Reviewer: Radha Ram, MD (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)Description: As the title suggests, this book presents the technical details of phacoemulsification in a simplified yet precise manner. The outline format accompanied by intraoperative screenshots and computer illustrations introduces beginning surgeons to the basics of phacoemulsification.Purpose: The author intends to simplify and share his personal notes on the technical details of phacoemulsification from his own training. Dr. Toshniwal does achieve this worthy objective.Audience: The intended audience includes ophthalmic surgeons, paramedical staff, and nursing staff. Although the book provides simple descriptions of the basic steps of cataract surgery, it is probably most useful for senior residents who have already done some cataract surgery and wish to solidify their knowledge of the basic technical details of phacoemulsification.Features: What stands out is that the book distills cataract surgery into bullet points for each step and highlights key considerations involved in each step. Additionally, the intraoperative photos provide realistic illustrations that complement the text. The main shortcoming is that the author does not provide a deeper understanding of why certain techniques or instruments are preferred over others; this, however, is not the stated intention of the book.Assessment: This is a useful resource for senior residents in training who wish to review the steps of basic phacoemulsification and variations to these steps based on patient characteristics. The clear intraoperative screenshots serve as a good supplement to this or other books on phacoemulsification for both residents and more seasoned ophthalmologists working with ophthalmologists in training.
