A professional autobiography, philosophical treatise and technical compendium, covering wide ranging aspects of ophthalmic imaging.

Part professional autobiography, part philosophical treatise and part technical compendium, this ambitious book uses a conversational, at times rather avuncular tone, to cover a wide range of aspects of ophthalmic imaging.

Following a lifetime of personal experience and citing a wide range of key texts on the topic, the author first focuses on the practices that inhibit or promote innovation in science and technology with vivid stories and examples. This makes the first two parts of the book relevant and highly enjoyable for a general audience interested in science and innovation.

The later parts of the book are more specialized, dealing with the anatomy and optical analysis of the human eye and the instruments for observing the eye. Throughout the book, the author intersperses the narrative with biographical sketches of key scientists, some well-known and others known mainly to specialists, but all captivating in the historical context. The chapters about key instruments and technologies for imaging human eyes are interesting and illuminating, but may appeal more to a specialized audience.

Each chapter ends with an extensive list of references. The many figures and diagrams (many of them in color) also include historical photos of famous scientists and devices or experimental setups. While the book is clearly relevant for scientists working on imaging human eyes, the biographical sketches and the philosophical musings make the book interesting to read to a more general audience.

At first glance, despite its friendly and accessible writing style, the book may appear that it is not intended as a textbook, as it lacks exercises; it could, nonetheless, be used in a graduate class, centered on discussions and projects.

Review by Bogdan Hoanca, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA. 
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or its publisher, Optica