Rajen U. Desai, MD(Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)

This book presents a survey of a variety of ocular conditions organized in three parts. The first chapter, "Overview of Symptoms, Signs, and Tests," presents an easy-to-understand survey of exactly what it intends; subsequent chapters are organized by the

According to the preface, the purpose of the book is twofold: to be a 1) "preferred, first-line clinical 'quick-look-up'" and an 2) after-hours "slow-relaxed-review" for "practicing eye care providers." The first is indeed appropriate for eyecare providers at any level of training, while the latter is perhaps more relevant for novices. The book meets both of these objectives, mostly for an audience of eyecare providers with limited training, specifically optometrists, primary care providers, and medical students. The book is slightly too simple for ophthalmology residents.

The author describes the audience as "eye care providers and all involved in, or interested in, the management of ocular diseases," but it seems most suitable for optometrists, medical students, and primary care providers. It may not be as useful as other books whose audience is ophthalmologists.

A significant strength of this book is the large number of quality color photographs, illustrations, and schematics. Similar books also use photographs, but this book's illustrations make the concepts more understandable for beginning eyecare providers. Also, under most of the conditions, there is a very clear statement of "Ocular Emergency: Yes" or "Ocular Emergency: No."Again, this is very helpful for eyecare providers early in their training. These two features, particularly the illustrations, give the book a distinct advantage over other similar books. Shortcomings of the book include the slightly simple presentations of the work-up and management aspects of each disease. For instance, while the section on eyelid laceration has helpful illustrations of surgical closure, there is no mention of which suture material should be used for the various layers of the eyelid closure

This book, with its helpful illustrations and photographs of eye diseases, would be a valuable addition for many eyecare providers. Compared to similar books that present more text-heavy advanced management aspects of eye care, this manual likely would be most appreciated by optometrists, primary care providers, and beginners in ophthalmology such as medical students and beginning residents.