Eye surgery in hot climates 2nd edition
JOHN SANDFORD-SMITH FRCS FRCOphth
Published by Ulverscroft Large Print and International Centre for Eye Health
In the VISION 2020 campaign to eliminate global avoidable blindness, surgery plays a major part, especially for cataract and for trachomatous trichiasis. If elimination is to succeed, we need a great increase very soon in the number of people who can carry out safe eye surgery. Much surgery has to be done in remote and resource-poor places with little support. This is the aim of the book and it succeeds.
Anyone familiar with the first edition will know its clear and detailed descriptions of a wide range of eye operations, and its good line drawings. There is also coverage of ‘background’ subjects like theatre preparation and instruments. However since intraocular lens implantation for cataract is now advocated everywhere, that first edition has become obsolete. This new edition has descriptions of lens implantation (for both posterior chamber and anterior chamber) written with the same clarity. It even briefly includes the recent adaptation of small incision techniques, but not phacoemulsification as this is unsuitable for remote places. No doubt experienced surgeons would want to do things differently here and there, but less experienced surgeons can be confident that each step as described is safe and tested. There are also extensive chapters on other operations such as for glaucoma and lid problems, but some conditions like squint are understandably omitted. If no teacher is available it might be possible for someone with surgical aptitude to undertake extraocular operations successfully just using the book. But it is certainly not intended to be ‘Teach Yourself Cataract Surgery’. For intraocular surgery, proper instruction in a structured training programme is essential. This book is a good text book for such training, and for places such as where I work (rural Africa). I do not know of any to rival it. I understand there was difficulty in finding a publisher for this edition. This is regrettable considering all the blindness worldwide which is avoidable by surgery, and we are indebted to those who did undertake publication.
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Update 24 June 2013: View this resource online.