The removal of vitreous by surgical techniques was a great revolution in ophthalmic surgery. More recently, the development of vitreous substitutes has resulted in further advances. The publication of Drs Peyman and Schulman's small, though somewhat expensive, volume is particularly timely now that silicone oil, long-acting gases, and heavier-than-water perfluorocarbon liquids have been approved for clinical use by the Food and Drug Administration. There are but 3 chapters, each devoted to 1 of the vitreous substitute materials and each summarizing a wealth of basic science and clinical trial information as well as the techniques used for their surgical applications.
In the opening pages of the book, credit is appropriately given to Paul A. Cibus, MD, and Leland C. Clark, Jr, PhD, for their pioneering work in silicone oil use in the development of fluorocarbon liquids.
The silicone oil chapter devotes adequate attention to the complications of its use, ie, emulsification,