Handbook of Nutrition and Ophthalmology / Edition 1

by Richard David Semba

Overview

The Nutrition and Health series of books have, as an overriding mission, to provide health professionals with texts that are considered essential because each includes: 1) a synthesis of the state of the science, 2) timely, in-depth reviews by the leading researchers in their respective fields, 3) extensive, up-to-date fully annotated reference lists, 4) a detailed index, 5) relevant tables and figures, 6) identification of paradigm shifts and the consequences, 7) virtually no overlap of information between chapters, but targeted, inter-chapter referrals, 8) suggestions of areas for future research and 9) balanced, da- driven answers to patient/health professionals questions which are based upon the totality of evidence rather than the findings of any single study. The series volumes are not the outcome of a symposium. Rather, each editor has the potential to examine a chosen area with a broad perspective, both in subject matter as well as in the organization of their volume. The international perspective, especially with regard to public health initiatives, is emphasized where appropriate. The editors, whose trainings are both research and practice oriented, have the opportunity to develop a primary objective for their book; define the scope and focus, and then may invite the leading authorities from around the world to be part of their initiative. The editor/authors are encouraged to provide an overview of the field, discuss their own research and relate the research findings to potential human health consequences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617374173
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	11/09/2010
Series:	Nutrition and Health
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2007
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	956,771
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.39(d)

Table of Contents

Nutritional Blindness (Vitamin A Deficiency Disorders).- Cataract.- Age-Related Macular Degeneration.- The Obesity Epidemic.- Nutrition and Diabetic Retinopathy.- Retinal Vascular Disease.- Nutritional Amblyopia and B Complex Vitamin Deficiencies.- Zinc and Eye Health.- Vitamin C and Eye Health.- The Age-Related Proinflammatory State and Eye Disease.- Essential Fatty Acids and Visual Development in Infants.- Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Suzen M Moeller, PhD, MS (North Park University)
Description: This is a comprehensive overview of the history of and current knowledge about the relationship between diet and eye diseases across the life span.
Purpose: The purpose is to educate readers about the importance of a healthy diet throughout life to decrease the risk of visual impairment and blindness. The book provides a historical perspective on the topic and emphasizes the interaction between diet and oxidative stress and inflammation, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of eye diseases. These worthy objectives are fully met by the author in this detailed book.
Audience: The book is written for physicians, eyecare professionals, nutritionists, and researchers. In practice, students and researchers interested in nutrition and eye disease will likely find this book most useful. Dr. Semba is a recognized authority on nutrition and ophthalmology.
Features: The book solidly covers eye conditions due to undernutrition, such as blindness due to vitamin deficiencies, as well as those due, in part, to suboptimal nutrition, such as cataract and age-related macular degeneration. Although many nutrients are reviewed, specific chapters consider zinc and vitamin C, as well as obesity and inflammation. The book provides excellent reviews of the history of nutrition and eye disease, which can be glossed over in similar books. The extensive reference lists provide an impressive resource, particularly for students and researchers. The tables, figures, and diagrams are relevant, useful, and interesting. The photos and illustrations are high quality, although only in black and white. A shortcoming of expansive reviews of broad subject areas is that they cannot always address nuances in the literature. For example, summaries of topics with a large literature base are sometimes presented as "inconclusive" because the study results are not all in agreement, despite significant differences in the design of some of the studies.
Assessment: This is a generally high quality book that those interested in nutrition and eye disease will find useful as an overview of specific topics as well as the field in general. Few other books provide such a comprehensive discussion of diet as it relates to eye diseases in people of all ages, from diseases due to inborn errors of metabolism to those due to suboptimal diets in developed and less developed nations.

Doody's Review Service

From the reviews:

"This is a comprehensive overview of the history of and current knowledge about the relationship between diet and eye diseases across the life span. … The book is written for physicians, eyecare professionals, nutritionists, and researchers. In practice, students and researchers interested in nutrition and eye disease will likely find this book most useful. … a generally high quality book that those interested in nutrition and eye disease will find useful as an overview of specific topics as well as the field in general." (Suzen M Moeller, Doody’s Review Service, January, 2008)

"Dr Semba’s text covers the broad field of nutrition and ophthalmology. The content of the 12 chapters covers specific disease entitites e.g., AMD and cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and inborn errors of metabolism and specific nutrients (e.g., vitamis C, E, A, and B-complex, zinc, fatty acids) and their relation to ocular disease. It is a unique text in that all chapters were written by one author and cover a large area of material ranging from an historical overview, epidemiology, pathology and treatment of the condition. The text provides important and new authoritative information on the relation of nutrition to ocular disorders which will reward the reader with a wealth of insightful information. (Sight and Life Magazine, Issue 3, 2007)

"...an excellent reference, particularly for clinical researchers and public policy experts interested in the most up-to-date information on any possible relationship between the emerging science of nutrition and eye health. (JAMA)

From the Publisher