Ophthalmology: Theory and Practice

Ophthalmology is a field of medicine and surgery that is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. The eye and the surrounding structures may be affected by disease, disorder or age-related changes. Many of the physiologic and anatomic processes of the eye follow a gradual decline with age. The quality of vision worsens, pupil size reduces and there is a gradual loss of focusing ability. Further, aging also leads to a downward shift of eyelid tissue, laxity and atrophy of the orbital fat. Such changes can contribute to entropion, ptosis, ectropion and dermatochalasis. Some of the common eye diseases include glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration, dry eyes, diabetic retinopathy, eye tumors, etc. The diagnosis of a particular condition is based on the visual acuity, measurements of the intraocular pressure, a retinal examination and a slit lamp examination. In some cases, ultrasonography, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography are required for a complete diagnosis. Corrective lenses may be prescribed for myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism. In other cases, medicinal therapy and surgical procedures may be the appropriate treatment methodologies. This book is compiled in such a manner, that it will provide in-depth knowledge about the theory and practice of ophthalmology. The topics covered in this extensive book deal with ophthalmological conditions, and their therapeutic interventions. This book will prove to be immensely beneficial to ophthalmologists, ocularists, orthoptists, vision therapists, optometrists and opticians.