Only few other branches of Medicine have seen such dramatic changes in the last decade as Ophthalmology. Even though tremendous strides have been made in the practice of this specialty, a sense of proportion has to be assigned to the subject. Stress should be on the basics and common day-to-day problems, so that newer ophthalmologists can deliver good services to the patients.

In this era of information explosion, a student has to study a lot of materials. At present, most of the books are either too voluminous in the guise of being comprehensive with material not easily assimilated by the students or they are too simplistic in their contents and approach, which fail to impart sufficient knowledge and confidence among the students. I hope that this book by Dr Dadapeer K will serve to fill up this lacuna in the undergraduate teaching material.

He has discussed many topics in this book with a clinical orientation. He has not only made it a comprehensive text on the subject, but also topics important from examination and practical stand point are dealt with in precise and piecemeal fashion. The contents are carefully crafted to meet the undergraduate curriculum. Important points are highlighted and are supported by an array of neat photographs and depictive illustrations. Emphasis has been on Ophthalmic Examination Methods, Case Proforma and Diagnostic Tools. Ophthalmic lenses have been elaborately outlined. The drugs used in Ophthalmology have been aptly described. The chapter “An Approach to a Patient with Red Eye’ is an attractive feature of the book. This will make the book useful for general practitioners as well.

The hallmarks of the book are its simple understandable language, lucid description of facts and emphasis on practical diagnosis and management.

I wish all the success to this utility oriented book, which will definitely prove to be a boon for students and practitioners.

I am very much pleased to have the opportunity to write the foreword of this book. The ultimate goal of a medical student should be to become a good clinician by the end of his undergraduate studies. This book is unique and gives the students a comprehensive concept of clinical methodology and helps them to acquire complete knowledge about the subject. Dr Dadapeer K takes the student through a journey in a clear and concise method with multiple illustrations and thoughtful explanations towards the achievement of acquiring high-quality clinic acumen.

He was a very good enthusiastic student during his undergraduate and postgraduate days and showed keen interest in learning, sharing the knowledge with his fellow students and teaching the junior students.

The book is a complete clinical manual for the undergraduate medical students by covering both the theoretical details and clinical aspects supported by conceptual illustrations, which help in better understanding of the clinical methodology. He has taken tremendous effort to present a systematic approach to the clinical aspects of disease process.

The book will be an adjunct to the many other textbooks for the postgraduate medical students and provides an excellent source of learning and reference.

I hope that this book will be a valuable addition to the library of any establishment involved in the teaching of the medical students and thereby helps in substantial contribution to the health care system by providing a good clinician to the society and mankind.

While writing this book, I have gone through many books, enquired students regarding their common doubts and problems, recollected what my teachers had taught me and then I have presented all of them in a concise manner. I hope that the book will be a useful guide for the medical students during their course in Ophthalmology. Efforts have been made to check for the accuracy of the matter and to correct the mistakes, if any. I will be happy to receive constructive comments, which will help in betterment of the book.

I would like to extend my heartful thank to colleagues of the Department (Ophthalmology), i.e. Dr Kavitha CV, Dr Balasubramanya S, Dr Pavana Acharya, Dr Nataraj PL, Dr Shivaprasad, Mr Prakash, Mr Kumar, Mr Radhakrishna, Mr Nagesh, Mr Shivaraj, Mrs Renuka, Mr Narayana and House Surgeons of Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, Karnataka, India, for their help rendered to me. I am grateful to the positive feedback and encouragement by Dr Niranjan MR, Dr Praveen G, Dr Guruprasad, Dr Pratap and Dr Suresh RM. I would like to thank Dr Gangadhar (Former Director) and Dr Premkumar (Former Medical Superintendent), Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, India, and my good friends Dr Ramesh, Dr Devraj R, Dr Pradeep, Dr Gayathri and Dr Krishna Sagar, for their support. I am thankful to my teacher Dr Jyothi Swarup, Professor of ENT, Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Tumkur, Karnataka, India, and my postgraduate teachers at Bangalore Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, viz. Professors Raviprakash D, Ramesh TK, Sriprakash KS, Prabha AR, Shivaprasad Reddy, Surendra and Shivakumar, for being an endless source of inspiration.

I affectionately thank my friends and relatives for their constant support and encouragement. I am also thankful to my students for inspiring me during writing of the book. Dr Shrimanth, Dr Madhusudan, Dr Chandan BC, Dr Sharan, Dr Abdul Qadeer, Dr Shashidhara, Dr Fahima Shakir, Dr Samarath, Dr Shobhitha, Dr Girish, Dr Prakash, and Interns, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, India. Dr Kavitha Senthil, Consultant, Vasan Eye Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India and Dr Parivadhini AP, Consultant, Sankara Netralaya, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, require special thanks for putting their sincere efforts to correct the mistakes. I am thankful to Dr Ravikumar BC, Former Director and Professor of Dermatology, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, India and Dr Jyothi Swarup, Professor of ENT, Sri Siddhartha Medical College, India, for writing foreword to the book.

Shri Jitendar P Vij (Group Chairman), Mr Ankit Vij (Managing Director), Mr Tarun Duneja (Director-Publishing), Mr KK Raman (Production Manager), Mr Sunil Kumar Dogra (Production Executive), Mr Neelambar Pant (Production Coordinator), Manoj Pahuja (Senior Graphic Designer), Manoj Malakar (Graphic Designer), Dr Mohd Naved (Senior Proofreader), Vinod Kumar Sharma (Typesetter) and other staff of M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publisher (P) Ltd., New Delhi, India, extended considerable help and constructive suggestions to modify the text and make it come up to modern sandards.