Clinical Optics Third Edition

This book is essential for anyone looking to sit their FRCOphth Part 1, for which I am currently studying. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean its any good.Good points:Covers the syllabus (probably... I don't know for sure yet)Its the only book on the market for its purposeProblems with the book:At times it oversimplifies concepts. I think if you can get more information from wikipedia than a textbook, then the textbook is too simplifiedThe language is at times clumsy and difficult to followErrors - see other amazon review.It does not explain some concepts very well. While making notes from this book, I have required a computer present on standby to google topics for alternate explanations. Often the alternate explanation has been so simple and easy to understand that I find it difficult to fathom why the authors struggle to explain it.They do not provide comprehensive understanding of topics, and fudge from one area to the next, so that it is easy to get lost.When I asked a senior how he was able to use this book to revise, he said "Don't try and understand it all, just rote learn the book". Unfortunately I am not that sort of person. I have read and re-read this book from cover to cover, but it really gets under my skin!

In my opinion, this book is not written very well at all. It claims to be pitched at the beginner to optics but I did not find this to be the case. Difficult to read and rambly at times, but unfortunately necessary for part 1 FRCOphth revision with no equivalent. It does get easier the more you read it.

Required reading for FRCOphth Part 1! It is very dull and will most likely require 2 reads to follow. There are plenty of videos that explain some of these concepts far better.

I am about to sit FRCOphth part 1. While this book is the recommended optics text, covering the syllabus topic by topic, it has several errors in it which I find very worrying.The thin lens formula should be 1/f =1/u + 1/vThe AC/A ratio formula is incorrect. It should be AC/A = (Dnear - Ddistance)/D. The book has it the other way round (Ddistance -Dnear)The diagram for the direct ophthalmoscope and effect of pupil size is flawed because it treats the pupil aperture as a refractive interface (the light rays are bending at the pupil: WHY???). It is possible it is a reduced diagram treating the whole eye as 'one lens' but by having the nodal point within the pupil the author has made it confusing.Get your act together Elkington et al...A better text book is Essential Optics Review for the Boards by Wilkinson (American textbook).

Must-have for the FRCOphth part 1.I only used this book for optics section and got 95%ish for the optics part of MCQ.

Very useful and user friendly book on optics. I have only bought 1 book on optics for part 1 and it seems pretty much enough for the exam. It makes it very clear and good diagrams although i would appreciate more description or labelling for some of the diagrams.I found it easy to follow and read, would recommend. (But i can't compare as haven't got other optics book)

Couldn't agree less with the previous review - perhaps it was written by someone who doesn't want anyone else to benefit from this book?This book is laid out well, logical and written in a way that is easy to learn and memorise. The content of the book reads almost exactly as the RCOphth exam syllabus. Every area is covered and it contains all the ray diagrams you need. You won't need any other book for the optics part of the exam. I would say however that it is a difficult topic and I'd advise reading the book well in advance of the exams and reading it several times.

If there were minus strars, I would have given this book a minus 5....Although it does cover all the optics topics required for the royal college exams, the way it is written is ambiguous and the presentation is really poor.. Bhan is a good alternative..