Carl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (1839-1909): A royal ophthalmologist.

Carl Theodor (1839-1909), a royal Duke in the ruling house of the Kingdom of Bavaria, was born to a life of wealth, privilege, and leisure. As was usual for sons of the nobility, he trained as a military officer. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and was decorated for his service in battle. Inspired by the tragedies he observed during the War, he decided to become a physician and received his medical degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. After working in general medicine, he embarked on an extensive post-graduate program of study in ophthalmology. Starting in 1880, he practiced ophthalmology full time and devoted his life to his patients. He performed most of his work gratis and he personally underwrote most of the costs for his practice. His wife, the Duchess Marie José (1857-1943), a princess of the royal house of Portugal, was as committed to his medical career and philanthropy as he was, and she served as his assistant in the clinic and the operating room. Her untiring support made it possible for Carl Theodor to maintain his busy schedule. After his death, she established a Foundation to administer his clinic and operating facility in Munich.

Aspiration of cataract in 1815 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We present and discuss the previously unrecognized evidence for the possible introduction of cataract extraction by aspiration into modern Western medicine on March 26, 1815, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by surgeon Philip Syng Physick. On this date, he successfully extracted a cataract by suction through a tube, according to newspaper reports written by the patient, an attorney who sought a patent on the suction device. Aspects of the patient's account are confirmed by supporting evidence from the medical community and by a cataract instrument set attributed to Physick, which includes a cannula attached to a syringe. The evidence suggests that Physick was the first to reintroduce cataract aspiration to Western medicine.

Benjamin Martin's visual glasses.

Although a modern analysis of Martin's theory for visual glasses would probably concur with his detractors, he certainly has provided modern collectors with a style that is much desired. It is interesting to note how many specimens have survived 200+ years. Are they so curious in appearance that people have not discarded them? Were they better-constructed than other contemporary spectacles and, therefore, lasted longer? Or, were they very popular, with the opportunity for many to survive?

Long-term follow-up of obsolete design: iris-clip glass intraocular lens.

An enucleated eye obtained post-mortem from a 95-year-old donor who had a 4-loop, iris-fixated (iris-clip) glass intraocular lens (IOL) that had been implanted 22 years earlier was analyzed. The patient had a history of mild corneal edema, glaucoma, and macular degeneration/macular pucker. High-frequency ultrasound showed a well-centered iris-fixated IOL. Gross and light microscopic analyses of the eye and the IOL showed fragments of iris tissue attached to the haptics, pigment dispersion within the eye, with pigmented epithelial cells attached to the lens haptics and interruptions of the iris pigmented epithelial layers, and signs of corneal decompensation.

Early prints depicting eyeglasses.

Much of the history of eyeglasses has been gleaned from studies of paintings and prints that illustrate them. A few prints from the first century of printing include spectacles and are reproduced in this article. In addition to showing their form and method of use, these prints also illustrate their symbolic value.