MANAGING DIABETIC RETINOPATHY
New books about the retina offer comprehensive insights for general clinicians and specialist researchers alike.
Clinical Strategies in the Management of Diabetic Retinopathy is a little gem of a book. Published by Springer and edited by Francesco Bandello and colleagues, it is a practical and informative text intended to guide the clinician in day-to-day decision-making.
This is not a theory-dense textbook, so don’t expect long treatises on the disease’s pathogenesis. Instead, it is a distillation of what’s currently known about the evaluation and management of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular oedema (DME). Each chapter includes proposed therapeutic algorithms as a simple overview.
With so many studies being published on DR and DME, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the most recent advances. At just over 150 pages, the book brings it all together. Although Chapter 1 spends 18 pages covering the epidemiology, risk factors and pathophysiology, Chapters 2 through 5 get to the core of what we might have forgotten but nevertheless need to know.
Chapter 2, on non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, is most interesting when discussing the ever-evolving algorithms for screening and treatment. Chapter 3, on DME, reviews the well-known classification criteria, but then moves on to more recent advances in treatment, citing the most substantial studies to date and serving as a refresher on topics such as differences between vasogenic and non-vasogenic DME. The sub-heading ‘Factors associated with favourable response to the therapy’ was particularly enlightening.
Chapter 4 covers proliferative DR, doing so in a highly illustrated fashion and instructing the reader primarily by means of imaging examples. These are designed to show the typical appearance of correctly applied laser treatments. In case of late presentation or treatment failure, Chapter 5 moves on neovascular glaucoma, tractional retinal detachment and other clinical nightmares, generally advising referral to a vitreoretinal surgeon.
This book is intended for ophthalmology residents, medical and surgical retina fellows, and general ophthalmologists who treat DR and DME.
RETINA:CONCISE,
PRACTICAL ANSWERS
“Are you looking for concise, practical answers to those questions that are often left unanswered by traditional references of the retina?” asks the back cover of Curbside Consultation in Retina: 49 Clinical Questions. If so, this book – published by Slack and edited by Sharon Fekrat and colleagues – is the book for you.
The book is structured in question-answer form, and actually, the questions resemble those that the residents in my university hospital ask my colleagues and me on a daily basis. Examples include: ‘What are some tips to differentiate visual loss from retinal disease versus cataract?’; ‘How do I manage lattice degeneration?’; and ‘How do I follow a patient with a presumed choroidal nevus?’
These are questions whose answers would require an entire evening to find in traditional texts, and here they are, 49 of them fully answered in four pages or less.
This book is intended for residents, general ophthalmologists and those who, like me, need to know the answers to questions that the residents ask us every day.
RESEARCH ON RETINAL DEGENERATIVE DISEASES
For researchers,
Retinal Degenerative Diseases: Mechanisms and Experimental Therapy, published by Springer, is an 800-page tome containing the proceedings of the XVI International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration. Edited by half a dozen experts, this scientific compendium covers experimental and research topics that happen behind the scenes in the ophthalmology world.
Although most clinicians have never heard of most of the molecules, genes and mutations covered in this book, several chapters caught my attention, primarily because I could understand their titles: ‘Therapeutic approach of nanotechnology for oxidative stress induced ocular neurodegenerative diseases’, for example.
Most of the sections cover specific disease types, such AMD, macular dystrophies and inherited retinal degenerations, while others focus on the research conducted into specific therapeutic modalities. Others have grouped the most recent research into specific retinal cell layers such as the retinal pigment epithelium.
This book is intended for full-time retinal researchers, or clinicians participating in clinical trials who want more insight into
retinal research.
OCT-ANGIOGRAPHY – A HOT TOPIC
Optical coherence tomography-angiography is a hot topic right now. To see what all the fuss is about, consider picking up a copy of the
Clinical OCT Angiography Atlas, which is published by Jaypee and edited by Bruno Lumbroso and colleagues. As its name implies, this is a true atlas, with a wealth of high-quality images forming the focus of one’s attention.
The images are properly annotated, allowing the reader to progress step-by-step through the process of learning to use this new imaging technique. The first section is essential to the newcomer, as it covers the technology behind the device as well as the methods used to interpret the images.
The rest of the atlas goes straight to the clinical images of the most common diseases, with the most attention given to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other choroidal neovascular membranes, central serous chorioretinopathy, macular telangiectasia, vascular occlusions, diabetic retinopathy, pathologic myopia and various others.
This book is recommended for the curious minds within the ophthalmology community and anyone whose practice has been lucky enough to acquire an angio-OCT.
RETINA: CONCISE,
PRACTICAL ANSWERS
“Are you looking for concise, practical answers to those questions that are often left unanswered by traditional references of the retina?” asks the back cover of
Curbside Consultation in Retina: 49 Clinical Questions. If so, this book – published by Slack and edited by Sharon Fekrat and colleagues – is the book for you.
The book is structured in question-answer form, and actually, the questions resemble those that the residents in my university hospital ask my colleagues and me on a daily basis. Examples include: ‘What are some tips to differentiate visual loss from retinal disease versus cataract?’; ‘How do I manage lattice degeneration?’; and ‘How do I follow a patient with a presumed choroidal nevus?’
These are questions whose answers would require an entire evening to find in traditional texts, and here they are, 49 of them fully answered in four pages or less.
This book is intended for residents, general ophthalmologists and those who, like me, need to know the answers to questions that the residents ask us every day.
