Eye Pathology: An Atlas and Text, 2nd Edition
M. Walker · Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology · 2012
Ralph C. Eagle . Eye Pathology: An Atlas and Text, 2nd Edition . Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins , Philadelphia , 2011 . 320 Pages (hardcover). Price £96.90 (Amazon). ISBN- 10 1608317889 ; ISBN- 13 978-1608317882 This is the second edition of ‘Eye Pathology: An Atlas and Text’ authored by Ralph C. Eagle. I have to say I was delighted when I first stumbled across this book; it has been my impression in recent years that new textbooks of ophthalmic pathology have been rather thin on the ground. The author, Ralph C. Eagle, is one of the world's best known ophthalmic pathologists and has taught ophthalmic pathology at the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) ophthalmic pathology course and at academic institutions all over the world. This text bears testament to his wealth of experience. The colourful front cover instantly gives an indication of the wealth of images that lie within. True to the title, the uniformly high-quality images throughout the book are complemented by text which is a well written and concise summary of modern ophthalmic pathology. A total of 16 chapters are presented in 304 pages. The book starts with an introductory chapter covering ocular anatomy and histology, while the second chapter reviews congenital and developmental anomalies. The remaining 14 chapters are dedicated to specific disease processes (inflammation, ocular trauma, glaucoma, intraocular tumours in adults, retinoblastoma and stimulating lesions) and specific anatomical compartments (conjunctiva, cornea and sclera, the lens, retina, vitreous, the eyelid and lacrimal drainage system, orbit and optic nerve). The final chapter is dedicated to laboratory techniques, special stains and immunohistochemistry. For a relatively slender-looking book there is impressively wide-ranging and up-to-date coverage of ophthalmic disease processes. I have always been a fan of single-author texts and the consistency in writing style makes this an easy as well as informative read. The images are incorporated alongside the relevant text for easy reference. These include macroscopic and microscopic images as well as electron microscopy. All of the illustrations are high-quality and, to the delight of anyone who has to teach ophthalmic pathology, the images are downloadable from an image bank at the publisher's website. Each chapter ends with a detailed bibliography for those interested in further reading. The second edition expands upon areas which the author felt were covered too superficially in the first edition. These include intraocular tumours in adults, the corneal dystrophies, melanocytic lesions of the conjunctiva, ocular and adnexal lymphomas, and the use of immunohistochemistry. All of these topics are covered in a clear and concise manner. The section on uveal melanoma is particularly well written, including a very detailed consideration of relevant prognostic factors. The online access includes not only access to the image bank but also an interactive question bank (with more than 400 multiple choice questions) and the full text of the title as an online E-book. The preface states that the author wanted to write a text that fulfilled the need for a basic eye pathology text that was fairly comprehensive, yet concise enough to be read and mastered in a relatively short period of time. I think it is safe to say that this book meets and exceeds those aims. While it could be read and mastered during an ophthalmic pathology elective, I suspect it is the sort of book that any histopathologist who has dealings with ophthalmic pathology would be keen to keep close by as a handy and up-to-date reference. Its accessible writing style and wealth of illustrations would also make it an excellent choice for ophthalmologists in training. Of course, there are limitations to how much detail can be put in a book of this size, but it certainly crams in more information than you would expect from just over 300 pages of text. Representing excellent value for money at only £96.90 (http://www.amazon.co.uk), I would highly recommend it.