The book is written by a specialist trainee and as the name suggests is indeed a rapid novice’s guide to ophthalmology. The target audience are the medics and junior doctors who need a brush up or exam revision. However, the book is equally useful for general practitioners and optometrists requiring a quick reference.
The book is divided into four sections starting with the basic anatomy and physiology of the eye, moving onto history taking, clinical examination, differential diagnoses and finally a portion which is designated to the description of different clinical conditions. Illustrations are good and the well laid out flow charts facilitate rapid navigation of the differentials. Clinical conditions are arranged in an alphabetical order and this user-friendly style facilitates the navigation of rapid access revision and reference.
Suggestions for future editions: There are no images in the book and the companion website www.wileyrapids.com/ophthalmology is rudimentary and has a limited number of photographs. The image bank needs to be expanded further to include more clinical conditions.