Accessing the Wisdom of Superhero Surgeon, Ike Ahmed — Illustrated Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery

Posted by Tony Schiavo on Sep 13th 2021

Accessing the Wisdom of Superhero Surgeon, Ike Ahmed — Illustrated Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery

Back in the halcyon spring of 2014—when I was still a total noob in the realm of ophthalmology publishing who thought Phaco Chop was a Hapkido move and DMEK was an east-coast rapper—I had my first conversation with Dr. Barry Seibel, legendary SLACK author of Phacodynamics, 4e. That casual booth-side chat at ASCRS in Boston turned into a brainstorming session during which Dr. Seibel mentioned that a new book on complex cataract surgery would be a big winner. Even better, Dr. Seibel had a suggestion for the ideal author to approach: Dr. Ike Ahmed.

One of the first things I learned as a neophyte acquisitions editor in ophthalmology is that Dr. Ahmed is one of the superheroes of the field. So the idea of approaching him with this idea was a little daunting. Fortunately, I had Dr. Seibel’s recommendation and SLACK’s reputation in my hip pocket. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Dr. Ahmed had already been working on this very idea for some years. In collaboration with his fellows, he had mapped out the rough outline of a unique book based on his teaching moments. So by the time I reached out to him after ASCRS, the idea was already well-developed and practically ready for prime time.

By AAO in 2014, Ike had already assembled his ophthalmological A-Team to help make Illustrated Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery a reality: Dr. Xavo Campos Möller—the point man and organizational muscle; Dr. Manjool Shah—the perpetually positive motivator; and Dr. Arsham Sheybani—the level-headed idea guy. To say the conversation we had that day quickly flew off into the ophth-jargon stratosphere would be an understatement. I found myself nodding and smiling along like a very junior sidekick. Clearly Ike and his team had the motivation, enthusiasm and experience to get the job done.

Little did I know at that time how many prequels and re-boots this epic adventure would spin-off. As creation of the manuscript began, new ideas immediately began bubbling to the surface. This was to be a book unlike any other ophthalmology text before it – bold, bright, informative, ultra-accessible and high-yield.

To achieve this, the authors not only provided hundreds of super-high-resolution photographs, but also dozens of precise illustrations executed with clarity and charm by graphic artist Sebastian Campos Möller, the talented brother of Xavo. These would show correct ergonomics, hand positioning, optimal hand-grasps, incision templates, toolboxes, suture guides, and views of maneuvers that are not always apparent in the photos. Wow.

Creating, compiling and organizing these resources—not to mention writing the surrounding text which tied it all together—took considerable thought, effort and especially time. But when it comes to a project like this, I operate by the maxim that says, “Better to be behind schedule and awesome than on-time and just meh.” I had an inkling that the finished product would be well worth the wait.

But honestly, the printed book (and eBook for that matter) has surpassed all my expectations, and based on early sales, it seems I’m not the only one who’s impressed. Even the eminent Dr. Seibel—who can be a tough critic—agreed, calling Illustrated Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery an, “invaluable new book that enables surgeons to face so many anterior segment surgical challenges with understanding and confidence.” Thanks, in retrospect, to Dr. Seibel for pointing me in the right direction.

It is our hope here at SLACK that Illustrated Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery will give readers the opportunity to tap into Dr. Ahmed’s vast flow of clinical wisdom and surgical pearls, and to access their own inner superhero surgeon.

Click below to check out some sample pages from the book. If you would like to order a copy of your own, click here.


Ahmed - Page 19

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Ahmed - Page 52

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Ahmed - Page 127

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Tony Schiavo is Senior Acquisitions Editor at SLACK in charge of the Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Tech book publishing programs. If you have an idea for a new book, Tony now knows the difference between an IOL and the NFL and would be happy to chat with you.