AAO eBooks vs GCA Manager
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AAO eBooks
Access essential ophthalmology textbooks on your mobile device. Search, browse, and download purchased eBooks for offline use. Enhance learning with notes, highlights, and CME credit opportunities.
- Access purchased eBooks
- Offline reading capability
- Search and browse content
- Highlighting and note-taking
- Bookmark functionality
- Earn CME credits
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In the busy, demanding profession of ophthalmology, it is important to have access to up-to-date, reliable information at all times. With the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s eBook app, you get convenient access to essential Academy textbooks from your iPad or iPhone. Download this free app to: • Search, browse and access your purchased eBooks online, or download them for offline use • Quickly find relevant images and videos • Customize your learning with easy highlighting, note-taking and bookmarking • Participate in activities that provide opportunities for earning continued medical education (CME) credits (selected titles only, see individual publications for more information) Academy publications are written and reviewed by expert ophthalmologists and are designed to help you improve patient outcomes and practice efficiency. Academy eBooks must be purchased from the Academy before they can be accessed via the app. First, download this app to your device, then visit AAO Store to make your purchase. Return to the Academy eBook app anytime you want to read your eBooks. About the Academy: The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons 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 who has the education and training to treat it all: eye diseases, infections and injuries, and perform eye surgery. Ophthalmologists provide comprehensive eye care, ranging from optical to medical to surgical. The mission of the Academy is to advance the lifelong learning and professional interests of ophthalmologists to ensure that the public can obtain the best possible eye care. Academy members are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for every individual they treat by helping each to see his or her best and by protecting their patients' vision and eye health throughout life. Academy members are committed to responding compassionately to their patients' individual needs and to advancing the highest standards of comprehensive eye care. The American Academy of Ophthalmology is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
GCA Manager
This app helps individuals manage Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) by tracking symptoms, medications, and moods. It visualizes your health journey with charts, offers medication reminders, and allows sharing of visible symptoms with care providers. Stay informed with educational resources and earn rewards for app usage.
- Daily symptom and mood tracking
- Medication management with reminders
- Photo upload for visible symptoms
- Progress visualization with charts
- Connect with care providers
- Educational resources on GCA
- Rewards and badges for app usage
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NOTE: This app now integrates with the Health app so if you choose to also manage certain heart conditions and have an Apple Watch or other device that creates heart rate data, you can now send that data to your doctor through the app giving you full control over which data you send. No health data is collected or sent from device without you specifically doing it. Getting the Full Picture of Your Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) When you are living with GCA, the GCA Manager can help you manage the symptoms that affect you every day. Studies show that people with chronic diseases can positively affect their lives by using @Point of Care apps to track pain, medications, and more—giving a sense of control over their conditions. For many, the best part of using GCA Manager, is seeing moods, pain, medications—even how often they journal—in colorful pie charts. When your health journey is presented this way, it is easier to spot trends, notice strengths, and identify areas of concern. When You Download GCA Manager and Register, You Can: • Track your progress and symptoms by filling in the daily journal with its sliders and buttons and watch your data transform into easy-to-read charts • Manage your medications and treatments, including reminders • Use the photo upload feature to share visible symptoms with care providers • Connect to care providers so they can monitor your progress between visits and better understand how your condition is affecting you • Stay up-to-date with the latest information on GCA when you access the “Learn More” section • In-app Help guides you through the features so you can get the most out of the app • Experience the new animated feature @Points Rewards and accumulate badges by using the app A Wealth of Medical Expertise Going Back to 1980 Our @Point of Care platform is an award-winning digital technology. It provides mobile, desktop, digital clinical answers at the point of care through Projects In Knowledge™. To be able to connect with you and share your HIPAA-protected information, tell your care provider to download our @Point of Care Suite App or register online at www.atpointofcare.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GCA Manager at 5.0 against AAO eBooks's 3.8. AAO eBooks's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GCA Manager holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AAO eBooks has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
AAO eBooks ships an update every 3 months, GCA Manager every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AAO eBooks | GCA Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | American Academy of Ophthalmology, Inc. | @Point of Care |
Customer experience
AAO eBooks
GCA Manager
In-app purchases
AAO eBooks
No in-app purchases
GCA Manager
No in-app purchases







