The Sclera

Over the past five years, in sharing patients with him, following his research, and benefitting from his teaching, I have come to marvel at Dr. Stephen Foster's mind, dedication, and productivity. No one has a richer or more challenging clinical practice, has approached his clinical care with more critical questioning, or has produced as much useful clinical and basic research in his field. Steve has kept meticulous clinical records with elegant photographic documentation, which serve as the basis for the creation of this treatise. He has been fortunate in his co-author, Dr. Sainz de la Maza, who initially inveigled Steve to participate in this project and then set herself the enormous task of repairing the lacuna occasioned by the nonavail­ ability of the classic text by Watson and Hazeiman, The Sclera and Systemic Disorders. Steve has taken great pride in the trainees who have passed through his fellowship program, and has methodically tried to select them from around the world in order to extend the influence of his clinical and research traditions. Dr. Sainz de la Maza, who practices academic ophthalmology in Barcelona, Spain, is a superb exemplar of the fruits of this strategy; the ophthalmic communities, both American and international, are in their debt for producing this textbook. I have read many of the chapters in this textbook, and they augment one's impressions of Steve's high standards of scholarship and originality. Front Matter....Pages i-xxiii Structural Considerations of the Sclera....Pages 1-32 Immunological Considerations of the Sclera....Pages 33-58 Diagnostic Approach to Episcleritis and Scleritis....Pages 59-94 Clinical Considerations of Episcleritis and Scleritis: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Experience....Pages 95-136 Pathology in Scleritis: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Experience....Pages 137-170 Noninfectious Scleritis: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Experience....Pages 171-241 Infectious Scleritis: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Experience....Pages 242-277 Noninflammatory Diseases of the Sclera....Pages 278-298 Treatment: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Experience....Pages 299-307 Back Matter....Pages 309-316 The Sclera is a definitive volume on the history, diagnosis, and treatment of scleral diseases, with special emphasis on inflammatory diseases of the sclera and the systemic implications of scleral disease. Basic physiology, anatomy, and biochemistry are addressed as well. Written for the ophthalmologist, The Sclera contains the most current information available on newer characterizations of the composition of the sclera, immune derangements of it, and success in medical and surgical treatment of the inflammatory diseases of the sclera