Textbook of Ophthalmology: Published by Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd.

Textbook of Ophthalmology is an impressive work. This 3000-page, four-volume set of books, edited by Sunita Agarwal and six others, was published in New Delhi in 2002. It contains 324 chapters written by more than 250 contributors and comes at the relatively inexpensive price of $350. The four volumes cover the following topics in substantial detail: basic science, optics and refraction, neuro-ophthalmology, and strabismus in volume 1; lids, adnexa, orbits, external eye disease, corneas, and refractive surgery in volume 2; glaucoma, lenses, uveal tracts, and ocular therapeutics in volume 3; and retinas, vitreous, systemic diseases, and miscellaneous topics in volume 4. The index volume lists the 324 chapters and their authors in numerical order as well as the individual authors alphabetically, by first name rather than last name. The list of contributors, which is international in scope, specifies university and hospital affiliations and mailing addresses in varying degrees of detail, although at times it is difficult to sort out the affiliations. There is also a subject index that appears to be very detailed. However, I was unable to find the topic "chloroquine retinopathy" as a subject heading in the index and could not find this topic in the section on the retina. The content appears to be quite comprehensive, although the quality of the chapters varies considerably. A considerable number of the chapters have no references at all, and therefore it is difficult to substantiate some of the information, though by and large it appears accurate. Some chapters are extremely up to date and well referenced, whereas others are somewhat out of date. The quality of the photographic illustrations ranges from excellent (in the section on the retina) to rather average (in the section on neuro-ophthalmology). Some of the line diagrams are very stylized and, though accurate, are somewhat confusing. Drugs are often referred to by their trade names rather than by their generic names, which makes identification difficult for international readers. The writing is clear and straightforward, although there are occasional problems with language and syntax. There is reference to the Schachar theory of accommodation in the chapter on the surgical treatment of presbyopia, but no mention that it is no longer a widely accepted theory or treatment. Even though the subject coverage seems reasonably complete, at times it is difficult to differentiate common from uncommon problems as described in the text. In summary, the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of the information in Textbook of Ophthalmology vary from excellent to average. The information appears to be largely correct, although much of it is inadequately referenced. I think the main value of this set of books is that it offers a relatively inexpensive and complete outline of basic sciences, common diseases, and treatments related to ophthalmology. The authors and publisher are to be congratulated for producing such a thorough work for a such a reasonable price. Duncan P. Anderson, M.D.
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