First look into the eye

Purpose: Until Helmholtz’s discovery of the ophthalmoscope, it was not possible to visualize the posterior pole of the eye in a living subject. The aim of this work is to emphasize the importance of the invention of the ophthalmoscope because the new era in ophthalmology began with it. Methods: Available literature concerning this topic was studied, especially by getting in contact with institutes for history of medicine as well as medico-historians in Germany and other countries. Results: Hermann von Helmholtz, German physician and physicist, presented and published his invention of the ophthalmoscope in 1851. Albrecht von Graefe was the first to use ophthalmoscope routinely. He said: ‘Helmholtz has opened a new world to us’. The first ophthalmoscope was not easy to use. Some ophthalmologists even thought that ophthalmoscopy is harmful for the eye, particularly for a diseased eye. First, it was used in Germany (A von Graefe), Austria (E Jäger), and Netherlands (FC Donders). In England, it was used only at Moorfields till 1855 (W Bowman). At the First International Congress of Ophthalmology in Brussels 1857, the importance of ophthalmoscopy was stressed. FC Donders said that every view with the ophthalmoscope into the living eye was a new discovery. Among retinal diseases, first were discovered pigment retinopathy (FC Donders) and retinal detachment (A Coccius) in 1853. Conclusion: Helmholtz inaugurated modern era in ophthalmology with his magnificant instrument which revolutionized the development of ophthalmology. Von Graefe popularized it. Because of the new findings, ophthalmology was definitely separated from surgery in the middle of 19th century.