Dr Schwartz has a clear and pleasant style of writing, which helps to guide the reader through what are often difficult concepts, but which avoids oversimplification. On the whole it is very enjoyable and instructive. However, these are minor criticisms, which in no way reduce the readability of this book, or its worth. For example, the photograph showing nuclear cataract (Figure 7–22A) is hardly the clearest example, and the schematic drawings of isoluminant chromatic gratings (Figures 9–5 and 13–6) bear little resemblance to the stimuli that may be used in psychophysical experiments. There are also some instances where colour photographs could have been put to better use. Furthermore, while this most recent edition of the book boasts ‘full‐color presentation’, many of the figures are little more than schematic line drawings where the use of colour is redundant. Conversely, the contribution to perception made by higher‐level functions such as attention and memory receives little or no coverage. Additionally, a consequence of the author’s clear style of explanation is that a disproportionately large chunk of the text is dedicated to colour vision, a topic with many difficult concepts. My feeling is that some of the later chapters on psychophysics, retinal physiology, and cortical processing would be better placed much earlier in the text. That is not to say that this book is without its faults. Overall, these sections are relevant and interesting, and are well illustrated with figures and photographs. The purpose of these is to highlight the aspects of visual perception that are most relevant to the clinician in everyday practice, and to discuss a variety of conditions which are likely to impact on a patient’s visual perception. What sets Dr Schwartz’s book apart from the competition is the inclusion of ‘Clinical Highlights’, which are scattered throughout the text, and sections called ‘Additional Clinical Considerations’, which can be found towards the end of most chapters. It is true that the most of the topics covered here can also be found in other texts on perception, the majority of which are written with psychology students in mind. The book concludes with chapters on psychophysical methodology, retinal physiology, visual processing in striate and extrastriate cortex, visual electrophysiology, and visual development. Fundamental aspects of spatial and temporal vision are tackled next, followed by introductions to motion perception and depth perception. An outline of the basic principles and units of photometry is followed by two chapters, which together provide a comprehensive treatment of normal and anomalous colour vision. The next two chapters consist of a summary of the basic anatomy of the visual system, along with a discussion of the transmission characteristics of the eye with regard to light, and the structural and functional characteristics of retinal photoreceptors. The book essentially presents a review of monocular visual perception, beginning with a brief overview of the experimental approaches that may be used to investigate the visual system. Schwartz’s excellent Visual Perception: A Clinical Orientation (4th edition), a book targeted at optometry students and written with the premise that a sound grasp of the basic science of visual perception should allow the optometrist to better understand and manage his patients’ visual problems. However, a lack of interest may reflect a failure in the design of such courses, and of the textbooks that accompany them, to highlight the relevance of the material to those training to be ophthalmic clinicians. hardback, £60.99 That optometry undergraduates often have little enthusiasm for courses in visual perception is something I find frustrating and somewhat disappointing. Visual Perception: A Clinical Orientation S.H. Visual Perception: A Clinical Orientation Visual Perception: A Clinical Orientation
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