EXPENSIVE SURGERY

Femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery will likely remain a hot topic for years to come. However, it still remains a technique beyond the reach of most ophthalmologists due to the great expense involved in acquiring and maintaining a femtosecond laser.

It is thus by means of scholarly books, journal articles and ophthalmology conferences that the ophthalmic community must stay up to date regarding the continuing developments of the field. Femtosecond Cataract Surgery, authored by more than two dozen surgeons, and edited by Federica and Luca Gualdi, fulfils this task. This book, according to the foreword, “is addressed to all surgeons, phacoemulsification experts and young ophthalmologists as a guide to the new experience with femto-cataract” surgery.

According to the authors, the purpose of the book is “to describe femtosecond laser surgery for cataract; to explain the treatment and underline the benefits of this type of digital computerised surgery, and to compare it with the traditional phacoemulsification, which represents the current gold standard.”

The book starts with a history of cataract surgery but quickly moves on to the physics of the femtosecond laser, with many interesting factoids to maintain the reader’s interest: who knew that “femto,” which stands for 10-15, or a millionth of a billionth, comes from the Danish word femten, or fifteen?

A quick overview on femtosecond technique is next, followed by two to three chapters for each of the five femtosecond lasers currently on the market: the LenSx (Alcon); Victus (Bausch + Lomb); LansAR (Topcon), Catalys (Abbott) and LDV Z8 (Ziemer).

TRAINING POSTS

On a different note, before one can consider advanced surgical techniques, one must obtain an ophthalmology training position. In many countries, this is no easy task. How to Get That Training Post in Ophthalmology: The Essential Guide to Getting into an Ophthalmic Postgraduate Training Program (Ang), written by Brian Ang, Shi Zhun Tan and Ken Lee Lai, helps medical students navigate the selection process in the UK, where “ophthalmology is one of the most sought after specialties. The competition is keen.”

The authors lead the reader from a description of “Ophthalmology as a Specialty,” through “Improving your CV” and “The Application Process,” including timelines, essential criteria and tips to make the candidate more competitive. Advice on “The Interview Process” follows, as well as advice for “The Unsuccessful Applicant,” including pursuing training abroad. Particularly useful are the appendices, which include an example CV and example questions for applications, and interviews.