Any books a little more advanced than Basic Ophthalmology

[kwel]

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I read through Basic Ophthalmology (book written by the AAO), which was really good intro but more geared toward PCPs. They talked about the really common issues and how to manage in the clinic, so is there a similar intro book out there that actually delves into the ophthalmological management of these conditions? I'm still a beginner so I'm looking for an intro book, maybe whatever residents use as introductory material. Would Practical Ophthalmology (also by AAO) be a good option?

 

[RestoreSight]

Practical ophthalmology would be the next step up. Beyond that would be fundamentals and principles of ophthalmology (book 2 of bcsc) or any complete textbook/atlas.

 

[kwel]

Practical ophthalmology would be the next step up. Beyond that would be fundamentals and principles of ophthalmology (book 2 of bcsc) or any complete textbook/atlas.

That's what I was thinking. Would this be overkill/too complicated for a sub-I?

 

[dantt]

Practical ophthalmology would be the next step up. Beyond that would be fundamentals and principles of ophthalmology (book 2 of bcsc) or any complete textbook/atlas.

Book 2 of bcsc is mind numbing. I would not recommend it.

Instead, find a copy of practical ophthalmology, a manual for beginning residents.

 

[RestoreSight]

Practical ophthalmology is a great text. Book 2 of BCSC has an impressive amount of information, but is written in a basic science format so clinically it may be less relevant. If you take the time to read through it I think it gives you a solid base, much like the first two years of med school are less clinically relevant but necessary to understand what comes after. My rule is never take short cuts.

 

[Mirror Form]

Practical Ophthalmology isn't really the next step from basic ophthalmology. It's a book that describes how to do the eye exam, refract, etc. It's a great book for both beginning residents and interns / med students during their ophtho rotation. But I don't know how useful it would be to read it unless you have the equipment available to practice on.

Probably the next best step up from basic ophthalmology would be to get an atlas and start learning what things look like. I'd definitely recommend Kanksi. It's simple to read, but detailed enough that you can still use it for your boards.

At the beginning of the first year of my residency, I wasted a month of time going through book 2 of the bscs in excruciating detail b/c I was told it was a good intro. What a joke. When I looked back on it as a third year resident I couldn't believe how utterly worthless it was.

 

[RestoreSight]

Practical Ophthalmology isn't really the next step from basic ophthalmology. It's a book that describes how to do the eye exam, refract, etc. It's a great book for both beginning residents and interns / med students during their ophtho rotation. But I don't know how useful it would be to read it unless you have the equipment available to practice on.

Probably the next best step up from basic ophthalmology would be to get an atlas and start learning what things look like. I'd definitely recommend Kanksi. It's simple to read, but detailed enough that you can still use it for your boards.

At the beginning of the first year of my residency, I wasted a month of time going through book 2 of the bscs in excruciating detail b/c I was told it was a good intro. What a joke. When I looked back on it as a third year resident I couldn't believe how utterly worthless it was.

Actually according to AAO practical ophthalmology is the next step up from Basic Ophthalmology and its specifically designed for new residents. It is clinically structured and focuses on more than exam techniques. The problem with starting with an atlas is the shear number of conditions that affect the various parts of the eye can be overwhelming. I think most med students can't even name the anatomical dimensions of the eye, let alone the layers of the retina or cornea. Why then should they jump ahead to pathological conditions?

Knowing the anatomy and physiology of the normal eye is crucial to understanding how disease processes cause deficits. If you are under no time pressure, I would recommend reading both Practical Opthalmology and the second book of BCSC. Boring or not, if you make a concerted effort to read those two texts you will have a much better understanding of ophthalmology than leafing through an atlas just for the pictures.

 

[Mirror Form]

Actually according to AAO practical ophthalmology is the next step up from Basic Ophthalmology and its specifically designed for new residents. It is clinically structured and focuses on more than exam techniques. The problem with starting with an atlas is the shear number of conditions that affect the various parts of the eye can be overwhelming. I think most med students can't even name the anatomical dimensions of the eye, let alone the layers of the retina or cornea. Why then should they jump ahead to pathological conditions?

Knowing the anatomy and physiology of the normal eye is crucial to understanding how disease processes cause deficits. If you are under no time pressure, I would recommend reading both Practical Opthalmology and the second book of BCSC. Boring or not, if you make a concerted effort to read those two texts you will have a much better understanding of ophthalmology than leafing through an atlas just for the pictures.

Well feel free to read Practical Ophthalmology all you want, it's a great book. But without patients available to practice the exam techniques, I don't think it's an efficient way to learn.

Book 2 of the BCSC is truly abysmal. Most of it is clinically irrelevant, and the important parts are hidden among all the minutia. By the time you're a third year resident you'll know enough to separate the important information from the minutia. But for first year residents it's a mess. Although that's sort of the problem with the entire series in general.

Ophthalmology is a very visual field. IMHO you'll do better to start learning what things look like early on instead of worrying about the dimensions of the eye and layers of the retina. That information is certainly helpful for fully understanding some important pathology, but it's not as important as recognizing what the pathology looks like in the first place.

 

[RestoreSight]

Kanski Clinical Ophthalmology is a great text that comes highly recommended by most of my seniors. Having read all the texts mentioned incuding practical ophthalmology, all of BCSC (even clinical optics, bleh) and Kanski Clinical Ophthalmology I suppose if I had to compromise on a single text I would choose that one.

I'm leaning towards a career in academics so maybe I'm biased, but even though ophthalmology is a very visual field, recognizing shapes and patterns is only part of effective diagnosis. The first question I was asked 4th year of med school in my ophtho sub-I was why a dot-blot, flame-shaped and boat-shaped hemmorrage appear different on fundoscopy. Knowing the anatomy of the retinal layers cold gave me all the information I needed to think through and answer correctly. IMO your rotations will be enhanced if you have a basic understanding of ocular anatomy and physiology, and if you have time it makes sense to study from the ground up.

 

[Corn Dog]

The first question I was asked 4th year of med school in my ophtho sub-I was why a dot-blot, flame-shaped and boat-shaped hemmorrage appear different on fundoscopy. Knowing the anatomy of the retinal layers cold gave me all the information I needed to think through and answer correctly.

So what is the correct answer to that question? Why do they appear differently on fundoscopy?

 

[RestoreSight]

So what is the correct answer to that question? Why do they appear differently on fundoscopy?

Dot blot hemes occur in the outer retinal cell layers (OPL and INL primarily) which are oriented "head-on" towards the viewer when viewed through the slit lamp so blood appears in the shape of a round circle. Flame shaped hemes are located in the inner nerve fiber layer which run parallel to the viewer so they appear feathery. Large boat shaped hemes are located just under the ILM and can pool over a large area.

 

[Corn Dog]

Thank you, RestoreSight!