Clinical Skills for the Ophthalmic Examination: Basic Procedures

The step-by-step, instructional guide for the most common ophthalmic instruments and procedures has been updated to a second edition. Clinical Skills for the Ophthalmic Examination: Basic Procedures, Second Edition provides details on tests frequently performed in the office and provides instructions on the proper way to perform them.

Lindy DuBois focuses on presenting fundamental instruction in a clear and easy-to-use manual. Essential chapters, such as those on patient history, medications, allergies, and refractive surgery have been updated to offer critical information for the ophthalmic professional.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Brian D. Marshall, OD(TLC The Laser Center)
Description:This second edition book is part of a series geared towards providing a wide range of fundamental education in eye care. This book instructs the ophthalmic technician on how to perform frequently used ophthalmic procedures and tests. The first edition was published in 1998.
Purpose:Ophthalmic technicians perform many important tests that are used to properly diagnose and manage various vision and ocular conditions. This book is intended to provide a working knowledge of the sophisticated instruments and procedures that are encountered in the clinical setting. This book fills an important need because there are few books currently available on this subject. The authors have done a commendable job of providing education on the most common procedures and instruments.
Audience:The book is written at an appropriate level for all ophthalmic technicians or assistants and students. It is not intended for the eye care practitioner.
Features:As with the first edition, this edition covers in depth many of the procedures used to gather preliminary clinical information on the patient. It is written for everyone from the novice performing basic testing all the way to the most advanced technician collecting information on the pupil and ocular tensions. Helpful study icons are placed in areas that are pertinent to the interests of specific eye care personnel. Each chapter begins with key points that summarize what will be learned. New to the second edition are expanded chapters on history taking and updates on newer instruments. However, it still does not include some new and frequently used instruments such as visual field analyzers, glaucoma scanning instruments, etc., and continues to include some antiquated technologies such as the Shiotz tonometer. The photographs are still black and white, but educational and appropriate.
Assessment:This second edition book is a big improvement over the first edition in both content and presentation of the procedures. It is an excellent learning guide for all ancillary personnel involved in providing eye care in the clinical setting. However, it still only includes instruction on the most basic procedures and does not include some of the newer instruments and procedures that are common in most clinics today. For the technician new to the eye care field, this is hands down the best starter book available today.

Lindy DuBois is a certified ophthalmic medical technologist (COMT) and certified orthoptist (CO). After college, she worked as a chemist at the University of Florida and then undertook her ophthalmology training there. During this time, she also began work on her master’s degree in health occupations education. Since finishing her training, Ms. DuBois has been on the faculty of ophthalmic technology training programs at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and is currently the assistant program director in the master of medical science in ophthalmic technology program at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. She received her MMSc from Emory in 1994. In addition to her teaching duties, she has worked in university clinics as well as private practice and has been the clinical coordinator of numerous clinical research trials. Ms. DuBois has taught numerous courses and presented many papers for professional organizations, academic programs, and community groups. In addition to scientific publications, she has authored or reviewed sections of the home study course published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and chapters in Fundamentals for Ophthalmic Technical Personnel. Ms. DuBois feels fortunate to have found her niche in this, her second, career. She is a cheerleader for the profession—encouraging and supporting entry into and advancement in the world of eyecare.