Kanski’s Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systematic Approach was first published 41 years ago. At that time, Dr Jack Kanski of the Prince Charles Eye Unit, Windsor, UK, had created a relatively slim, 17-volume comprehensive text, ideally suited for the emerging ophthalmologist. I still have my original copy in its dark green cloth binding on my bookshelf! It was densely packed with knowledge and beautifully illustrated with many superb photographs and excellent diagrams and drawings created by Terry Tarrant.

During my registrar (resident) years, I used Kanski’s single-volume textbook extensively and it became my core text, augmented by other texts with more focused subspecialty content when necessary. I've dipped into many versions of this book since and it remains a key source for those studying ophthalmology and optometry.

I therefore reached into the latest, 10th edition, edited by Oxford Eye Hospital’s Dr John Salmon, with considerable enthusiasm. The book has grown considerably, now being approximately double the size and weight of the original version. It’s jam-packed with more than 2,000 key images and systematically and comprehensively covers ophthalmological diseases, in a logical fashion – skin to occiput.

An introductory chapter usefully covers essential examination techniques, while the remaining 900 pages deal with clinical areas including orbit, eyelids, cornea, lens, glaucoma, the many variations of retinal disease, ocular tumours, trauma and the side effects of systemic medications, among other topics. As in previous editions, the text is tight and well written and Dr Salmon has done a masterly job of upgrading the textbook. Figures and tables are generally excellent and the illustrations are so dense it has almost become as much an atlas as a textbook! My only minor gripe is that there seems to be a slight red colour bias in some of the images in the text that I reviewed and clearly some are from earlier editions and are relatively low resolution.

Aided by a selection of experts, as is noted in the text’s preface, Dr Salmon has collated and updated this book to the highest of standards. In its earlier editions, Kanski has typically been the most useful single text to those embarking on an ophthalmology career. The current edition is bang up-to-date, beautifully illustrated and remains the gold standard as a core portable, readable textbook which one could use both for study and for reference in the clinic. It is also made more usable and portable by provision of the ebook edition in the purchase price.

Professor Charles McGhee heads the department of ophthalmology, and is director of the New Zealand National Eye Centre, at the University of Auckland. His interests include keratoconus, corneal diseases and corneal transplantation, complex cataract and anterior segment trauma, and complex anterior segment pathology, including iris and conjunctival melanoma and other rare anterior segment tumours, for which he receives nationwide referrals.