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Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-Related Macular Degeneration The editors of this stellar new book, subtitled A Comprehensive Textbook, assembled an international cast of expert contributors in an attempt to detail the multifarious aspects of a complex disease. They succeeded. Beginning with a concise review of normal macular anatomy and function, the book succinctly and sometimes thoroughly covers the etiology, histopathology, animal models, and classification systems of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with extensive and essential references. There are 2 chapters in the classification section covering polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and retinal angiomatous proliferation, important entities that merit the up-to-date descriptions they receive. So much of our understanding, such as it currently is, has been derived from advances in macular imaging. There are solid reviews of fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography and optical coherence tomography with a wealth of clearly described images. In a field where new imaging technology may be a rumor in a journal one year and an essential tool a few years later, the editors recognized the “heads-up” value of reviewing new imaging modalities. This chapter highlights some of these, including topographic angiography and confocal imaging techniques, with essential historical and technological grounding. There is a too-short chapter on issues regarding oxidative stress and AMD, although it is well-referenced. The section on treatment modalities provides a comprehensive overview of current treatment options for neovascular AMD. In this era of rapidly evolving anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments for AMD, any textbook will be rapidly outdated regarding current anti-VEGF therapies, but the chapters devoted to pegaptanib sodium and ranibizumab include detailed scientific rationales for anti-VEGF therapy in general. The book concludes with 5 chapters on potential future directions in AMD treatment, including gene therapy, retinal transplantation, artificial vision, and neuroprotection. All are well-written introductions to the science behind the concept, providing a good starting point for learning about these fields. This book is dedicated to the memory of J. Donald M. Gass in a fond tribute by Paul Sternberg, Jr. The foreword was written by Dr Gass, who noted that the editors “deserve(d) the collective applause from our field for publishing this important textbook.” Correspondence: Dr Whitehead, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 406 Science Dr, Suite 400, Madison, WI 53711 (whitehead@rc.ophth.wisc.edu). http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Archives of Ophthalmology American Medical Association

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Archives of Ophthalmology , Volume 124 (8) – Aug 1, 2006
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Publisher
American Medical Association
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN
0003-9950
eISSN
1538-3687
DOI
10.1001/archopht.124.8.1213-b
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The editors of this stellar new book, subtitled A Comprehensive Textbook, assembled an international cast of expert contributors in an attempt to detail the multifarious aspects of a complex disease. They succeeded. Beginning with a concise review of normal macular anatomy and function, the book succinctly and sometimes thoroughly covers the etiology, histopathology, animal models, and classification systems of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with extensive and essential references. There are 2 chapters in the classification section covering polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and retinal angiomatous proliferation, important entities that merit the up-to-date descriptions they receive. So much of our understanding, such as it currently is, has been derived from advances in macular imaging. There are solid reviews of fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography and optical coherence tomography with a wealth of clearly described images. In a field where new imaging technology may be a rumor in a journal one year and an essential tool a few years later, the editors recognized the “heads-up” value of reviewing new imaging modalities. This chapter highlights some of these, including topographic angiography and confocal imaging techniques, with essential historical and technological grounding. There is a too-short chapter on issues regarding oxidative stress and AMD, although it is well-referenced. The section on treatment modalities provides a comprehensive overview of current treatment options for neovascular AMD. In this era of rapidly evolving anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments for AMD, any textbook will be rapidly outdated regarding current anti-VEGF therapies, but the chapters devoted to pegaptanib sodium and ranibizumab include detailed scientific rationales for anti-VEGF therapy in general. The book concludes with 5 chapters on potential future directions in AMD treatment, including gene therapy, retinal transplantation, artificial vision, and neuroprotection. All are well-written introductions to the science behind the concept, providing a good starting point for learning about these fields. This book is dedicated to the memory of J. Donald M. Gass in a fond tribute by Paul Sternberg, Jr. The foreword was written by Dr Gass, who noted that the editors “deserve(d) the collective applause from our field for publishing this important textbook.” Correspondence: Dr Whitehead, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, 406 Science Dr, Suite 400, Madison, WI 53711 (whitehead@rc.ophth.wisc.edu).

Journal

Archives of Ophthalmology – American Medical Association

Published: Aug 1, 2006

There are no references for this article.