Fineman_Retina (Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Ophthal

Preface

Vitreoretinal disease is a privileged visual discipline. There are significant barriers to its study beyond the constricted pupil. Ophthal mology trainees first acquire the observational skills and facility with diagnostic instrumen tation such as the slit lamp biomicroscope and the indirect ophthalmoscope to begin to explore diseases that affect the posterior seg ment of the eye. It takes clinical experience to discern normal variation from significant pathology. Unfortunately, most nonophthal mic physicians are limited, as the use of direct ophthalmoscope only affords a keyhole view of the back of the eye. We are privileged to be lifelong students, practitioners, clinical re searchers, and teachers of this aspect of the eye at Wills Eye Hospital. When we were asked to create a concise color atlas and synopsis of vitreoretinal disease we knew our challenges would be to be concise and to be selective since there is great rich ness of clinical detail, both visually and with words. Our aim was to balance the breadth of the subject material with enough focused de tail to provide the framework of our thinking

regarding important clinical signs, associated clinical features, poignant differential diag nosis, diagnostic evaluation, and prognosis and management of hundreds of vitreoretinal conditions. We want this to be a “go-to” field manual but realize that it cannot be an ency clopedic reference. This color atlas and synopsis includes over 300 color images and over 100 black-and-white images. Our goals were to present the images in their highest quality native colors and con trasts, to limit photographic artifact and to highlight certain clinical features of the images with annotations or image insets. Ultimately, our intent is to present this color atlas and synopsis as an aid to the diagnosis and management of vitreoretinal diseases in the care of patients and as a resource for stu dents studying these conditions.

Michael N. Cohen, MD Mitchell S. Fineman, MD Allen C. Ho, MD

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