Common Ophthalmic Research Articles

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Dictionary of Optometry. By Michel Millodot Manual of Common Ophthalmic Surgical Procedures. Edited by Charles D. Phelps and E.J.W. Hansjoerg Kolder The Physiology of the Cornea and Contact Lens Applications. By Hikaru Hamono and Herbert E. Kaufman Oculoplastic Surgery. Edited by CD. McCord and M. Tanenbaum

Manual of Common Ophthalmic Surgical Procedures

On the one hand, this book represents an act of piety on the part of Dr Kolder, who saw to completion the unfinished work of Dr Phelps. Charles Phelps, head of ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, died at 48 years of age of malignancy. On the other hand, the finished product should be useful to a large and diverse readership, few of whom are likely to be ophthalmic surgeons. The established surgeon will be too fond of his own way of doing things to be concerned with how it is done at Iowa. However, nearly everyone else will profit from reading this 189-page summary of some 33 procedures. The medical student, exposed to up-close ophthalmology for perhaps the only time in his life; the family physician; the internist; the operating room nurse; and, above all, the ophthalmic resident will all use the book and its clear line drawings with

Potential Systemic Side Effects of Six Common Ophthalmic Drugs

Drugs applied topically on the eye are partly absorbed into the eye (possibly 2 to 10%), the remainder can enter the systemic circulation through the conjuctival vessels or from the vessels of the nasolacrhnal passages. Drug molecules which enter the stomach and are not transformed into inactive compounds may also enter the blood stream. Systemic reactions to topically applied ophthalmic drugs are shown to be rare and largely preventable.