Overview
Ophthalmic pathology is recognized as a subspecialty by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Board of Ophthalmology, the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology, and the International Council of Ophthalmology. The study of ophthalmic pathology has contributed significantly to our understanding of the pathogenesis of diseases of the eye and ocular adnexa. In the United States, ophthalmologists and pathologists may receive subspecialty fellowship training in ophthalmic pathology after completion of an ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education)-accredited residency in ophthalmology or pathology; some ophthalmic pathologists are board certified in both ophthalmology and pathology.
BCSC Section 4, Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors, provides a general overview of ophthalmic pathology and oncology: common practices and pathologic processes, as well as some less common, but important, entities, are discussed. For more comprehensive reviews of these entities, please refer to the references listed in the Basic Texts section at the end of this volume.
This chapter describes the organizational framework used in Chapters 5 through 15. Chapter 2 discusses specimen handling and processing and emphasizes the importance of communication between the ophthalmologist and the pathologist for providing good patient care. Chapter 3 covers special testing modalities such as immunohistochemical staining, flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and frozen sections. Chapter 4 covers basic principles and specific aspects of wound repair. The remainder of Part I, Chapters 5 through 15, is dedicated to specific anatomical regions and pathology.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 4 - Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.