Mastering
the field
The Atlas of Lacrimal Drainage Disorders (Springer), by Mohammad Javed Ali, is a comprehensive, 700-page, 77-chapter guide to the evaluation and management of lacrimal drainage disorders. Dr Javed Ali is a surgeon who treats only patients with nasolacrimal disorders, and this atlas is intended to accompany his textbook
Principles & Practice of Lacrimal Surgery. As such, this book covers the topic thoroughly, with thousands of photographs of everything from the embryology to the equipment used to treat each disorder.
It is a true atlas, with the vast majority of space devoted to clinical, surgical and radiologic photographs. The first several chapters cover the anatomy of the system, followed by an extensive presentation of diagnostic evaluation techniques. Particularly useful is the chapter illustrating typical CT scans in lacrimal pathologies.
Chapters 20 to 43 cover the disorders themselves, from simple punctal agenesis to nasolacrimal trauma. Each of the rest of the chapters deals with surgical techniques, including revisions after primary surgical failure.
I was pleasantly surprised with the extremely high quality of the images and the clear, concise accompanying legends. Intended for general ophthalmologists, ambitious residents and especially fellows in orbital and oculoplastic surgeons interested in mastering this field of disorders.
The significant advances that have recently been made in retinal and choroidal imaging require a book to summarise the research and experiences to date.
Retinal & Choroidal Imaging in Systemic Diseases (Springer), edited by Jay Chhablani, Parthopratim Dutta Mjaunder and J. Fernando Arevalo, covers one aspect of the applications of these newly advanced modalities: how to use the imaging techniques to assist in research, diagnosis and management of systemic diseases.
Various systemic diseases involve the eyes, and in a few diseases, the eyes can provide the first clue for their diagnosis. It would thus be a shame to miss the diagnosis because the imaging might be misinterpreted. Some are widely recognised, such as the vasculitides in systemic disease. Others, such as the chorioretinal abnormalities in haematologic disorders, might be less familiar. All are covered in this book, which is well-illustrated with high-quality ultrawide-field photographs, digital ICGA and other high-definition images.
This book is particularly useful for vitreoretinal specialists and fellows, who should master this material. It is also of use to general ophthalmologists who have practices based in large hospitals in which patients with the full range of systemic diseases need ophthalmic examination and imaging.
I have the great fortune of working in a team with an ophthalmologist colleague who has dedicated herself to the contact lens subfield. For those who are not so fortunate, may I recommend
Contact Lens Practice: Third Edition (Elsevier), edited by Nathan Efron. This 470-page textbook is the most extensive book of its kind that I have come across.
The book focuses on every type of contact lens, from basic soft and rigid systems to specialised varieties, such as scleral lenses, paediatric lenses and those used in orthokeratology. It covers its topics comprehensively, using study evidence and extensive references to present the subject matter. Full-colour photographs and a clear, logical format help the reader quickly find what (s)he is looking for.
As a vitreoretinal surgeon, the chapter on contact lens myopic correction was most instructive for advising patients with anisometropia after combined phaco-vitrectomy procedure for retinal detachment. But this book goes much further, referring to large studies to illustrate difficult topics such as treating post-traumatic recurrent epithelial defects.
This text is intended for both ophthalmologists and optometrists, particularly corneal and external diseases specialists, who often must rely on contact lenses to solve problems not amenable to surgery. This book includes full access to the eBook via
ExpertConsult.com.
Insights and techniques
Although Mohs is not immediately within the domain of the average ophthalmologist, many of us are confronted with periocular cutaneous carcinomas that require us either to surgically excise the lesions ourselves or refer to someone who might have more experience. The 200-page
Facial Reconstruction After Mohs Surgery (Thieme), by James F. Thornton and Jourdan A. Carboy, gives us insight into the techniques used by orbitoplastic specialists and our facial plastics colleagues.
My wife, who is a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, took one look at the book and said, “Can I have it when you’re done with it?” That was a good sign.
The book has two sections. The first is organised by type of flaps and grafts, such as cartilage grafts, pedicled flaps and local flaps. The second covers techniques for specific anatomic locations, including forehead reconstruction and complex nasal defects. The chapter on eyelid reconstruction caught my attention and provided me with a fresh review of the complex microvascular anatomy that I memorised quite some years ago.
Although this book is intended for those surgeons whose practice involves significant surgery of facial cutaneous malignancies, orbitoplastic fellows and specialists could use it to enhance their knowledge or update their skills.
