Media Type: Textbook

Synopsis: This book is an 8 ^th edition of the classic textbook originally published by Drs. Shaffer and Becker in 1961. The goal is “to provide, in one comprehensive volume, information from the clinician’s viewpoint” for the management of glaucoma. In a departure from previous editions, several contributors in addition to the principal authors have assisted with 6 of the 39 chapters; nonetheless, the three principal authors succeed in preserving the cohesiveness of the text, sometimes missing in textbooks in which each chapter is authored by different contributors. Becker-Shaffer’s Diagnosis and Therapy of the Glaucomas, 8 ^th edition , is effectively illustrated without being overdone and provides an excellent update to the diagnosis and treatment of different glaucoma entities.

Target Audience: General Ophthalmologists and Glaucomatologists

Review: All three principal authors, Drs. Stamper, Lieberman, and Drake, are prominent leaders and experts in the field of glaucoma that continues to undergo explosion and evolution of knowledge base in the 10 years since the previous edition of this text was published. Unlike most glaucoma textbooks published in recent memory, Becker-Shaffer’s Diagnosis and Therapy of the Glaucomas is written mostly by the three principal authors, to preserve the cohesiveness of the overall text. Additional contributors, Drs. Berlin, Camejo, Johnstone, and Noecker, lend their expertise in the specific chapters related to aqueous humor outflow system, optic nerve imaging, and laser therapy.

The text is nicely divided into sections: aqueous humor dynamics, clinical examinations of the eye, clinical entities, medical treatment, laser therapy, surgical principles and procedures. The illustrations are effectively presented, with a nice mixture of schematic drawings and high-quality, clinical photographs, as well as succinct tables and boxes of lists in each chapter. The chapter on intraocular pressure incorporates a comprehensive discussion of various methods of intraocular pressure measurements, including newer devices that have been introduced in recent years. The chapters on perimetry have clear emphasis on Humphrey fields without ignoring other modalities such as Octopus and frequency-doubling perimetry. The chapter on optic nerve imaging, co-written by Drs. Camejo and Noecker, is an excellent overview of the 3 predominant imaging technologies currently in use, and includes ample illustrations. The chapters on medical treatment are broken down by the categories of pharmacotherapeutic agents, and provide thorough, unbiased information on each medication. The chapters on surgical management are excellently illustrated, with clear schematic drawings of important steps. One of the last chapters of the text briefly discusses the newer surgical approaches in glaucoma, such as non-penetrating and trabecular-bypass procedures. Lastly, the appendix details the consensus statements released between 2004 and 2007 by the World Glaucoma Association, chaired by Dr. Robert N. Weinreb.

In summary, Becker-Shaffer’s Diagnosis and Therapy of the Glaucomas, 8 ^th edition is an excellent update to the classic textbook, providing a succinct one-volume approach to the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, and should be welcomed by any ophthalmologist seeking a nicely illustrated overview of glaucoma care in the new millennium.