Ophthalmology: Current Clinical and Research Updates

Davey , P. (Ed.). (2014). Ophthalmology: Current Clinical and Research Updates. InTech. https://www.intechopen.com/books/3848

Reviewed by: John Sayegh, Lehman College

Introduction 

This evaluation is on “Ophthalmology: Current Clinical and Research Updates”. The resource is a textbook and can be downloaded as is since it is in a PDF format already. This resource was created by a large group of scientists who study and research different areas of the eye and put their information on many topics of ophthalmology within this resource. It is not only for the use of other scientists but any individual who either plans on educating themselves with specific diseases relating to the eye or for individuals we are currently within the medical field who need to study this area of health care. There are four wide categories ranging from specific diseases from the eye to current research updates in ophthalmology. I focused on dry eye dysfunction chapter found within section two from pages 155-175.

Evaluation

Content: The content that was found within the section was shown to be clear and straightforward; it thoroughly explained the background information and current updates on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (Dry eye). Slight background knowledge isn’t necessarily required for those who may be in this field of study; however, an individual who has no prior knowledge of medical terms that are discussed within the section should use another resource for a thorough explanation of the terms included within the text. The images that are seen throughout the section explain the topic being discussed for individuals who may want to see exactly what the section is explaining to prevent any confusion. The beginning of the given section provides detailed background information regarding Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (Dry eye) and breaks down every aspect of how the disease may come to be detailing current research and treatments with images being placed nearby to show real-life examples.

Structure, Organization, & Technical: The four broad sections can be easily navigated and read due to their large bold texts. Each section has multiple topics that are labeled clearly and with subtitles large enough that individual won’t be lost in finding information they are researching. There are no hyperlinks found within the PDF; it’s simply all just texts with images. The resource can be downloaded as a PDF and then opened in any program the user may have to allow for greater access for all individuals. The layout for each section does not change as it stays consistent throughout. The only color however is only seen from the images, all text found within the resource is black and white.

Images & Interactive Features: The resource has large amounts of images using graphs, diagrams, and human faces showing the disease being discussed for each subtopic that is presented. There are no hyperlinks or videos throughout the entire resource that the viewer can see so the user would have to rely on the images that are given to aid understanding. A large number of images explain the material before and after the texts thoroughly to make up for the lack of videos. Individuals could gain a vast amount of knowledge from the images; however, those who are better learners of videos may find it difficult to understand the images that are provided. The colors on the images are vibrant enough so that the user can distinguish different parts of the image from others.

Social Justice & Equity: The resource ensures that all authors and scientists who contributed any type of information used in the text were given the proper credit. The authors were from diverse backgrounds, however, the majority were white males and the information that was presented did not discuss specific cases in relation to any particular ethnicities. They kept all the research and information as general as they could for the given section besides mentioning that elderly patients are more prone to dry eye symptoms using statistical percentages provided as proof. The images that were provided only showed the eyes and did not show whole faces often. The small number of faces that were shown were white elderly individuals. The authors did their best to be as general as they could; however, I wish they could have touched upon specific groups that may also experience this disease to allow for more diverse cases of studies.

Accessibility: The resource does allow text to speech from the PDF format and the images were followed by tiny descriptions underneath describing what was being shown. Reproduction or edits of the resource can not be made without permission of the publisher “IntechOpen” allowing the user to then make changes to only individual chapters, not the entire resource. The colors are fairly consistent throughout the sections, however, no option of changing the colors is present which could cause an issue for those who are color blind.

Supplemental Materials: There are no supplemental materials in terms of assessing user knowledge of the information they learned. At the end of the subtopic, there is a conclusion section that briefly summarizes all the main topics discussed.

Overall Review

I would recommend others to use this resource if they are in search of detailed information regarding diseases relating to the eye. This resource is an excellent way for any individual who may be curious about an eye-related disease to learn more about it from a scholarly perspective. Instructors could pull information found within any section as background information or as examples from the images that were shown throughout. It’s a fairly easy text to understand besides the few terms that may need to be defined through another source. The colors are easy to follow however could prove to be difficult for those who are colorblind. The resource lacks alternative colors for the images and could be seen as a weak point in terms of accessibility. It gives thorough information about each subtopic and gives general images besides the few that were focused on white elderly individuals. Overall, the content provides a perfect open resource that anyone can access.