"Precision" is the current buzz word in medicine. It means applying an individual's precise genetic makeup to their healthcare. Some of today’s most innovative medical treatment and research is conducted at Columbia University Medical Center, where they are pushing this frontier in Ophthalmology—thus the title of this book, Precision Ophthalmology™. By studying patients’ unique genetic profiles, novel research and care can be pioneered to address a myriad of ophthalmalogic disorders, from glaucoma to color blindness. CUMC’s Department of Ophthalmology needed a book to highlight these exciting new initiatives. The challenge was to convey complex research and its implications on patient care in an attractive and accessible way.

We illustrate the convergence of genetics and ophthalmology with sophisticated design and heavy reliance on typography. One widely known way of depicting genetic sequencing (ATCG) Is introduced on the cover along the spine and as the background from which an eye emerges. This sequencing runs throughout the center of the book as the base element of the design. The airy, Swiss-style layout lightens the dense science, breaking it into easily digestible chunks of information, demarcating captions, introductions, and scientific passages. The use of diagrams, infographics and beautiful photomicrographs adds further visual impact. 2017 is the department's 150th anniversary, so we begin with a timeline across three spreads, showing the department’s impressive history of innovation.

The book debuted at a two-day international conference on the application of genetics in ophthalmology and was a huge success. Everyone attending took at least one away and a mailing of over five thousand to the international ophthalmology community further disseminated the message of CUMC’s preeminence in the field.