Book reviews

How does this new book fit into the

field?
In the preface, the authors state that
this book follows an unconventional
approach, being based on signs (for
example, pigmentation of the retina)
rather than on the tissue (for example,
diseases of the pigment epithelium). They
state that this strategy should help the
clinician move more rapidly from the
clinical appearance to the diagnosis
and management. While interesting, this
approach has been used a number of
times. A recent example is Practical Ophthalmology by Pane and Simcock, published
in 2005 (ISBN 00443101124). The current
book adds little to the field. Other books,
such as the Wills Eye Manual fourth edition, provide a more structured and useful
guide to clinical decision-making. Some
important areas in this book, such as glaucoma, are excessively brief and show the
individual clinical interests of the authors.
The information on treatments is minimal
and requires reference to other books.
Where this book shines is in providing
a different point of view. The vast majority
of books on ocular disease are written in
the United States and are based on American experience. It is a breath of fresh air
to read a book describing clinical practice
in Europe. One example is the discussion
of a relatively common genetic condition
in the Netherlands called familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR). While
FEVR is known in the USA (see fevr.genetics.utah.edu), it is not mentioned in any
standard text. As a country that accepts
migrants from all over the world, Australian optometrists need to be aware of conditions that exist outside of the USA.
Another interesting feature of the book
is the use of Goldmann perimetry. Automated static perimetry such as the Humphrey Field Analyser has monopolised
visual field plotting in most current ocular
disease books. It is refreshing to see that
kinetic perimetry still exists in the world.
While static perimetry is very useful in
quantifying the depth and progression of
a scotoma, kinetic perimetry offers the
advantage of quickly describing the extent
and topography of a scotoma. Kinetic
perimetry remains valuable in modern

optometry by providing functional visual

assessments in many low vision patients.
We need to remain aware of this older
technology.
The Ocular Fundus offers the clinician an
easy-to-read atlas of a wide range of diseases of the posterior eye. The photographs are excellent and the clinical tips
clear and effective. Unfortunately, there is
a number of better clinical atlases on the
bookshelves. While this atlas is a refreshing holiday in Europe, the US books still
remain the clinical standard.

Manual of Contact Lens

Prescribing and Fitting,
3rd edition
Milton Hom and Adrian Bruce
USA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2006
576 pages, RRP $110.00
Reviewed by JOHN MOUNTFORD,
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
E-mail: besty@bigpond.net.au

The editors have done a brilliant job with

this book. The list of contributors reads as
a Whos Who of optometric contact lens
research and practice and all are leaders
in their respective fields. This is a book of
wonderful facts. Each topic is expressed
and explained in concise, accurate prose,
with the common use of a closer look
text boxes to highlight important
messages.
Part 1 introduces Basic Concepts and
covers anatomy and physiology, anterior
segment disease associated with contact
lenses, examination and instrumentation,
patient selection and contact lens optics.
The facts start on page 1 with a superb
description of the tear film and corneal
physiology by William Ridder, followed
by an excellent chapter on anterior segment disease and contact lens wear by
Arlene Orehek, Joseph Shovlin and
Michael dePaolis. There is no wasted
prose and the extensive literature review
in each of the chapters has been distilled

down to the important facts needed by

clinicians.
The second section covers gaspermeable lenses, from design and fitting
to materials, patient selection and virtually
every other aspect of practical use. The
design section deals mainly with American
fitting philosophies, although some attention is paid to the newer concepts of sag
fitting and topography-based fitting. The
main difference I detected is the use of
what would be considered to be small TD
lenses, where for years, the trend in Australia has been towards larger diameter
RGPs. The section on fluorescein pattern
analysis is enhanced by the use of threedimentional graphics to explain the actual
shape of the tear layer beneath the lens.
The accompanying CD ROM is a superb
addition to the book, as actual videos of
lenses on eye are shown in conjunction
with the text. This is a powerful tool for
teaching students, who get little exposure
to RGP lenses and to the variations in
fluorescein patterns with lens fit and
movement.
Soft lens design and fitting are covered with the same detail in the third
section. The physiological response to
soft lenses and the strategies used to
minimise complications are covered in
depth, with excellent graphics. The
fourth section on rigid (Craig Woods)
and soft (Lyndon Jones and Kathy Dumbleton) extended wear lenses and complications is one of the best I have read.
Once again, it is the distillation of the
facts that makes this book so easy and
enjoyable to read.
The special topics section deals with dry
eyes (a superb section), monovision, keratoconus, post-penetrating keratoplasty,
aphakia, refractive surgery, paediatric
contact lens fitting, orthokeratology and
coloured contact lenses. The keratoconus
section by Shelley Cutler and Milton Hom
covers a multitude of different lens
designs and fitting philosophies, and has
numerous clinical pearls for overcoming
the difficulties encountered in this type of
lens fitting. Paediatric fitting (Christine
Sindt) covers a topic that is very close to
my heart and she does it brilliantly. It is
exciting to learn different approaches to

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2006 The Authors

Journal compilation 2006 Optometrists Association Australia

Book reviews

fitting babies and children with different

types of contact lenses and once again,
there are numerous facts derived from
long-term practice offered. John Rinehart
does an excellent job on the topic of
orthokeratology.
Each chapter in the book has an associated section in the CD-ROM, where video
images and high definition slitlamp photographs can be viewed as a means of clarifying the text. The book does not have
coloured graphics, so the correct interpretation of topographical maps and fluorescein patterns must be done in conjunction
with the CD. This may appear to be a timeconsuming process but I found it to be a
simple matter to read the book and switch
to the CD as needed.
I could think of only two additions that
are necessary for this book. First, there is
no dedicated chapter on corneal topography and its absolute value to modern contact lens practice. Although different
sections (keratoconus and orthokeratology) use corneal maps as part of the discussion, the topic deserves its own chapter.
Second, computer-aided and topographybased contact lens fitting needs greater
explanation and expansion. Modern corneal topographers have revolutionised the
way complex contact lenses are designed
and fitted, both by reducing the chair time
required to do the actual fitting (for
example, keratoconus and bitoric fitting)
and in the remake rate. Phillips and
Speedwell1 have included lens design software in their book Contact Lenses and a
section on this area would be a welcome
addition to this book.
This book should be required reading
for every optometric student and new
graduates who are starting contact lens
practice. I found it so enjoyable to read
and so full of facts that I highly recommend it to all my colleagues.
1. Phillips AJ, Speedwell L. Contact Lenses, 5th
ed. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. In
press.

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