The 8th Edition does not list Dr. Jack Kanski as one of the primary editors/authors; instead, the task of updating this work has fallen to one of his colleagues, Dr. Brad Bowling, who did a superb job of maintaining Dr. Kanski's original vision while inserting his own style to present up-to-date evidence-based information about the essential topics of ophthalmology. Having personally relied heavily on the 7th edition during residency and through board review, I've been very eager to review this new text, which was released earlier this year.
As you would expect, each section typically starts with a brief overview of the anatomy, histology, physiology, and other general background information, before diving into the most common pathology. Each disease has a brief introduction, distinguishing features/differential diagnosis/workup section, and treatment section. Not too dissimilar from most ophthalmology textbooks.
kanski clinical ophthalmology 7th edition
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What makes Kanski so invaluable are the color photos, figures, and diagrams that rival any ophthalmology atlas. While there are typically detailed descriptors of each key finding, these high-resolution images will often clarify critical concepts. Each image has a short caption that succinctly explains the image. Most pages have anywhere from 1 to 6 images surrounding the text, which is an awesome reference for those visual learners.
If you're looking for in-depth explanations diving into the minutiae of ophthalmic basic science, this is not the book for you. The text is brief in its descriptions but high-yield in its content. Its breadth of topics covers the essential topics in ophthalmology; its depth is sufficient for the budding ophthalmologist, or for someone doing some moderately-intense review.
Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the topic. Anatomy typically begins the section, followed by physiology and histology, terminology, evaluation techniques and interpretation, and basics of treatment. There is some variation in what is specifically highlighted in the introduction based on the nature of the subject material. Images in this section are typically of normal anatomy or histology. Often there are also diagrams illustrating physiology, pictures of instruments and diagnostic data, or tables comparing different clinical findings.
The disease topics discuss the essential features of the disease: epidemiology, pathogenesis/pathophysiology, clinical features (symptoms/signs), differential diagnosis and workup, and treatment. All of the most common diseases and most of the diseases with notable appearances have images. There are many histopathology images, which are often directly compared with the corresponding clinical appearance. In some cases, photographs of surgical treatment are included.
Throughout the book, there are some insets - these brightly-colored boxes are often descriptions of surgical or clinical techniques. To me, these are super useful. When I was first learning how to perform a laser trabeculoplasty, I referenced Kanski's step-by-step "how to perform an ALT" to make sure I didn't forget any steps. They're great for a quick refresher, or if you're trying to find a quick guide for various procedures and exam techniques.
Like I mentioned above, the high-quality images and figures found in this textbook are very good. Since ophthalmology is such a highly visual specialty, it's crucial to see as many good representative images for pattern recognition as possible. For those people reviewing images in preparation for the oral board exam, these pictures can be very helpful.
All of the major topics in ophthalmology are covered. However, not every single aspect of ophthalmology is covered (which makes sense in a single-volume text). Bonus points for discussing ophthalmic manifestations of systemic medications (which is a common screening we have to do in clinic).
For a single-volume textbook, I think Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology satisfies the requirements for introducing someone to the field of ophthalmology: clinically-directed explanations, example images, details on the most common and essential topics in each sub-specialty, etc. As I've previously stated, I think this text is a must-have for every beginning ophthalmologist.
For some people, Kanski would be sufficient to review the "essentials" and pass the ABO written qualifying exam. However, there are definitely some knowledge gaps in the text that would require supplemental material (for example, clinical optics). For this reason, as a stand-alone text, I can't give it a rating any higher than a 3.5.
Studying for the ABO oral exam has to be approached much differently than for the written exam. Because the oral exam aims to test how well you can articulate a structured approach to common clinical scenarios, it's important to have texts that are well-organized, full of images, and brief. While it's a bit lengthy for a quick review, it's still a great option for preparing for the oral exam.
The textbook itself is a fairly standard size (1.8 x 8.8 x 11 inches, 6.7 pounds), but is still bulky enough that you may not want to lug the physical book around on your clinical rotations. Although it might not be the most ideal quick-reference book in the clinic, it would be worth taking with you for more in-depth study sessions.
The listed retail price for the book is $259.99, which seems to me like a pretty fair price for a comprehensive ophthalmology textbook. Of course, if you shop around online, there are always different deals/discounts available. I think Elsevier, the publisher, typically runs 20-30% discounts on their textbooks if you purchase directly from them. Amazon has similar discounts and may offer better deals through their Marketplace. If you're not hung up on getting a brand new book so that you can gain online access, purchasing the book used may be a more affordable solution as well.
I believe that Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology is one of the most popular general ophthalmology textbooks out there. Its popularity is justified - it covers the basic topics and provides just enough detail to be useful in most situations. Whether you're learning ophthalmology for the first time, preparing for OKAP/board exams, or trying to remember some detail years down the road to help one of your patients, this text is a fantastic reference.
I bought the 7th edition during my 2nd year of residency. Up until then, I had solely been using the AAO's Basic and Clinical Science Course to study. While certain topics lack the depth or breadth of the BCSC, there were some aspects of clinical disease that Kanski was able to explain much better, such as the basics of diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Since I bought the book, I used the 7th edition to study for OKAP my last year of residency, for the written board exam, and for the oral board exam. Upon first glance, it doesn't look like there is much change to the actual content, but I look forward to looking through the new layout and using it as a reference to bring you the highest quality content for ophthalmology.
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