Book Review

Atlas of Clinical Ophthalmology

N Engl J Med 1996; 334:1550June 6, 1996

Article

Atlas of Clinical Ophthalmology
Edited by Daniel M. Albert and Frederick A. Jakobiec. 605 pp., illustrated. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1995. $225. ISBN: 0-7216-3417-6

The fact that most diseases of the eye produce visible changes in the organ means that a really good pictorial atlas of ophthalmic disease is essential. This extensive collection of photographs of ophthalmic diseases and their histologic correlates is a reference work that will be invaluable not only to ophthalmologists but also to any physician who encounters diseases of the eyes or eyelids.

Most of the photographs are reprinted from the authors' encyclopedic text, Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology. The atlas acknowledges the contributions of many authors and has some of the flaws that are almost unavoidable in a multiauthored book. For example, Mooren's ulcer appears in three different sections of the book, and Fuchs's heterochromic iridocyclitis is discussed in both the section on the uvea, where the disorder occurs, and the section on glaucoma. Only a few surgical procedures are described, including corneal stromal puncture, epithelial débridement, and the insertion of Molteno implants for glaucoma; it is not clear why these are included and most others are omitted. In some chapters, there are useful discussions of epidemiology (for example, the chapter on histoplasmosis discusses the epidemiology of histoplasmosis and ocular histoplasmosis), but this type of information is not provided for most other ophthalmic diseases. Although a few black-and-white figures appear old and of marginal quality, in general the book is remarkable for the high quality and large number of photographs illustrating both common problems and seldom seen but occasionally vitally important syndromes.

This excellent book is sure to have great value not only for practicing ophthalmologists but also for other medical specialists. There is a superb chapter on pediatric ophthalmology, which provides general physicians and pediatricians with an understanding of pediatric eye disease and ocular manifestations of systemic pediatric diseases. Similarly, the chapter on the eye and systemic disease should be of great value both to general physicians and to practitioners of internal medicine, and the quality and scope of the photographs should make them extremely useful aids to the recognition and understanding of the ocular aspects of these disorders.

This book does not contain complete discussions of the causes, manifestations, and treatment of all the illustrated diseases. It is an atlas of the clinical appearance and histopathology of ocular abnormalities, not a textbook in which to find treatises on diagnosis, prognosis, or management. Nevertheless, Albert and Jakobiec have provided photographic documentation of ophthalmic disease that is uniquely valuable in its breadth and quality and that any practitioner will find useful in improving his or her recognition and understanding of ocular disease.

Herbert E. Kaufman, M.D.
Louisiana State University Medical Center School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112