A systematic approach

Ninth Edition

John Salmon

ISBN 978-0-7020-7711-1

Published by Elsevier (December 2019)

Price £164.99

https://www.uk.elsevierhealth.com/kanskis-clinical-ophthalmology-9780702077111.html

This book has a rich heritage and sadly the person most associated with the evolution of this book, Jack Kanski passed away relatively recently see https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/in-practice/practitioner-stories/2019/01/10/textbook-author-dr-jack-j-kanski-remembered-by-co-author-as-an-incredible-mentor However this new volume remains a testament to Jack Kanski and his work, whilst remaining fresh and updated. This is a superb textbook and sets the standard for other medical textbooks who should take note of what this book has achieved.

This is clearly a book for eye specialists including those established and those who are climbing the career ladder. It may be too detailed for the average GP, nevertheless for those GPs who want to learn more about eye diseases then this book is an excellent one stop shop. It is richly illustrated, and the quality of reproduction is excellent. Most double page spreads contain an illustration or table and the text is a joy to read. Considering it is a specialist text, I found it a relaxed and understandable read. Even better the amount of text is not overwhelming but still detailed and well written.

The stunning layout should not detract from the scholarly excellence of this book. It is wide ranging, relatively detailed and clinically orientated. The degree of depth of coverage is impressive but remains focussed for front line patient care and management. All the common and many not so common scenarios are covered in a fascinating and interesting manner and I am sure many eye specialists would want to own a copy. Although there was a lot of material that is superfluous to my practice as a GP, I still found it an educational read and I particularly liked the tips scattered throughout the text. A good idea for other textbooks to follow.

I think this makes an excellent reference source as well as a book that is easy to read sections at random and enhance an individual’s knowledge base. For example, I randomly opened the book at page 527 and read a superb account of Amaurosis Fugax which occupies a small section at the top right hand of the page. It only took minutes to read and yet I had a great refresh on the topic.

Included within the price of this book, is the ability to have a web version for an Internet Browser and an app version. Both of these versions are containers for the contents of the whole book and allow flexibility and portability. The web version is very easy to use and follows the publisher’s tried and tested approach which is available on many of its other products. The app version requires 1.68GB of space for download to the portable device and this could be an issue, if storage space is tight.

All in all, this is an excellent and modern textbook of ophthalmology which is a pleasure to use. It manages to combine the happy medium of providing good quality in depth text with excellent illustrations and at 941 pages, it does not overwhelm the reader or take up too much space in a library. The book comes with a significant price tag but for those who will use it regularly, I am sure they will see it as a price worth paying.

Dr Harry Brown

March 2020