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Vision and Aging
BOOK NOTES G. Timothy Petito, O.D.
Vision and Aging Rosenbloom, Alfred A. (ed). St. Louis, MO: Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier, 2007. Hardcover, 415 pages, $79.95 Fourteen years have elapsed since the publication of the second edition of Vision and Aging; the new third edition is therefore very welcome. The challenge for this edition is 2-fold: to convey the significant progress that has occurred in the fields of vision assessment and vision care in the last decade and more and to capture the myriad ways in which optometry and ophthalmology contribute to seniors’ efforts to adapt proactively to the diminishments of age. The third edition ably addresses this dual challenge. It provides thorough discussions of the foundational knowledge about normal age-related vision changes and age-related vision pathology and marries these with descriptions of state-of-the-art vision assessment and care for older people. It is not an exaggeration to say Vision and Aging provides a new standard text for both students and professionals in the field. Under the able editorship of Alfred A. Rosenbloom, O.D., 10 of 21 chapters
in the third edition present new material, and 11 chapters have been updated to reflect the most current knowledge and clinical practice. The organization of the book is impressive. The volume begins with a review of normal agerelated vision changes and an overview of primary vision care in geriatrics. Then the volume brings together upto-date chapters on age-related diseases in the older adult; the chapter on neurological diseases in the elderly (by James Goodwin) is particularly relevant to vision care of the elderly. Subsequent chapters review the optometric examination of older adults (in a chapter by Ian L. Bailey) and the factors that complicate it (in a chapter by Lyman C. Norden), including hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, depression, and mobility limitations. A supplementary chapter about auditory impairment (by Paige Berry, John Mascia, and Bernard A. Steinman) is a practical introduction to caring for people with hearing loss that would be useful for many disciplines. Chapters on treatment for vision problems in the older patient are equally thorough, including a chapter on functional vision therapy (by Bruce C. Wick) and a chapter (by Gale Watson and Joseph H. Maino) on now widely available assistive technologies for visually impaired older adults, such as low vision accessibility options and computer programs for use with Windows and Macintosh. I would highlight 3 chapters as examples of an excellent synthesis of the dual task of updating and adaptation for older adults. Among the most impressive material in the edition is a new chapter on vision care of the older driver (by Melvin D. Shipp), a situation in which vision is highly tested and often an ‘‘Achilles’ heel.’’ The chapter by Gary L. Mancil and Suzanne M. Hagan on delivery of vision care in out-of-office settings such as long-term care facilities, community
1529-1839/09/$ -see front matter Ó 2009 American Optometric Association. All rights reserved.
G. Timothy Petito, O.D.
service agencies, and mobile clinics provides an excellent approach to bringing optometric service to those most in need of it but least likely to get it. Finally, the new chapter by R. Norman Bailey on ethical issues in care of the elderly brings to vision professionals an area of focus that is needed in any discipline today. This book fills an essential need, especially because the case loads of optometrists and ophthalmologists are increasingly dominated by older patients. The volume should be required reading for every practicing optometrist and ophthalmologist who treats older patients and every student and resident training in the practice of optometry and ophthalmology. The vision needs of older Americans would be well-served, and the field as a whole would be advanced if the level of knowledge and sophistication about older patients’ care requirements and treatment options conveyed in this book were generally achieved. Linda L. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D. Celia Berdes, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. Chicago, Illinois doi:10.1016/j.optm.2009.03.014
Vision and Aging Rosenbloom, Alfred A. (ed). St. Louis, MO: Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier, 2007. Hardcover, 415 pages, $79.95 Fourteen years have elapsed since the publication of the second edition of Vision and Aging; the new third edition is therefore very welcome. The challenge for this edition is 2-fold: to convey the significant progress that has occurred in the fields of vision assessment and vision care in the last decade and more and to capture the myriad ways in which optometry and ophthalmology contribute to seniors’ efforts to adapt proactively to the diminishments of age. The third edition ably addresses this dual challenge. It provides thorough discussions of the foundational knowledge about normal age-related vision changes and age-related vision pathology and marries these with descriptions of state-of-the-art vision assessment and care for older people. It is not an exaggeration to say Vision and Aging provides a new standard text for both students and professionals in the field. Under the able editorship of Alfred A. Rosenbloom, O.D., 10 of 21 chapters
in the third edition present new material, and 11 chapters have been updated to reflect the most current knowledge and clinical practice. The organization of the book is impressive. The volume begins with a review of normal agerelated vision changes and an overview of primary vision care in geriatrics. Then the volume brings together upto-date chapters on age-related diseases in the older adult; the chapter on neurological diseases in the elderly (by James Goodwin) is particularly relevant to vision care of the elderly. Subsequent chapters review the optometric examination of older adults (in a chapter by Ian L. Bailey) and the factors that complicate it (in a chapter by Lyman C. Norden), including hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, depression, and mobility limitations. A supplementary chapter about auditory impairment (by Paige Berry, John Mascia, and Bernard A. Steinman) is a practical introduction to caring for people with hearing loss that would be useful for many disciplines. Chapters on treatment for vision problems in the older patient are equally thorough, including a chapter on functional vision therapy (by Bruce C. Wick) and a chapter (by Gale Watson and Joseph H. Maino) on now widely available assistive technologies for visually impaired older adults, such as low vision accessibility options and computer programs for use with Windows and Macintosh. I would highlight 3 chapters as examples of an excellent synthesis of the dual task of updating and adaptation for older adults. Among the most impressive material in the edition is a new chapter on vision care of the older driver (by Melvin D. Shipp), a situation in which vision is highly tested and often an ‘‘Achilles’ heel.’’ The chapter by Gary L. Mancil and Suzanne M. Hagan on delivery of vision care in out-of-office settings such as long-term care facilities, community
1529-1839/09/$ -see front matter Ó 2009 American Optometric Association. All rights reserved.
G. Timothy Petito, O.D.
service agencies, and mobile clinics provides an excellent approach to bringing optometric service to those most in need of it but least likely to get it. Finally, the new chapter by R. Norman Bailey on ethical issues in care of the elderly brings to vision professionals an area of focus that is needed in any discipline today. This book fills an essential need, especially because the case loads of optometrists and ophthalmologists are increasingly dominated by older patients. The volume should be required reading for every practicing optometrist and ophthalmologist who treats older patients and every student and resident training in the practice of optometry and ophthalmology. The vision needs of older Americans would be well-served, and the field as a whole would be advanced if the level of knowledge and sophistication about older patients’ care requirements and treatment options conveyed in this book were generally achieved. Linda L. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D. Celia Berdes, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. Chicago, Illinois doi:10.1016/j.optm.2009.03.014