Atlas of Computerized Perimetry.
Chris A. Johnson · Optometry and Vision Science · 2000
Atlas of Computerized Perimetry. Jörg Weber, Joseph Caprioli. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders. 2000. Pages: 256. Price: $85.00. ISBN 0-7216-6737-6. FIGUREFigureAs its name implies, Atlas of Computerized Perimetry contains a large number of examples of visual fields from a variety of ocular and neurologic disorders. Many of these examples also include retinal or optic nerve photographs, CT scans, and pertinent clinical information. This makes the book an excellent teaching tool, particularly for those new to perimetry and visual field testing. The inclusion of so many different clinical examples is clearly one of the major strengths of this book. There are also many examples in which the same visual field information is represented according to a variety of different formats to illustrate how various methods of presenting visual field results compare with each other. This feature is a unique aspect of this book and represents an important instructional guide, especially with the increasing number of analysis procedures and graphical methods currently being derived for automated perimetry. The book is written in a very clear, concise fashion, thereby making it possible for the novice reader to obtain a good overview of the essentials of automated perimetry within a relatively short period of time. Although I was quite favorably impressed with the book, it could be improved in a few areas. The most striking omission is the lack of a bibliography. In several parts of the text there are references to prior work (for example, on page 16, there is a reference to Fankhauser and Spahr, 1974), but the full citations are not provided elsewhere. The absence of a bibliography also makes it difficult for the novice to distinguish between concepts that are generally established in the literature from those that might represent the personal opinions of the authors. Readers interested in learning more about a specific topic are also deprived of the opportunity to obtain a convenient entry into the relevant literature when no references are presented. Hopefully, future editions of this book will include an appropriate set of literature references. There are several other aspects of the book that could also be improved. The description of how the eye’s optics form an image on the retina is incorrect; this should also be rectified in a revised edition of this book. Also, there are a couple of descriptions of visual field deficits associated with specific visual pathway disorders that are a bit misleading. For example, the discussion of medullated nerve fibers indicates that nerve fiber bundle type deficits are not observed for this condition and that the typical appearance of the visual field includes an enlarged, irregular blind spot; an example of this is shown. Although this can occur, it is also possible to have medullated nerve fibers that extend farther along the nerve fiber bundle arcade. The resulting visual field deficits can have the distinct appearance of a partial nerve fiber bundle deficit reminiscent of glaucoma. In addition, the section concerned with optic tract lesions implies that they are often congruous, whereas most neuroophthalmologic sources indicate that highly incongruent homonymous deficits are the general rule for optic tract lesions. Overall, I believe that this is an especially good book for people with limited or no prior exposure to perimetry and visual field testing. Because of the large variety of visual field deficits presented for different visual pathway disorders, it can also serve as a point of reference for interpretation of visual fields in the future. For those wishing a quick introduction to automated perimetry and interpretation of visual field results, Atlas of Computerized Perimetry will nicely fill the bill.