Vitreous Microsurgery, Fourth Edition

Written by a pioneering leader in the development of vitreoretinal surgical techniques and instruments, this volume is a comprehensive how-to guide to all vitreoretinal procedures. This thoroughly updated Fourth Edition describes many new techniques and refinements of established procedures. More than 160 three-dimensional full-color illustrations--many by the Charles Retina Institute's resident medical artist, Byron Wood--enable surgeons to clearly visualize the techniques. This edition features a brand-new chapter on small diameter (25-gauge) sutureless transconjunctival vitrectomy, and presents state-of-the-art information on anti-VEGF therapy for age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and venous occlusive disease. Other highlights include new information on intravitreal Kenalog and new strategies for managing retinopathy of prematurity.

Reviews:

I am a vitreoretinal surgical fellow, and I was looking for an introductory text to vitreous surgery. This book was adequate for that purpose. The fundamental concepts are clearly and concisely described, and at just over 200 pages with excellent illustrations, it's worth the read. However, it is not a book I would keep as a resource. Though Dr. Charles is eminently qualified to write this book, he need not continually describe how he benefited the vitreoretinal community with his contributions. He gives the perception that all surgical problems can be solved solely with his method. To add weight to his arguments, he quotes surgical statistics that are impressive but not entirely honest. For instance, he describes that he created no posterior retinal tears with his "inside-out" method of peeling epiretinal membranes and compares this to the 6-7% rate of retinal tears in the literature. However, he is comparing posterior tears to any tears, and he freely admits he has a 6-7% rate of postoperative retinal detachment, which must have come from intraoperative peripheral retinal tears. His bias is clearly towards Alcon products, and it is well known that he receives considerable compensation from them for his support of 25 gauge technology. In conclusion, at $200 it's worth your time but not your money. Much of the same information can be found in the 3rd volume of Stephen Ryan's Retina.

Dr. Charles is very candid regarding his opinions on various subjects. The book is well written but wordy at times. The organization is pretty good. The discussions are primarily based on his own clinical experience although there is mention of study results. I particularly liked many of the illustrations, which I have seen in chapters of other retina texts that Dr. Charles has co-authored. For those pursuing retina, this book is an excellent introductory text.