Book Review: Review of Ophthalmology, 3rd Edition

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing this review. I have not received any other form of compensation from the authors or publisher.

I picked up the 2nd edition of Friedman, Kaiser, and Trattler’s Review of Ophthalmology in preparation for my board exams and found it very helpful in covering most of the major concepts in ophthalmology. The 3rd edition, published in 2017, was very graciously provided to me by Elsevier to review. I’m presently using the book to help me create a study checklist for learning all of the major topics in ophthalmology. As I’ve read through the book, I’ve noted the organization and content and evaluated it for where I think it fits within the structure of learning and reviewing ophthalmology. Here are my thoughts!

Organization

The textbook chapters are identical to the 2nd edition. The chapter order is very similar in order to the AAO’s Basic and Clinical Science Course textbooks, so if you’re using both sources the order of topics will be familiar to you.

Table of Contents (analogous BCSC Section)

1. Optics (BCSC Section 3)

2. Pharmacology (BCSC Section 2)

3. Embryology/Pathology (BCSC Section 2)

4. Neuro-Ophthalmology (BCSC Section 5)

5. Pediatrics/Strabismus (BCSC Section 6)

6. Orbit/Lids/Adnexa (BCSC Section 7)

7. Cornea/External Disease (BCSC Section 8)

8. Uveitis (BCSC Section 9)

9. Glaucoma (BCSC Section 10)

10. Anterior Segment (BCSC Section 7, 11, among others)

11. Posterior Segment (BCSC Section 12)

Section Organization

Each chapter has major headings, under which there are subheadings and then specific topics. The information is presented in short blurbs, lists, diagrams, and figures - perfect for someone wanting to review the major points of a topic - but the downside to this approach is that much of any nuance, fine detail, and comparison with other concept is left out.

The chapters start with anatomy/physiology/pathology related to the specific section, and then diseases are organized by anatomy, classification, or some other hierarchy depending on the section (for example, Neuro-Ophthalmology is organized by neuroanatomy, Plastics is organized by types of disease such as inflammation, neoplasms, etc., Glaucoma is organized by open angle vs. angle closure).

At the end of each chapter, there are multiple choice practice questions covering each topic. The questions from the 2nd edition are still present, with new additional questions in each chapter.

Critique: The practice questions are generally very good in their scope and wording, but there are many “all of the following are true except” types of questions and other similarly constructed questions that will not be present on any standardized testing (which purposefully avoids using these question types to avoid ambiguity or confusion). I believe that for studying, these questions are fine to some degree since they require you to carefully evaluate the veracity of each answer choice, but ideally the question stem should lead to one unambiguous answer.

Presentation Style

For each individual topic entry, the information presented in a bare-bones, essential facts only manner. For diseases, this might be a short statement about the unique features of the disease (inheritance pattern, pathophysiology, differentiating features, quick facts to help you remember the disease). Underneath that statement are other pertinent information: test findings, differential diagnosis, associations, clinical features, etc. There are also many tables and clinical images that are helpful to illustrate and understand certain topics.

Critiques: Although the information presented is excellent and on-point, I believe that bullet points might be helpful to separate certain entries that otherwise run together on the page. Some entries are organized in alphabetical order, others are not - for example, craniofacial disorders in the Pediatric/Strabismus chapter is not organized in alphabetical order, but the lid disorders section is. This can make searching for a particular disease difficult without utilizing the index in the back of the book or, if using the e-book version, using the search feature.

There were also some minor content changes from the 2nd edition that did not make it into the 3rd edition - specifically, melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) was in the 2nd edition but was not in the 3rd edition, though it was still listed in the index.

View fullsize

Screenshot from the 3rd edition of Review of Ophthalmology (eBook version).

Content

As the title of the book indicates, this book is intended to be a review of the breadth of ophthalmology - not a comprehensive tome that covers every single detail. The content is high-yield and should cover most of the essential information that is often tested as well as the more common conditions and concepts encountered in clinic.

This is not a book that should be used as the chief source for learning a subject for the first time; however, it is a great resource for reviewing the highlights of a topic and as part of a comprehensive study plan.

Topics

As shown on the right, each entry is typically a short list or statement about the topic, which may represent causes of the condition, key statistics, or other useful information about the disease, workup, or management. Pathologic descriptions (where applicable), associations, and diagnostic test results are also demonstrated.

Tables

Tables are typically used in the book to compare similar concepts (color vision abnormalities, metabolic diseases with eye findings, etc.). While some tables are more useful for summarizing large volumes of information and may be better for reference, there are several tables that aid understanding of the material, such as extraocular muscle information, types of accommodative esotropia, etc.

Images

The book reprints diagrams, pathology slides, and clinical images of many diseases to illustrate the concepts being discussed. Since much of ophthalmology is visually-based, these diagrams are extremely helpful.

Ratings

Organization:  3.5 out of 5

As I noted above, I feel that the material, while organized well from a big-picture standpoint, isn’t always easy to find without the index or search feature.

Readability:  4.5 out of 5

The information is very brief and concise. However, the formatting makes some of the entries difficult to read, hence the 4.5 rating.

Comprehensiveness:  4 out of 5

All of the major topics in ophthalmology are covered, but the nuance and details are left out, as this is a review manual.

Citations:  1 out of 5

There are no references aside from source attribution for figures and clinical images.  While the information is up-to-date and evidence-based, citations are not included.

Images:  4 out of 5

The images included in this book are excellent representatives. Some of the images are a bit small, and not every disease or concept has images.

Suitability for the Beginning Ophthalmologist:  5 out of 5

This is a great book to have in your library as a review manual - as you work through your personal study schedule, this book may be a useful tool to refresh yourself on most subjects.

Suitability for Written Board Review:  4.5 out of 5

Most all of the essential information covered on the written board exams are probably covered in this book. While it may still be helpful to use other sources to supplement details, this book provides an excellent framework for studying.

Suitability for Oral Board Review:  3 out of 5

The oral board exam is structured very differently than the OKAP and written board exams. As such, I think that this book is likely too detailed in some respects (for example, the oral board exam won’t ask about embryology) and not detailed enough in others (management information is not always present).

Portability:  5 out of 5*

If you buy the book brand new, the 3rd edition (U.S.) comes with a code that you can register with ExpertConsult.com to have unlimited online access to the text and images. There is a free app called Inkling that has partnered with Expert Consult to provide easy-to-navigate access to the book on your mobile devices. It's a great bonus feature. With that access, you can copy/download the images into educational presentations and for offline viewing. The text is fully searchable, which makes it much easier to hone in on the topics you want to learn.

I’m able to carry the book in my computer bag without too much difficulty, but it’s certainly not something that can be put in your white coat pocket.

*The reason for the asterisk is that the book's physical portability would be rated much lower, but because there is high-quality online access for those who purchase the book new, the text can be very portable.

Cost:  $$

$ = $0.00-$50.00
$$ = $50.00-$150.00
$$$ = $150.00-$250.00
$$$$ = $250.00-$350.00
$$$$$ = $350.00 or more

The listed price for the book on Amazon is $81.53 (as of September 1, 2021), which is an excellent price for a review book. Of course, if you shop around online, there are always different deals/discounts available. Elsevier, the publisher, runs 20-30% discounts on their textbooks sometimes if you purchase directly from them. Amazon has similar discounts and may offer better deals through their Marketplace. If you're not hung up on getting a brand new book so that you can gain online access, purchasing the book used may be a more affordable solution as well.

Overall Rating:  4.5 out of 5

This is one of the most popular review books for ophthalmology for good reason. It is succinct, covers most of the pertinent topics seen on various exams, and sticks to the high-yield facts. If I had to take the OKAP or written board exam again, I would definitely use this book as part of my study plan.

Book Review: Make It Stick

Introduction and Content

I picked up this book after receiving a recommendation for it a few years ago. I was very intrigued by the premise, and it’s strongly influenced how I learn and how I teach.

The book, which summarizes research findings in cognitive science, poses a difficult question: what produces enduring and complex mastery of skills or knowledge? The authors, through anecdotal stories and explanations of the supportive research, list several practical ways that challenge conventional thinking on how to study: instead of repetitively reading textbooks and focusing on mastering one topic before moving onto something else, we should incorporate more low-stakes quizzes, allowing for some forgetting between study sessions, and interleaving different but related topics to build a more robust understanding of what we’re studying. On the surface, this resonates with my opinions that simply memorizing textbooks is not an effective or efficient way to learn - and yet this is the approach we often take when confronted with the need to “grow our knowledge base.” Passive learning is not learning.

The book is very accessible, with each chapter focusing on one concept, weaving practical examples with explanations of the research that revealed the principles. In many chapters, there is a misconception about learning that is challenged (for example, “massed practice” - the act of reading/reviewing the same material over and over until it is fully mastered - produces short-term proficiency but does not have enduring retention). While not all of the anecdotes translate well to learning ophthalmology, the underlying concepts are very helpful in understanding how to develop study habits that can produce the expert-level knowledge and recall we need in our field.

Ratings

Organization:  5 out of 5

Each chapter builds on previous concepts, and many of the stories that are told throughout the narrative are alluded to in latter chapters, which helps to tie the entire work together.

Readability:  5 out of 5

I’ve primarily read the audiobook version of this book, which is excellent. However, the text is also easy to read, easy to follow, and the authors do an excellent job of making all of the concepts accessible.

Suitability for the Beginning Ophthalmologist:  5 out of 5

This is one of those books that I believe should be mandatory reading for all medical students and residents. We do not have the luxury of infinite time to learn massive amounts of information, and one of the often-relayed challenges of ophthalmology residency is the steep learning curve. While this book does not promise to make learning easier (in fact, one of the major premises is that enduring learning needs to have some difficulty), it outlines some strategies that can help trainees study “smarter, not harder.”

Cost:  $

$ = $0.00-$50.00
$$ = $50.00-$150.00
$$$ = $150.00-$250.00
$$$$ = $250.00-$350.00
$$$$$ = $350.00 or more

Amazon lists the hardcover version for $27.90 right now. It is 100% worth the money.

Overall Rating:  5 out of 5

I cannot recommend this book enough - this book has influenced how I structure my study content, and is driving many of the resources the AAO produces for ophthalmologists. It is easily translatable to virtually any context of learning, whether you are just starting out or pursuing continuing education.