eyelids, cornea, iris). Additionally, there is an index of "general signs and symptoms," such as hallucinations and colored halos that are not referrable to a specific anatomic location. A nice section at the beginning of the book entitled "How to Use This Book" explains just that. This work serves two major purposes. First, it assists the practitioner in diagnosing a condition with an unfamiliar set of signs and symptoms. Second, it assists the practitioner in remembering all of the diseases associated with a familiar sign or symptom when the patient does not seem to have a common disease; the listing for dislocated lens, for example, contains 19 entries. Although this book is generally useful, it has two shortcomings. Some of the lists contain incorrect entries and important omissions. This in inevitable in a book that covers the entire spectrum of ophthalmology. Also, I would have preferred a more exhaustive bibliography with reference numbers in the text. Only about 50% of the diseases listed are referenced. The reader faced with an unfamiliar disease that fits signs and symptoms has nowhere to go if he is unfamiliar with the disease in question. Despite these reservations, I think that the book serves a useful purpose both for residents and for busy practitioners.
Laser Therapy In Glaucoma. By Jacob T. Wilensky. East Norwalk, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1985. 148 pages, index, illustrated. $32.50
Reviewed by JOHN R. SAMPLES Portland, Oregon This is one of a growing number of books designed to be a concise how-to manual on the many uses of lasers in the treatment of glaucoma. It is based on a course held at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in March 1982. Thirteen well-known authorities discuss their techniques for the use of laser in a variety of disorders. As Dr. Wilensky points out in the preface, the book makes it evident that there are a variety of approaches to laser iridotomy. The book addresses many of these approaches. The discussions on laser trabeculoplasty are well-written. A number of useful tables are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of this procedure. Unfortunately, the duration of follow-up is short. Such tables could now be revised with more useful information. This short manual contains a variety of useful
500
AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
April, 1985
illustrations and tables. The two final chapters, one on the use of the YAG laser in the treatment of glaucoma and the other on the use of lasers in trabeculotomy, are already outdated. This book will serve the clinician looking for a useful and simple description of the commonly used techniques for argon laser trabeculoplasty and iridotomy. I recommend it for the practicing ophthalmologist who wants to begin doing iridotomies and trabeculoplasty with the argon laser.
some chapters are deficient. The indexes, for both subject and author, are superb. This excellent source of practical information is for anyone interested in cataract surgery. Its relative lack of detail in the basic sciences and in carefully researched studies reflects the deficiencies of this subspecialty of ophthalmology, rather than shortcomings of the book itself. J especially recommend this text to residents-in-training and general ophthalmologists.
Cataract and Intraocular Lens Surgery. By Stephen P. Ginsberg. Birmingham, Aesculapius PUblishing Company, 1984. Volumes 1 and 2, 728 pages, index, illustrated. $150.
The Pharmacological Basis of Migraine Therapy. Edited by William K. Amery, Jan M. Van Nueten, and Albert Wauquier. London, Pitman, 1984. 287 pages, index, illustrated. $37.50
Reviewed by CARLOS OMPHROY Wahiawa, Hawaii
Reviewed by B. TODD TROOST Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Fifty-six authors contributed to this two-volume work, which is a compendium of theories, techniques, and recent advances in cataract and intraocular lens surgery. The book is organized into 14 sections dealing with preoperative and operative considerations, surgical techniques, complications, management of the posterior capsule, indications for intraocular lens removal, glaucoma and cataracts, pediatric cataract surgery, astigmatism control, aphakic spectacles and contact lenses, corneal surgery and aphakia, outpatient surgery, pathology of intraocular lenses, medical treatment of cataracts, and factors involved in the manufacturing of intraocular lenses. Each of the sections is divided into one to eight chapters dealing with a specific subtopic. The text is easy to read, although the many authors have marked variations in style and philosophy. If the book is read from beginning to end, there is some repetition. The strength of this book, however, lies in the individual chapters. Each is written by a leader in the field who discusses his ideas and techniques, usually dropping a few "pearls" along the way. Most of the contributions are excellent, and the inconsistencies in style are of little consequence. Particularly noteworthy are the chapters on the history of intraocular lenses, preoperative evaluation with intraocular lens power determination and specular microscopy, posterior segment complications, endophthalmitis, treatment of flat anterior chambers, infantile cataracts, epikeratophakia, aphakic spectacles, and ultraviolet and visible radiation and their effects on the eye. The medical illustrations and black-and-white photographs are of very good quality. The bibliographies are in general good, although
This book is a compendium of papers presented at an international migraine symposium held in Belgium in 1983. The text is divided into three parts the pathophysiology of migraine in animal pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, and perspectives. Papers in the first section include a discussion of the role of vasoconstriction in the pathogenesis of migraine, the role of arteriovenous shunting, and the effects of antimigrainous drugs on arteriovenous shunting. The importance of platelet function and of the autonomic nervous system in migraine and the role of spreading cortical depression are reviewed. There is an interesting discussion of the hypothesis that focal cerebral hypoxia is the cause of migraine symptoms and the way in which antimigrainous drugs are supposed to protect the brain from focal hypoxia. The section on the clinical pharmacology of migraine describes a wide variety of agents used in the acute and prophylactic treatment of migraine and focuses on the role of tyramine mydriasis as a diagnostic test. Throughout the text various theories on the pathogenesis of migraine, including vasospasm, arteriovenous shunting, platelet factors, neurotransmitters, and hypoxia, are critically reviewed. Unfortunately, there is no unifying theory that can explain all the clinical phenomena or the response to the wide variety of therapies. An excellent summary chapter reviews the symposium and discusses in detail the concept of spreading depression. Each section is well-referenced and there is a surprisingly complete index at the end of the text. This collection of papers will be of interest primarily to those deeply con-