This book is extremely helpful for a new starter / clinician in ophthalmology emergency services. However, to understand the algorithms and the explanations, the clinician would need a good knowledge and understanding of anatomy and physiology of the eye and other systems.
The authors have covered the vast topic of ophthalmic emergencies, the presentation, the differentials and the management into easier classifications and have signposted well to make it easier for the reader to access and understand information.
The chapters and sections of the book are classified into different presentations and scenarios which are commonly faced by ophthalmic emergency clinicians and I felt it was quick and easy to navigate around to find the information, especially when you are working clinically and you have limited time to hand. This will help the junior clinician understand how to make decisions out of hours when there is limited senior help available and how to monitor stable ophthalmic conditions. The authors also highlight the scenarios when they would need to ask for subspecialty input.
This book will also help in guiding the clinician to carry out appropriate investigations and to avoid unnecessary interventions. The algorithm, key points and pitfalls are very helpful to highlight the vital information or the most important points to concentrate on when you are managing a patient. The pictures are helpful for clinicians who have never seen a pathology clinically and will help them to interpret the diagnosis. However, some clinical presentations can look different depending on the severity and the cause, and so may look different from those shown in the book.
If you already have basic knowledge of ophthalmology, this book is easy to follow. It was noted that some of the algorithms are too wordy and big and sometimes it can be a bit confusing. However, overall, I think this book will be helpful in a clinical setting to access information quickly when there is only limited time available to make a decision.
