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Neuro-Ophthalmology Review Manual

2005; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 82; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/01.opx.0000188477.37551.21

1538-9235

Gilbert E. Pierce,

Ophthalmology and Visual Health Research

Neuro-Ophthalmology Review Manual Revised 5th ed. Lanning B. Kline and Frank J. Bajandas. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Inc., 2004. $44.95. The fifth edition of this book was released in 2001, and I reviewed it for Optometry and Vision Science at that time. This revised fifth edition has very few changes. The main updates have been in the references and improving the clarity of some sections. The manual is divided into 20 chapters covering a wide spectrum of topics in this complex field. Each chapter covers an individual topic in neuro-ophthalmology. The chapters are presented in outline format with most pertinent information being presented clearly and concisely. The format makes the information easy to follow and easy to find. In general, the information is complete, although certainly not as complete and well documented as in several of the excellent textbooks in this field. However, this is certainly to be expected because it is meant to be a review guide rather than a textbook. One strength of this guide is the excellent (simple, yet complete) diagrams found in every chapter. The figures are universally well drawn and communicate both the anatomic and clinical considerations in a thorough and easy-to-understand manner. I find them to be an excellent teaching tool for students who are having difficulty understanding certain concepts. The one chapter in which the drawings were a little bit disappointing was Chapter 1—Visual Fields. Although the figures are well-drawn schematics that are easily understood, it would be nice to include some actual automated visual field plots, because these will be more widely encountered in practice. The figures are all in black and white, including a couple of photographs, with the exception of Figure 15-1. This figure is a color diagram of a migraine aura and is printed at the very back of the book. The order of the chapters is somewhat puzzling in that it is difficult to determine the logic of the order in which topics are presented. Unlike most textbooks on the subject, it is not divided into sections on afferent and efferent disorders. Because it is a review manual, this is a minor point but still a bit confusing. Something that concerned me when I first perused this manual was the wording of some of the chapter titles. When I first saw “The Six Syndromes of the VI Nerve,” I was a little concerned that I might see syndromes named after some obscure German ophthalmologist or neurologist whose names tell us nothing about the disease process. I was happily surprised when I saw the use of anatomic names for the syndromes such as “the brainstem syndrome,” “the sub-arachnoid space syndrome,” or “the cavernous sinus syndrome.” These distinctions and descriptions are nice in that they allow the clinician or student to remember them in an anatomic context, which, once one understands the anatomy, makes it much easier to remember the signs and symptoms associated with each. Granted, in several of these sections, there are subheadings with named syndromes (such as Millard-Gubler syndrome and Foville's syndrome), but these are unavoidable given the history of neuro-ophthalmology. In general, I find this volume to be very good at what it intends to be—a review manual. It should be an excellent resource for optometry students or ophthalmology residents studying for board examinations and a good quick reference for the clinician. If one needs a thorough knowledge of neuro-ophthalmology, this is not the only book needed. However, as an adjunct to some of the excellent textbooks, this manual does its job well. Gilbert E. Pierce The Ohio State University College of Optometry Columbus, OhioFigure: No Caption Available.