Media Type: Textbook (paperback).

Synopsis: Glaucoma surgery is a complex subject to address fully with the inherent challenges of multiple surgical variations used in clinical practice. Dr Malik Kahook, an accomplished and innovative academic glaucoma specialist, should be congratulated for editing a concise, practical, and thorough review of this very topic. He has assembled an outstanding group of associate editors, all of whom are active practitioners and experts in their respective surgical fields. Readers will find a wealth of practical information and clinical pearls pertinent to the needs of busy glaucoma clinicians, fellows, residents, and comprehensive ophthalmologists.

Target Audience: Glaucoma specialists, Fellows, Residents, and Comprehensive Ophthalmologists.

Review: Dr Malik Kahook is an accomplished and innovative academic glaucoma specialist, who has filed for multiple patents and been awarded many awards for his inventions and translational research discoveries. In addressing the complex subject of glaucoma surgery, he should be congratulated for editing a concise, practical, and thorough review of the topic. He has assembled an outstanding group of associate editors, all of whom are active practitioners and experts in their respective surgical fields. Readers will find a wealth of practical information and clinical pearls pertinent to the needs of busy glaucoma clinicians, fellows, residents, and comprehensive ophthalmologists.

The book is divided into 10 sections and 52 short chapters (with 5 additional appendix chapters). The chapters cover a myriad of issues involved in the surgical management of patients with glaucoma, including the various surgical procedures, surgical decision-making process, surgical anatomy, wound modulation, surgical trials, and regulatory insights. The chapters are concise and straightforward in nature, with a key point and short reference section at the conclusion of each chapter. In addition, the last section (i.e. Section X) contains unique perspectives on glaucoma surgery from established experts in the field, while Appendices A-E provide useful information on surgical supplies and instruments, diagnostic and procedural codes, informed consent, surgical dictation examples, and commonly used laser settings.

The information in the book is presented as a combination of each contributing author’s learned opinion and preferred techniques. As such, the book is not meant to be exhaustive in its coverage of the information. The book also shares the inherent limitations of many multi-authored texts–there is sometimes a lack of consistency among chapters, with some being too brief and not comprehensive enough. For example, the reviewer would have enjoyed greater discussion on the role of bleb compression sutures, one site trabeculectomy-phacoemulsification surgery, and the amniotic membrane graft procedure in the surgical management of glaucoma patients. Illustrations and figures would have proven useful in certain chapters involving novel approaches (e.g. trabectome and suprachoroidal devices). In addition, tables would have assisted the reader in certain chapters (e.g. review of glaucoma surgical clinical trials) and algorithms would have been useful for discussions on choosing an appropriate operative technique.

In summary, Essentials of Glaucoma Surgery fills a much needed void in the ophthalmic literature regarding the field of glaucoma surgery. The textbook is an outstanding and thorough review of this challenging topic and will quickly become an invaluable reference for the glaucoma-focused clinician, fellow, and resident.