IMAGES OF THE RETINA
The Retinal Atlas: Second Edition (Elsevier), edited by K. Bailey Freund, David Sarraf, William F. Mieler and Lawrence A. Yannuzzi, features more than 5,000 images covering the entire spectrum of vitreoretinal disease, from the macula through to the peripheral retina to the vitreous and all its pathologies.
This 1,150-page textbook is a true atlas, a pure visual representation of the retina in all its states of health and disease. It is not intended to be a diagnostic or treatment manual. No systematic advice is given regarding differential diagnosis, ancillary testing or therapeutic interventions.
Instead, it is the ultimate visual reference guide. Each pathology has at least several clinical photographs, exposing the reader to several variations possible in a single pathology. When relevant, fluorescein, autofluorescence, near-infrared, red-free, ICG and OCT images are included to provide a complete picture of the disease.
The excellent photographs are preceded by a very concise description of the pathology and are accompanied by short explanations of the salient features. Disease progression is often shown, such as the progressive development of a vascular shunt in ocular ischaemic syndrome.
More common diseases, such as central serous chorioretinopathy and MacTel type 2, are given a great deal more attention and space than rarities like Norrie disease, using the same logic used in an atlas of maps: frequently visited cities such as New York are displayed in more detail than a tiny town of less importance.
Purchase of the text allows access to the digital contents, which are accessible on all platforms on Inkling via Expert Consult.
This book is the ideal gift for (vitreo)retinal fellows who are just getting started and need to have all the visual information in one place for study sessions and rapid reference.
Others who might be interested are highly motivated general ophthalmologists and retinal researchers.
TREATING CYSTOID MACULAR OEDEMA
If one would like to read a great deal more detail regarding specific diseases or complications, the Springer series provide a great place to start.
Cystoid Macular Edema: Medical and Surgical Management (Springer), edited by Shlomit Schaal and Henry J. Kaplan, is a 230-page textbook entirely devoted to the often terribly frustrating phenomenon of CME.
Divided into three parts, the book first outlines the pathophysiology and diagnosis of CME, including the disease mechanisms and the correct use of diagnostic imaging. Part II covers the medical management. This is organised by the primary problem causing the CME, such as uveitis, diabetes, vitreo-maculopathies and retinal vascular occlusions. Part III delves into the surgical management, essentially covering the same topics as Part II, but describing what should be done when medical management fails.
This text-heavy book is intended for those of us charged with treating patients with CME: retinal specialists and general ophthalmologists who would like to treat their patients rather than refer them elsewhere.
A GUIDE TO
ARTIFICIAL VISION
No large retinal conference is complete these days without a fascinating presentation on retinal implants. Thus, another Springer guide that captured my interest is
Artificial Vision: A Clinical Guide, edited by Veit Peter Gabel.
As with the Springer book on CME, reviewed above, this text is divided in to three parts. Part I is an introduction to the principles of functional assessment, outlining which patients are eligible, how prosthetic visual systems work and what patients and physicians can expect.
Part II is the most interesting. It is an extensive review of the retinal approaches to artificial vision. Each of the established implants has its own devoted chapter, including the following subsections: ‘principal idea’ , ‘indication’, ‘technical description’, ‘surgical methods’, and ‘clinical study’, which describes the results of all studies to date.
Part III covers the more exotic orbital and intracranial approaches now being studied.
This book is intended for young researchers, ambitious retina departments, and general ophthalmologists who understand the appeal of staying up-to-date.
KEEPING INFECTION OUTSIDE THE ORBIT
I think it’s fair to say that ocular infections are near the top of every ophthalmologist’s list of ‘Please don’t let this happen to my patient’.
Ocular Infections: Prophylaxis and Management (Jaypee), by Namrata Sharma, Neelima Aron and Atul Kumar, is a practical guide on how to keep the incidence of ocular infections in one’s practice as close to zero as possible.
This book “provides comprehensive information on operating theatre design and layout”, “highlights the methods of sterilisation and disinfection of… instruments”, “enlists the prophylactic measures to be taken… to prevent post-surgical infections”, and “provides step-by-step management protocols for the timely and proper treatment of postoperative ocular infections”.
This is a highly descriptive and concrete ‘how-to’ manual intended for surgeons or departments who are setting up a new operating theatre, renewing their procedures or reviewing their protocols. It can also help increase compliance of assisting personnel through education, and thereby improve efforts to eliminate postoperative infections altogether.