Updating the 1991 edition, the more than 500 entries in this resource address a range of issues related to vision impairment and vision loss. Arranged alphabetically, topics include key people, aid devices, diseases, medical procedures, legislation, social issues, and companies and organizations. Although the book is intended for the general public, undergraduate and high-school students should find articles discussing issues such as
Employment disincentives or
Myths about blindness useful for research papers and speeches. Article length averages half a page.
The second edition contains several new topics, 100 updated entries, and 11 completely redone appendixes. For example, readers can now find information about guide horses, LASIK surgery, and the possible damaging effects of air bags. Selected articles include contact information or a short bibliography. Many bibliographies have been updated to include Web page addresses while retaining print resources dating from the 1980s. Appendixes provide contact information for dog-guide schools, national organizations, and other useful resources. Most entries listed in the appendixes include Web page addresses. However, none of the 36 federal agencies listed in appendix 4 contain a Web page address. In some cases, cross-referencing appears incomplete. Of four diseases mentioned in
Cataract, only one is cross-referenced although all four have their own entries. Like the previous edition, this new publication contains one illustration, a labeled drawing of the eye. Although the authors explain topics using precise and easy-to-understand terminology, the lack of charts, drawings, and pictures, in some cases, slows comprehension.
Some of the information in this resource can be found in other sources. For example, readers can find a description of cataracts in the
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2d ed., Gale, 2002), or find periodical articles on eye damage caused by air bags. However, its coverage and convenience make
The Encyclopedia of Blindness and Vision Impairment unique. Those with the older edition will want to update. Suitable for academic and public libraries.
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