Basic Sciences in Ophthalmology: Physics and Chemistry 2013th Edition (2013) by Josef Flammer PDF

Description

Basic Sciences in Ophthalmology aims to link clinical ophthalmology directly to its basic science roots. This first volume describes the physics and chemistry required for a sound understanding of modern ophthalmology. The book opens with an extensive discussion of the interaction of light with matter and the way in which light is used in ophthalmic examinations and treatments. After describing traditional methods of imaging, particular emphasis is placed on modern instrumentation such as OCT. The interaction between light and tissues in different types of laser treatment is also addressed. The chemistry section focuses on compounds particularly relevant to the eye, such as oxygen and water. The origin and consequences of oxidative stress are reviewed, and the physical behavior of chemical compounds in the eye is explained. Understanding is facilitated through the use of many examples taken from the field of ophthalmology. The text is complemented by about 450 figures.

Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Ophthalmology is probably at present the most fascinating field of medicine. If you are short- or far-sighted – no need to wear glasses or contact lenses: modern refractive surgery can bring you to “zero diopters” by a safe procedure within a few minutes. If you are elderly and your lens is becoming opaque – cataract surgery (the most frequent surgical intervention in the Western world) is completely painless, takes generally less than 10 minutes and ends with the implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL) that might give you a better visual acuity not just compared to the time before the operation but possibly better than ever in your life (if you suffered from a higher refractive error which the IOL can easily correct). And while wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma can still not be cured; there are now therapies available that can prevent or at least delay visual loss.Josef Flammer, recently retired chair of ophthalmology at the University of Basel (Switzerland), has devoted his life as a physician and scientist to achieve a better understanding of the function of the eye – and what is going on in this valuable organ in the case of disease. His research has in particular led to a better understanding of glaucoma which – as he has shown – is not just a matter of an elevated intraocular pressure but for many patients a generalized disease with disturbances of the blood flow.Flammer and his co-authors, Maneli Mozaffarieh (an eye doctor) and Hans Bebie (a retired professor of theoretical physics), have created a tribute to our basic natural sciences, mainly chemistry and physics, and the role they are playing in understanding, examining and, yes, even healing the eye. It is hard to believe how entertaining modern state-of-the-art science can be until you have read this book. Lavishly illustrated, the authors take us by the hand and let us meet milestones and great innovators – like Albert Einstein who revolutionized our understanding of the nature of light (among many other things), like Marie Curie or like Hermann Helmholtz who invented the ophthalmoscope and thus laid the foundation for all the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches when it comes to the retina and its diseases like diabetic retinopathy, AMD and retinal detachment. By explaining how complex physical and chemical processes are working, Flammer shows us how physicians these days treat eye diseases – by laser, with drugs injected into the vitreous of the eye and with a surgery that really deserves the term “minimally invasive”. The authors also teach us unobtrusively that prevention is a real, inexpensive and effective personal choice: a nutrition, for instance, rich in antioxidants is helpful in preventing – to a certain degree – the chemical processes that can lead to diseases like some forms of glaucoma and AMD. One of these antioxidants is resveratrol of which red wine is so rich – an appropriate drink (for the adult reader only, of course) to toast Flammer, Mozaffarieh and Bebie whose sparks of enthusiasm for science and medicine quite easily reach the reader.

⭐The book Basic Science in Ophthalmology, written by three well know scientists and educators, is a wonderful summary of basic physics and chemistry for most Ophthalmologists and Optometrists. Because it covers so many important topics in a easy to read and easy to follow manner, I never went tired while reading the well structued and sumptuous illustrated chapters.I would especially recommend the book to students, but also for people who are just interested in the topic of how the eye and vision interact in physics and chemistery and who love to have a handy size and pleasurable readable book.Well done !

⭐This book provides a solid foundation and overview of all the basic sciences in ophthalmology and their clinical application. It’s rare that I’ve come across a book that explains the principles of vision science, physics, and optics in such an interesting manner. In my teaching career, it’s wonderful to find books that can present complex subjects and information in a way that students can understand and grasp. It’s an excellent supplemental guide to both medical and optometry students as well as teaching and research professionals.

⭐A must-read for ophthalmologists and optometrists. Numerous colorful illustrations make the subject matter interesting and easy to understand. The textbook brings various basic sciences together to help the reader gain a more in-depth appreciation of optics, chemistry, and modern clinical ophthalmology. Highly recommended!