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Show BOOK REVIEWS Section Editor: Steven A. Newman, MD Strabismus Surgery John D. Ferris, FRCOphth, and Peter E. J. Davies, FRANZCO, MPH. Saunders, Elsevier Inc., Philadelphia, 2007. ISBN 978- 1- 4160- 3020- 1, $ 129.00. Scope: This short graphical atlas and annotated text is one of six books in a series of surgical techniques in ophthalmology edited by F. Hampton Roy and Larry Benjamin. It completes a series that includes surgical pearls in cataract, glaucoma, refractive surgery, retinal and vitreous, and oculoplastic surgical techniques. In addition to the text, there is a superb DVD for Windows and Macintosh that is annotated to the text and highlights, with appropriate narration, many of the techniques described. The authors of this book are from the United Kingdom and Australia, and therefore the details with respect to surgical management are somewhat different from those American ophthalmologists are accustomed to. However, the reader is guided through very well- organized chapters that are clearly focused. The first section, on surgical techniques, goes from basic ( surgical instruments and sutures and common surgical techniques) to advanced, including techniques for transposition surgery, posterior fixation suture techniques, and oblique muscle surgery. The second section includes 12 parts on common surgical problems in pediatric ophthalmology, specifically ranging from infantile esotropia and exotropia, to cranial nerve palsies, restrictive strabismus, and nystagmus. Appendices provide the author's recommendations for surgical planning tables ( differing from what has been published in the United States), and an overview of surgical complications. Each section is separated to discuss goals and indications for surgery, the salient portions of the preoperative assessment and preoperative counseling, as well as surgical and postoperative management. The text nicely combines thought processes with actual surgical tips, as would be in a standard atlas. Strengths: This short and appealing textbook is clearly written and is focused to allow the strabismus surgeon the necessary background to supplement formal laboratory and clinical surgical training. There are many high- quality figures. The line drawings are also well done. The DVD uses animated footage from actual surgical procedures and is therefore able to demonstrate surgical techniques much more precisely than a standard atlas. Nearly all common types of strabismus and management are covered, and even newer surgical procedures ( such as medial rectus pulley posterior fixations and transpositions for hypotropias associated with large eyes and esotropia in high myopia) are described. The text is fitted with bullet points that concisely illustrate the thought processes behind the surgical principles. Weaknesses: Because this text is written by foreign authors, some of the surgical techniques standard in the United States are not described, including the sew back technique of rectus muscle recession, and the two double armed suture ( four- needle) resection technique. The Foster modification of the full vertical tendon transfer muscle procedure for sixth nerve palsy is not described or referenced. Although the authors note that the anti- elevation syndrome is a potential complication of inferior oblique anteriorization, they describe their technique for performing the procedure. It is no longer widely used in the United States. Also, many of the photographs would benefit from arrowheads or other markers pointing to various anatomical structures. Finally, decision- making for the procedures involved with superior oblique palsies is different from that classically described by Parks or Scott and used in most pediatric ophthalmology fellowship programs in North America. Recommended Audience: This textbook should be used to supplement surgical training in residencies and fellowships. The comprehensive ophthalmologist who occasionally performs basic strabismus procedures may find it useful. Critical Appraisal: This book and corresponding excellent DVD perform a superb job in collating the salient points of surgical decision- making and strabismus surgical techniques for a wide variety of strabismus procedures and diagnoses. It is well organized, extremely readable, and visually pleasing. I will be using it in the surgical training for our residents and fellows. Sean P. Donahue, MD, PhD Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee The First Half Second: The Microgenesis and Temporal Dynamics of Unconscious and Conscious Visual Processes Haluk Ogmen, PhD, and Bruno G. Breitmeyer, PhD. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2006. ISBN 0- 262- 65107- 6, $ 73.99. Scope: This is a multiauthored book that reviews the temporal aspects of visual processing as it relates to consciousness. The book grew out of a 2003 multidisciplinary workshop of the same title held in Houston, Texas. J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008 161 J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008 Book Reviews The intended audience for the book includes graduate students and researchers in the field of cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neuroengineering, computational intelligence, and philosophy of the mind. The " first half second" in the title refers to the 500 msec ( or half second) that follows presentation of a visual stimulus, which represents the time when the stimulus is " preconsciously" processed. The book is divided into six parts. The first part outlines major issues in the study of conscious and unconscious visual processes, with one chapter dedicated to reviewing aspects of the microgenesis of perception. Micro-genesis is denned as a psychological process in response to a sensory stimulus that results in a percept, an emotional response, or the formulation of an action. The second part reviews functional and anatomical data related to dynamic visual processing in the context of the following: 1) the visuomotor system and priming ( priming involves a " pre-conscious" presentation of a stimulus that effects recognition of that stimulus), 2) edge and scene detection and priming, and 3) conscious perception and masking ( masking results in the blocking or reducing of the perception of one visual stimulus by presentation of another). The third part examines the use of visual masking in understanding the temporal dynamics of conscious and unconscious vision. The fourth part discusses attentional processes involved within the half second after visual stimulus presentation and the methods used to study attention with a focus on the use of event- related potentials ( that is, an application of EEG to the study of neuronal response to stimuli). The fifth part explores the topic of temporal visual processing of features and objects using the framework of cortical functional specialization ( that is, specialization of cortical regions for processing motion, color, faces, etc.), figure- ground segregation and feature binding, and mathematical modeling of neural mechanisms. The final part investigates the current understanding of conscious and preconscious visual processing. Strengths: The book brings together a truly interdisciplinary topic under one title. Although many of the studies reviewed are neuropsychologic, there is a strong emphasis on the principles of cortical neurophysiology to help define conscious and preconscious visual perception. Weaknesses: Often the sections of the book are disjointed; topics in the same section may have very little overlap or connection to each other. Some authors do not relate the data they review to conscious and preconscious visual processing, and at times the reader is expected to be very well- versed in specific historical concepts and research methodology related to a topic. Recommended Audience: As a whole, this book will probably not appeal to all in the intended audience, but certain sections are likely to be very valuable to a researcher in the field of neuropsychology or neurophysiology interested in the study of temporal and dynamic visual processing. This book is not suited for those with a novel curiosity into conscious and preconscious visual processing. Critical Appraisal: The book represents the outcome of a workshop meeting dedicated to recent advances in the study of the temporal dynamics of visual processing, particularly the processing that occurs within the first " half second" of a visual stimulus presentation. It provides a glimpse into the various methodologies used to study dynamic visual processing in its relationship to conscious and preconscious vision, and the editors provide a large body of up- to- date research data on the topic. The reader appeal is narrow. The book is best suited for researchers in the field of dynamic visual processing and conscious vision. Victoria S. Pelak, MD University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Denver VA Medical Center Denver, Colorado Netter's Atlas of Human Neuroscience David L. Felten, MD, PhD, and Ralph F. Jozefowicz, MD. Icon Learning Systems LLC, Teterboro, NJ, 2003. ISBN 1929007- 16- 7, $ 49.95. Scope: This is a 300- page softcover oversize book that contains the original classic Frank H. Netter paintings of the nervous system supplemented with new schematic drawings by two additional medical artists and lengthy legends written by the authors. Netter studied art before he became a general surgeon, and he eventually gave up his practice to settle into a full- time collaboration with the CIBA Pharmaceutical Company ( now Novartis) in the mid- 20th century to produce 20,000 illustrations covering the whole body. Recognizing some gaps and the value of updating with additional drawings and explanatory text, the publisher of this book, Icon Learning Systems, acquired the rights to the 13- volume, 20,000 paintings in the Netter collection in 2000. For this volume, the publisher invited two learned neuroscientists to dress them up. Felten, the first author, is a University of California- Irvine physician- scientist with an interest in neuroanatomy and neurobiology and the winner of a McArthur " genius" award. Josefowicz is a University of Rochester neurologist and recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award from the American Neurological Association. The authors are close colleagues who co- directed the University of Rochester medical neurosciences course for medical students for 15 years. 162 © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Book Reviews J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008 Strengths: If you had forgotten how good the Netter drawings are, this is a swift reminder. Crafted by a superb artist who understood anatomy and its clinical relevance, these paintings remain the core offering here. But the understanding of central nervous connections and neurophysiology has advanced since Netter's time, and this book does an excellent job of updating. The new drawings and the legends are important additions. The authors have wisely avoided trying to upstage the drawings by limiting the text. Weaknesses: The new paintings are not as aesthetic as Netter's, but the schematic illustrations, which derive from the authors' expertise, are very good. Recommended Audience: Anyone who wants to understand the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system will find this book very helpful. Critical Appraisal: Frank Netter is the Norman Rockwell of medical art. Other medical atlases ( especially that of Sobotta) may have even more exquisite renderings of anatomy, but Netter's work has the imprint of a physician. He learned about these body parts in medical school. He understood how they work. He operated on them. They now appear with annotations by erudite physician- scientists who know how to teach. The production values are topnotch, coverage of the material is comprehensive, and, as a soft-bound issue, the price is right. This is a long- awaited pairing of pictures and text that is bound to advance medical teaching. Jonathan D. Trobe, MD Kellogg Eye Center University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Psychophysics of Reading in Normal and Low Vision Gordon E. Legge, PhD. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., Mahwah, NJ, 2007. ISBN: 0- 8058- 4328- 0, $ 110.00. Scope: This book on the role of vision in reading outlines the significance of physical properties of text on reading performance and the consequences for information processing. It describes reading performance of persons with normal and impaired vision. The aim of the book is to synthesize the major findings of the work reported in a series of 20 articles by the author and his collaborators and to place them in the context of other contemporary research on reading and vision. The accompanying compact disc contains the reprints of all 20 articles published between 1985 and 2002 on psychophysics of reading in normal and low vision. The book consists of five chapters: The first chapter, " Vision and Reading," gives a short historical overview on reading and writing and its importance in society. The second chapter, " Measuring Reading Speed," describes different methods of measuring reading speed and its controlling factors in normally sighted and low vision subjects. The role of eye movements, comprehension, reading accuracy, visual search, and ease of reading is discussed. The third chapter, " Visual Mechanisms in Reading", emphasizes the importance of letter contrast and size for normal and low vision readers and provides the Contrast Sensitivity Function Model for reading based on sine-wave- gratings. Dr. Legge describes in detail the importance of the visual span ( number of letters clearly perceived during one fixation) for reading and provides an insight into different models of letter and word recognition during information processing. The fourth chapter, " Displaying Text," outlines the influence of text characteristics on reading performance in normal and low vision persons. The fifth chapter, written in collaboration with Steven J. Mansfield, PhD, introduces the MNREAD Acuity Chart, which uses short sentences in different print sizes, a standard in English- speaking countries for determining critical print size and reading speed. Strengths: This book gives a very detailed overview of the author's long- standing research in the field of reading. The many classic articles of the series " Psychophysics of Reading" and their significance are discussed in the context of recent research. The pertinent literature is reviewed extensively and gives a good overview of the field. Weaknesses: One weakness of the text is that is does not sufficiently consider the mechanism of eccentric viewing in patients with a central scotoma and its impact on the visual and perceptual span. A clinically oriented reader will miss links to specific pathologic conditions and a more concrete insight into rehabilitation options. Recommended Audience: In addressing researchers in low vision research, psychology of reading, display engineering, and human factors, the book is written primarily for readers with expertise in one of these fields. It addresses the needs of specialists and advanced students who already have a relevant background. Therefore, this book is especially valuable and recommendable for researchers in the field of reading and low vision. Critical Appraisal: Dr. Gordon E. Legge is a highly respected professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota and one of the most prominent researchers in 163 J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008 Book Reviews the field of reading and low vision. His book provides a detailed basis for planning and understanding projects in reading research. It is recommended to anyone with a committed interest in this field. Susanne Trauzettel- Klosinski, MD Department of Pathophysiology of Vision and Neuro- Ophthalmology University Eye Hospital Tubingen, Germany Seeing Spatial Form Michael R. M. Jenkin, PhD, and Laurence R. Harris, PhD. Oxford University Press, New York, 2006. ISBN 0- 19- 517288- 4, $ 65.00. Scope: This book is a festschrift for David Martin Regan, an influential researcher on the topic. It is an edited multi-author compilation of papers on the neural and psychologic processes that underlie the complicated task of detecting and interpreting spatial forms in the visual environment. It is divided into five sections covering 1) Form Vision, 2) Motion and Color, 3) Eye Movements, 4) Neural Basis of Form Vision, and 5) Development. The sections vary in detail and content, ranging from 30 to 150 pages and 2 to 5 papers. As is appropriate for a book on visual processing, there are copious illustrations, including a 4- page color folio. These illustrations are supplemented by animations and figures on a CD- ROM, which also includes a Quicktime computerized recording of David Regan's own presentation at the 2003 York Vision Conference. Strengths: The strength of this volume lies in its compilation of related research reviews into a single volume. The authors do an excellent job of capturing the exquisitely complicated ( and nearly completely automatic and unconscious) processes involved in extracting meaning from the visual world. Weaknesses: As a festschrift, the volume lacks a clearly articulated systematic approach to the topic. Although many of the chapters will appeal to many readers, it appears unlikely that the same subset of work will appeal to all. For example, it is hard to predict that the reader drawn to this book by Chapter 10, " Form- From- Watercolor in Surface Perception, and Old Maps" is likely to find Chapter 18, the more therapeutically oriented " Improving Abnormal Spatial Vision in Adults with Amblyopia" as appealing. Recommended Audience: The papers share a link to the overall title and more specifically to Regan's work but otherwise do not constitute a systematic heuristically oriented approach to the topic. It is therefore most suitable for researchers in the field and their students, rather than general students of psychophysics or neuro- ophthalmologists. Critical Appraisal: This volume's detailed coverage of interesting and interrelated topics make it well suited to serve as a shelf reference for researchers and teachers in visual psychophysics, but it lacks the overt theoretical framework and consistency of approach to be the only book on that shelf. David S. Geldmacher, MD University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia How to Report Statistics in Medicine: Annotated Guidelines for Authors, Editors, and Reviewers, 2nd Edition Thomas A. Lang, MA, and Michelle Secic, MS. American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, 2006. ISBN: 1- 930513- 69- 0, $ 54.95. Scope: This is a well- written second edition of a statistics textbook that is appropriate for students and physicians using statistics in preparing manuscripts for publication. It can serve as a quick reference with its highly annotated index and guide at the end for statistical terms and tests. For the reader with a bit more time, it delves into the specifics of each technique and statistical measurement without getting bogged down in details. The textbook is clearly organized into parts that are logically delineated. The beginning chapters deal with guidelines for reporting statistics in medicine. Part II has guidelines for reporting research designs and activities. The latter parts deal with reporting integrated research methods and guidelines for presenting data and statistics in tables and figures. Strengths: The book highlights in each chapter some very common pitfalls in medical writing and helps guide the novice to a critical look at the data to determine what kind of statistical tests are appropriate for that particular data set. Additionally, it has an abundance of medial examples using statistical measures and terms that were previously introduced. It has a summary point for each section in bold which helps guide the discussion to follow. In introducing difficult concepts, clearly organized tables are used with an abundance of examples. It even covers psychiatric considerations important in interpreting risk. Weaknesses: Incorporating a bulleted chapter summary would help enormously in organizing the newly acquired information into easily ordered blocks. A chapter or block outline at the outset of each chapter would also help. 164 © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Book Reviews J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008 The legend symbols for each chapter are not helpful when reading each chapter, and they are always used consistently. More tables and examples would have been useful. Recommended Audience: Medical students, residents, and physicians who have little to no background in statistics but are familiar with the process of medical and scientific writing will benefit most from this book. It covers all aspects of using statistics in the scientific writing process. Critical Appraisal: This is an excellent, clearly written, and concise introductory textbook that helps organize guiding principles relevant to medical and scientific writing. It can serve as a quick reference or provide more in- depth information without being overly simplistic or too complex. Deepika Namani, BS Laura J. Baker, MD, MSCE Department of Neurology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 165 |
