MASSIVE PROGRESS

There are many books about how to manipulate the cornea, particularly in the context of refractive surgery. There are also many books that cover the entire spectrum of corneal disease. What is less common is a book that comprehensively covers non-refractive corneal surgery itself.

Mastering Corneal Surgery: Recent Advances and Current Techniques (Slack Incorporated), by Amar Agarwal and Thomas John, does just that.

The 300-page text-dense handbook describes, in great detail and with uninterrupted prose, exactly how to perform each step of the many surgical procedures performed by corneal specialists in 2015.

“For several decades, advancements and our approach to corneal surgery would be best characterised as incremental and evolutionary. Remarkably, over the past decade, improvements in surgical techniques and patient outcomes have accelerated on a trajectory that is nothing short of revolutionary,” reads the foreword.

Divided into four sections – “Keratoplasty”, “Keratoprosthesis & Ocular Surface Disorders”, “Corneal Surgery Related to Cataract Surgery” and “Miscellaneous” – the book is not for the faint of heart. It moves from old standbys like penetrating and endothelial keratoplasty to more advanced techniques like the Boston keratoprosthesis, amniotic membrane transplantation, modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, and the use of platelet-rich plasma in corneal surgery.

The text is accompanied by high-quality photographs of surgery and materials, as well as several useful flow charts to help guide the clinician to the correct choice of procedure. This book is ideal for corneal surgery fellows and ambitious residents, as well as early-career corneal specialists looking to expand their surgical repertoire.

DOWN TO EARTH

More down to earth is Cataract Surgery: Introduction and Preparation (Slack Incorporated), by Lucio Buratto, Stephen F Brint and Laura Sacchi. This relatively straightforward book moves logically from one surgical concept, “Hardness of the Nucleus”, or surgical step, “Capsulorhexis”, to the next. Particularly useful for the beginner is the chapter on viscoelastics, which illuminates the differences by means of explanation and overview tables, and the chapter on the prevention of endophthalmitis which concentrates all the relevant information into six pages.

The illustrations are excellent, especially the computer-generated images of each surgical step, particularly those describing incisions and hydrodissection. The book is appropriate for medical students during their ophthalmology rotations, residents who would like to be well prepared for their surgical training, and recently graduated ophthalmologists who might need a review of the basics.