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Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology
BOOK REVIEWS Edited by Mark J. Mannis, M.D.
principles as well as psychological, social, and legal aspects of eye disease. Volume 6 stands alone, has a separate index, and represents a modern archive of clinically relevant basic sci ence in vision and ophthalmology. It is a major contribution in its own right. Each of the five other volumes is further divided into sections and individual chapters with sections edited by subspecialits well known in their specialty. Adequately reviewing a work of this magni tude and scope is a daunting task. I pored over these texts for many weeks before sitting down to write this review. With over 400 contributing authors, overall usefulness and quality cannot really be assessed on the basis of individual chapters, inasmuch as they vary regardless of the editors' attempts to control uniformity and quality. It is ultimately the editing, choice, and allocation of topics, comprehensiveness, and the overall mode of presentation that will determine whether this set will earn its place as a central reference for modern ophthalmology. By any account, this set of books is an impres sive accomplishment, even if there is some unevenness. The index, provided at the end of each volume, is complete and accurate, render ing the text easy to use. Individual chapters differ greatly in format, depending on the sub ject, although the labelling of subject headings gives the entire text the appearance of stylistic uniformity. The annotation is in general thor ough, but not uniformly complete. I found several omissions of key primary references in certain chapters as well as the use of terminolo gy that is clearly outdated, even for a book begun in 1989. This flaw suggests that the section editors did not invariably scrutinize there contributors' submissions as closely as one might expect. Some of the authors betrayed distinct points of view about a subject and are less than inclusive of other approaches. This is not problematic except when occasional frank errors or omissions of important material are made. Both the editors and the publisher were lavish with the number of photographs and drawings, and the editors take pride in this aspect of the books. However, a disappointing aspect of the work is the marked variability of the graphics. Even though many of the photographs are of high quality, there are an inordinate number of illustrations with an unrealistic and annoying orange cast. This defect is a consistent color error throughout the work, and could have been
Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology. Edit ed by Daniel M. Albert and Frederick A. Jakobiec. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, W. B. Saunders, 1994. Six volumes, index, illustrat ed. $825 for the set. Reviewed by MARK J. MANNIS
Sacramento, California The prefaces to Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology reflect accurately the elegant erudition of the two editors. Repeated at the beginning of each of the six volumes of this ambitious scholarly undertaking, these prefac es stand alone as eloquent essays on the writing of books. In the first, Dr. Albert puts the con cept of and need for this set of books in the context of the literary history of ophthalmolo gy, and in the course of so doing, gives us a succinct and unique account of scholarly writ ing in our field. In the second of these two essays, Dr. Jakobiec approache s the rationale and design of this magnum opus more directly, explaining its roots and intentions. Both editors write of this gargantuan project with a mixture of excitement, humility, and hope that it will fulfill the modern clinician's need for a usable, up-to-date, authoritative, and comprehensive textbook of ophthalmology. And so, with the Latin pronouncement, "Incipit," begins the largest single set of simultaneously published books in ophthalmic publishing history. Inspired by Duke-Elder's 15-volume Text book of Ophthalmology, the editors intended to produce a scholarly reference work that is also pragmatic for the clinicians, a book richly illustrated and containing clinically relevant basic science. They aimed to serve the general ist with a comprehensive and up-to-date review of ophthalmology and at the same time to provide ophthalmic subspecialists with accessi ble information on topics outside of their areas of expertise. The text is presented in six ponderous vol umes. Volume 1 deals with conjunctiva, cornea, sciera, uvea, and the lens. Volume 2 covers vitreoretinal diseases in all aspects. Volume 3 contains the material on glaucoma, eyelid dis ease, and the orbit. Volume 4 includes sections on ophthalmic pathology, neuro-ophthalmology, and pédiatrie ophthalmology. Volume 5 has sections devoted to the eye and systemic dis ease, ocular oncology, ocular trauma, diagnos tic imaging, the clinical application of optical 415
416
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
avoided with more careful attention to the qual ity of graphic reproduction. Typographic errors are also more frequent than one would care to see in a project of this scope, a flaw prophetical ly signalled by the misspelling of the third word of the first sentence in Volume 1. Given the scope of this work, such criticisms may appear to be cavilling. Despite these tech nical flaws, this new set of books is a panoramic and contemporary compendium of ophthalmol ogy. In reading them critically, I was awestruck by the enormity of the task borne by the editors. Like remarkable Chinese acrobats, attempting to keep many plates simultaneously whirling atop sticks balanced on hands, foreheads, and noses, the editors have tried to attend to all of the aspects of a work by relying on numerous contributors to discuss virtually every area of current ophthalmology. Inevitably, some of the plates slow and topple, but the overall effect is stunning. Drs. Albert and Jakobiec, and of course their many collaborators, have produced a major information resource, for which they must be congratulated. Fortunately, the place that a text occupies in the literary repertoire of ophthalmology is nei ther validated nor negated by a single reviewer. Its place will be determined by its comprehen siveness and utility for the clinician. This work, conceived and developed over a four-year peri od does not have the uniformity and charm of Duke-Elder. Nor does it have the currency of Duane's Clinical Ophthalmology. It is already, however, a major reference work and will no doubt occupy a central position in the contem porary library of ophthalmology.
Ophthalmic Surgery. Loose-leaf and Update Service. By Thomas D. Lindquist and Richard L. Lindstrom. St. Louis, Missouri, Mosby Year Book, Inc., 1993. 509 pages, index illustrated. $195 Reviewed by DANIEL RICH
Sacramento, California There have been remarkable advances in ophthalmic surgery during the past decade. Surgeons trained ten to 15 years ago have witnessed the development of the Nd:YAG, argon, krypton, and excimer lasers, as well as the dramatic changes in cataract surgery and implant techniques. Because of these changes, a
March, 1994
loose-leaf text that is easily updated is a wel come addition to the ophthalmic literature. This book comes in a loose-leaf binder and has six major divisions: Cataract, Cornea, Glau coma, Ocular Motility, Plastic and Reconstruc tive Surgery, and Retina. The authors have not attempted to create an all-inclusive compendi um of surgical techniques. Rather, each contrib utor's preferred technique is described. In addi tion to standard operating room procedures, there are also sections on many office laser procedures. This is an attempt to produce a useful guide to surgery in the operating room and the office. Each chapter is followed by selected abstracts that refer to the choice of technique discussed in the chapter or provide supplemental information. Some of the classic abstracts are reprinted, and many are annotated in the text. The inclusion of these references should prove to be a nice addition over the years as more surgical outcome data are pub lished. As is inevitable with many multi-author texts, there is considerable variability in depth of treatment of subjects, along with obvious stylistic differences. The editors have tries to create a sense of unity by using a single illustra tor for all the drawings. These illustrations are, in general, clear but they occasionally contain inaccuracies. For example, in the chapter on pterygium excision, the text contains instruc tions for the placement of a superior bridle suture, but the drawing shows a suture at the corneoscleral limbus. Unfortunately, there are no numbers or labels on the illustrations that are keyed to the text, which leads to confusion even though the drawings are useful and ap pealing. The book suffers from some glaring over sights. Phacoemulsification has caught the at tention of ophthalmologists because of the small and carefully constructed incision. How ever, the chapter on phacoemulsification does not even mention wound construction. Addi tionally, for a text that should be timely, this book is clearly outdated in certain areas. For example, in the section on argon laser trabeculoplasty, treatment with apraclonidine is not mentioned, and in the chapter on enucleation the hydroxyapatite implant is not discussed. Finally, it was distracting to find so many typographical, grammatical, and case errors. Some of these rendered whole sentences non sensical. Surgery requires attention to detail; so should editing. The general ophthalmologist will find many of the chapters useful. Of course, some of the techniques will only be used by ophthalmic
principles as well as psychological, social, and legal aspects of eye disease. Volume 6 stands alone, has a separate index, and represents a modern archive of clinically relevant basic sci ence in vision and ophthalmology. It is a major contribution in its own right. Each of the five other volumes is further divided into sections and individual chapters with sections edited by subspecialits well known in their specialty. Adequately reviewing a work of this magni tude and scope is a daunting task. I pored over these texts for many weeks before sitting down to write this review. With over 400 contributing authors, overall usefulness and quality cannot really be assessed on the basis of individual chapters, inasmuch as they vary regardless of the editors' attempts to control uniformity and quality. It is ultimately the editing, choice, and allocation of topics, comprehensiveness, and the overall mode of presentation that will determine whether this set will earn its place as a central reference for modern ophthalmology. By any account, this set of books is an impres sive accomplishment, even if there is some unevenness. The index, provided at the end of each volume, is complete and accurate, render ing the text easy to use. Individual chapters differ greatly in format, depending on the sub ject, although the labelling of subject headings gives the entire text the appearance of stylistic uniformity. The annotation is in general thor ough, but not uniformly complete. I found several omissions of key primary references in certain chapters as well as the use of terminolo gy that is clearly outdated, even for a book begun in 1989. This flaw suggests that the section editors did not invariably scrutinize there contributors' submissions as closely as one might expect. Some of the authors betrayed distinct points of view about a subject and are less than inclusive of other approaches. This is not problematic except when occasional frank errors or omissions of important material are made. Both the editors and the publisher were lavish with the number of photographs and drawings, and the editors take pride in this aspect of the books. However, a disappointing aspect of the work is the marked variability of the graphics. Even though many of the photographs are of high quality, there are an inordinate number of illustrations with an unrealistic and annoying orange cast. This defect is a consistent color error throughout the work, and could have been
Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology. Edit ed by Daniel M. Albert and Frederick A. Jakobiec. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, W. B. Saunders, 1994. Six volumes, index, illustrat ed. $825 for the set. Reviewed by MARK J. MANNIS
Sacramento, California The prefaces to Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology reflect accurately the elegant erudition of the two editors. Repeated at the beginning of each of the six volumes of this ambitious scholarly undertaking, these prefac es stand alone as eloquent essays on the writing of books. In the first, Dr. Albert puts the con cept of and need for this set of books in the context of the literary history of ophthalmolo gy, and in the course of so doing, gives us a succinct and unique account of scholarly writ ing in our field. In the second of these two essays, Dr. Jakobiec approache s the rationale and design of this magnum opus more directly, explaining its roots and intentions. Both editors write of this gargantuan project with a mixture of excitement, humility, and hope that it will fulfill the modern clinician's need for a usable, up-to-date, authoritative, and comprehensive textbook of ophthalmology. And so, with the Latin pronouncement, "Incipit," begins the largest single set of simultaneously published books in ophthalmic publishing history. Inspired by Duke-Elder's 15-volume Text book of Ophthalmology, the editors intended to produce a scholarly reference work that is also pragmatic for the clinicians, a book richly illustrated and containing clinically relevant basic science. They aimed to serve the general ist with a comprehensive and up-to-date review of ophthalmology and at the same time to provide ophthalmic subspecialists with accessi ble information on topics outside of their areas of expertise. The text is presented in six ponderous vol umes. Volume 1 deals with conjunctiva, cornea, sciera, uvea, and the lens. Volume 2 covers vitreoretinal diseases in all aspects. Volume 3 contains the material on glaucoma, eyelid dis ease, and the orbit. Volume 4 includes sections on ophthalmic pathology, neuro-ophthalmology, and pédiatrie ophthalmology. Volume 5 has sections devoted to the eye and systemic dis ease, ocular oncology, ocular trauma, diagnos tic imaging, the clinical application of optical 415
416
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
avoided with more careful attention to the qual ity of graphic reproduction. Typographic errors are also more frequent than one would care to see in a project of this scope, a flaw prophetical ly signalled by the misspelling of the third word of the first sentence in Volume 1. Given the scope of this work, such criticisms may appear to be cavilling. Despite these tech nical flaws, this new set of books is a panoramic and contemporary compendium of ophthalmol ogy. In reading them critically, I was awestruck by the enormity of the task borne by the editors. Like remarkable Chinese acrobats, attempting to keep many plates simultaneously whirling atop sticks balanced on hands, foreheads, and noses, the editors have tried to attend to all of the aspects of a work by relying on numerous contributors to discuss virtually every area of current ophthalmology. Inevitably, some of the plates slow and topple, but the overall effect is stunning. Drs. Albert and Jakobiec, and of course their many collaborators, have produced a major information resource, for which they must be congratulated. Fortunately, the place that a text occupies in the literary repertoire of ophthalmology is nei ther validated nor negated by a single reviewer. Its place will be determined by its comprehen siveness and utility for the clinician. This work, conceived and developed over a four-year peri od does not have the uniformity and charm of Duke-Elder. Nor does it have the currency of Duane's Clinical Ophthalmology. It is already, however, a major reference work and will no doubt occupy a central position in the contem porary library of ophthalmology.
Ophthalmic Surgery. Loose-leaf and Update Service. By Thomas D. Lindquist and Richard L. Lindstrom. St. Louis, Missouri, Mosby Year Book, Inc., 1993. 509 pages, index illustrated. $195 Reviewed by DANIEL RICH
Sacramento, California There have been remarkable advances in ophthalmic surgery during the past decade. Surgeons trained ten to 15 years ago have witnessed the development of the Nd:YAG, argon, krypton, and excimer lasers, as well as the dramatic changes in cataract surgery and implant techniques. Because of these changes, a
March, 1994
loose-leaf text that is easily updated is a wel come addition to the ophthalmic literature. This book comes in a loose-leaf binder and has six major divisions: Cataract, Cornea, Glau coma, Ocular Motility, Plastic and Reconstruc tive Surgery, and Retina. The authors have not attempted to create an all-inclusive compendi um of surgical techniques. Rather, each contrib utor's preferred technique is described. In addi tion to standard operating room procedures, there are also sections on many office laser procedures. This is an attempt to produce a useful guide to surgery in the operating room and the office. Each chapter is followed by selected abstracts that refer to the choice of technique discussed in the chapter or provide supplemental information. Some of the classic abstracts are reprinted, and many are annotated in the text. The inclusion of these references should prove to be a nice addition over the years as more surgical outcome data are pub lished. As is inevitable with many multi-author texts, there is considerable variability in depth of treatment of subjects, along with obvious stylistic differences. The editors have tries to create a sense of unity by using a single illustra tor for all the drawings. These illustrations are, in general, clear but they occasionally contain inaccuracies. For example, in the chapter on pterygium excision, the text contains instruc tions for the placement of a superior bridle suture, but the drawing shows a suture at the corneoscleral limbus. Unfortunately, there are no numbers or labels on the illustrations that are keyed to the text, which leads to confusion even though the drawings are useful and ap pealing. The book suffers from some glaring over sights. Phacoemulsification has caught the at tention of ophthalmologists because of the small and carefully constructed incision. How ever, the chapter on phacoemulsification does not even mention wound construction. Addi tionally, for a text that should be timely, this book is clearly outdated in certain areas. For example, in the section on argon laser trabeculoplasty, treatment with apraclonidine is not mentioned, and in the chapter on enucleation the hydroxyapatite implant is not discussed. Finally, it was distracting to find so many typographical, grammatical, and case errors. Some of these rendered whole sentences non sensical. Surgery requires attention to detail; so should editing. The general ophthalmologist will find many of the chapters useful. Of course, some of the techniques will only be used by ophthalmic