American Academy of Ophthalmology Launches Apple and Android Apps to Meet Growing Demand for Mobile Medical Education

SAN FRANCISCO, July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As doctors' usage of mobile technologies for professional purposes continues to grow at a rapid pace, the American Academy of Ophthalmology today announced that the most respected resource in ophthalmic science, the Basic and Clinical Science Course series, is now available through eBooks apps for mobile devices.  The world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons is launching Apple® iOS and Google Android apps to enable anytime, anywhere access to these essential ophthalmic educational and reference resources.

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The Basic and Clinical Science Course is the premier resource for ophthalmic resident training in the United States and Europe, and a key clinical reference for practicing ophthalmologists worldwide. The Academy has produced the series since 1940, when it was named The Home Study Course. In 1970, it was renamed the Basic and Clinical Science Course, and has grown from brief booklets in outline-syllabus formats to 13 volumes of full-text books. Now, the series  is available in eBook formats to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population of ophthalmologists – medical doctors specializing in the diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases and conditions − who rely on mobile devices for educational and clinical purposes. For instance, a 2013 survey of U.S. physicians conducted by Kantar Media found that more than half of physician respondents ages 44 or younger use tablet devices for professional purposes.^I

"It's undeniable that the demand for clinical training tools for mobile devices is becoming more prevalent among not only ophthalmologists, but throughout all medical disciplines," said Richard Zorab, vice president for clinical education at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "These new apps are the first step in the Academy's ongoing strategy of reshaping our educational offerings to be consistent with the evolving, increasingly on-the-go and on-demand learning habits of younger physicians."

The Basic and Clinical Science Course series is built on a solid foundation of scientific research and clinical experience that is reviewed and updated annually by a faculty of more than 80 leading ophthalmologists. It covers everything from basic anatomy, optics and pathology to subspecialty topics such as retina, glaucoma and cataract, with thousands of photos and illustrations. Each section includes self-assessments, study questions and answers. The new eBooks enable users to download individual volumes or the entire 13-volume set for offline use and offers features that include search, highlighting, note taking, bookmarking and image zoom. The Basic and Clinical Science Course Residency Set includes the additional books: The Profession of Ophthalmology, Basic Principles of Ophthalmic Surgery and Basic Techniques of Ophthalmic Surgery.

For more information and to purchase Basic and Clinical Science Course eBooks, visit www.aao.org/bcsc.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology 
The American Academy of Ophthalmology–headquartered in San Francisco– is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons — Eye M.D.s — with more than 32,000 members worldwide.  Eye health care is provided by the three "O's" – ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all: eye diseases, infections and injuries, and perform eye surgery. For more information, visit www.aao.org.  The Academy's EyeSmart^® program educates the public about the importance of eye health and empowers them to preserve healthy vision. EyeSmart provides the most trusted and medically accurate information about eye diseases, conditions and injuries. OjosSanos™ is the Spanish-language version of the program. Visit www.geteyesmart.org or www.ojossanos.org  to learn more.

¹ Kantar Media, 'Sources & Interactions Study: March 2013 –Medical/Surgical Edition": bit.ly/18U3vLZ  and http://t.co/1kRVOSPCZz

SOURCE American Academy of Ophthalmology