The topic of the third volume of the series in "Essentials in Ophthalmology" is cataract and refractive surgery, a realm of ophthalmic care that has undergone revolutionary changes in the past 10 years. Worldwide, the removal of the opaque crystalline lens is the most frequently performed surgical intervention in the human body, and refractive surgery encompasses an increasing array of procedures with rapidly growing surgical volumes. The goal of the editors of this book has been to provide up-to-date clinically relevant overviews and to highlight the most interesting fields of research and controversy.