It is important to be aware of the power of statistics. I confess to having had less than an acceptable grasp in the past and this not only serves as an effective barrier to developing some strands of research but also allows emphases to be weighted in analysis that tend toward the misleading. One only has to pick up a newspaper to see sensational headlines based on a misreading of an outcome from a journal or, worse, offering publicity to a study based on a minimal sample or a questionably significant finding.
In my many attempts to self-improve in this area I have inevitably hit the point where the words and symbols start to blur mysteriously and my thoughts drift away. I will, therefore, heartily recommend a newly updated third edition of Statistics in Medicine by Robert Riffenburgh. Why? For the simple reason that the author ensures that all explanations and worked examples (the text comprehensively covers probabilities, odds, ranked data, sampling, equivalence and regression analysis) are firmly based in real life context.
Odds ratios explain biopsy result prediction, data set pair testing reflects stomach cancer severity rating and regression techniques are understood when looking at respiration rate changes with age. With such examples, I found I could make it through to the final chapter which, dauntingly, covers ‘methods you might meet, but not every day’.
I also recommend to all final year project students and early postgraduates the chapter on questionnaires and surveys – the validity of many a finding in optometry lies in the cogency of the way subjective data is gathered.
If this is not beach material, then why not try Low Vision – an inter-professional approach (ABDO). Co-written by ophthalmologist Nigel Andrew, low vision optician Richard Harsant and rehabilitation worker Candy Lawrence, the book makes an admirable attempt to emphasise the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to management of the visually impaired.
While many Optician readers might find little new in the sections aimed more at explaining examination, assessment technique and causative disease to allied professionals, I recommend the excellent section on rehabilitation. Perhaps not a key source book, I would see this as a useful guide for anyone involved in a multi-team scheme to have available for all members of the team for occasional reference.
Finally, I have to tell you of the hours of fun to be had with the stereoscopic viewing of hundreds of vintage 3D representations of hell available in the beautifully produced Diableries. Written by Queen guitarist and diabolic representation collector Brian May (with historians Denis Pellerin and Paula Fleming), the book reminds us of what a wonderful art form stereoscopic imaging is and how boring some of the stereoscopic tests we use in practice are!