2024-2025 Basic And Clinical Science Course, Section 13: Refractive Surgery (Original PDF)

Section 13 of the Academy’s Basic and Clinical Science Course™ (BCSC^®) covers the science of refractive surgery and patient evaluation. It also examines specific procedures in refractive surgery and their potential complications, refractive surgery in ocular and systemic disease, and accommodative and nonaccommodative treatment of presbyopia. In addition, the book includes information on lens implants.

BCSC Section 13 features a chapter focusing on small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), reviews advances in intraocular lens technology, and covers intraocular refractive surgery.

Deepen your understanding with 15 videos (sample) that demonstrate refractive surgical techniques, including the FDA-approved SMILE procedure. Both print and eBook users have access to the videos.

Upon completion of Section 13, readers should be able to:

• Explain the steps—including medical and social history, ocular examination, and ancillary testing—in evaluating whether a patient is an appropriate candidate for refractive surgery
• For surface ablation procedures, describe patient selection, epithelial removal, refractive outcomes, and complications
• For laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), describe patient selection, surgical techniques, outcomes, and complications

Section chair: George O. Waring IV, MD
Last major revision: 2021–2022

Print: 256 pages

EBook: Read Academy eBooks online from nearly any computer, or download eBooks to your mobile device with the free Academy eBooks app. For eBook features, requirements and licensing, visit: aao.org/ebooks. Please allow up to 90 minutes for receiving an access key (via email) that will allow you to retrieve your eBook after purchase.

Print ISBN: 978-1-68104-795-9
EBook ISBN: 978-1-68104-821-5
Print & EBook ISBN: 978-1-68104-808-6

About The BCSC
The Academy’s Basic and Clinical Science Course™ is ophthalmology’s definitive source of clinical information. Practicing ophthalmologists and residents worldwide use the BCSC^® to ensure the highest-quality patient care.

Each of the 13 volumes includes up-to-date clinical knowledge, concise text, tables, photos and illustrations, multimedia, self-assessment questions with answers, and opportunities for earning AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Beginning with the 2013–2014 edition, the Academy and the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) have partnered to make the BCSC the standard text for all European ophthalmology training programs. The EBO now recommends the BCSC as the primary educational resource for European trainees and ophthalmologists studying for the annual EBO Diploma Exam.

CME Information
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology designates this enduring material for a maximum of 10 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.