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Figure depicting the RIPLs found from OCT scan images. The three red arrows in picture C point to the RIPLs which are the black spots.

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2022--Study Finds That Eye Exams Can Help Detect Early Signs of Cardiovascular Disease 

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2022--Study Finds That Eye Exams Can Help Detect Early Signs of Cardiovascular Disease 

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New studies have demonstrated the power of new technology in the field of ophthalmology. According to a study done at UC San Diego, researchers have found that utilizing an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan can aid eye doctors in finding a new biological marker in the retina that's linked to cardiovascular disease. The findings in this study will hopefully lead to the implementation of cardiovascular screening via ophthalmology screening, providing a link between two areas of the body which is seen in the field of neuroscience often.

The lead author of the study, Mathieu Bakhoum, explains that “ischemia, which is decreased blood flow caused by heart disease, can lead to inadequate blood flow to the eye and may cause cells in the retina to die, leaving behind a permanent mark. We termed this mark ‘retinal ischemic perivascular lesions,’ or RIPLs" (Long 2021).

Cardiologist, DeMaria said "detection of RIPLs could result in identification of cardiovascular disease that would enable early therapy and preventative measures, and potentially reduce numbers of heart attacks or strokes" (Long 2021).

I chose this contemporary study because it is an example of modern day developments of medicine and technology that link fields of medicine to each other. As neuroscientists, we know that the brain is connected to every part of the body, and the progression of technology and medicine can aid in healthcare and preventative care. This new finding is a great way to demonstrate how the body is connected: a signal about the cardiovascular system depicted in the eyes from new, modern tomography scanning (which is a form of imaging learned about in basic neuroscience classes). It's important to depict how the field is always growing and new discoveries are constantly being made.

Sources:
Long, Christopher P., et al. “Prevalence of Subclinical Retinal Ischemia in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease – A Hypothesis Driven Study.” EClinicalMedicine, vol. 33, 2 Mar. 2021, p. 100775., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100775.

https://shileyeye.ucsd.edu/news-events/223

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/eye-stroke-heart-disease-vision-exam-retina-oct

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Dubbed the Von Graefe knife, his tools are still used today in procedures

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Labeled as The Father of Modern Ophthalmology

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Labeled as The Father of Modern Ophthalmology

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Albrecht von Graefe was a German pioneer in the field of ophthalmology in the years of 1847-1870. To name just a few of his contributions to the field, he was able to distinguish between 3 types of glaucoma, created a tool, a knife, that was utilized to extract cataracts, invented a potential treatment for iridocyclitis, developed the very first tonometer, was the first to use the ophthalmoscope invented by Helmholtz. and was the very first doctor to use iridectomy as a method to lower eye pressure (which is still used today as an important technique with glaucoma).

Aside from his accomplishments as an ophthalmologist, he also gave back to society by building a hospital to provide free health care to the poor. He wrote down all of his findings which led to the publication of his ophthalmologic journal, which is the second ophthalmology published & continues to be referenced, and the establishment of the very first ophthalmic society in the world: Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft which to this day, presents a medal named after him in his honor.

I chose Graefe as the docent entry due to his important contributions to the field and how his work is still relevant today. As mentioned above, he utilized many tools for the first time, many of which are still used today in surgery. The tool he invented was even dubbed the Von Graefe knife which can be ordered online and is used in hospitals all across the globe. He was also the father of ophthalmology societies since he founded the first one and the fact that his journal is still referenced today speaks volume to his intelligence and knowledge of the subject.

Sources:
Ivanišević, Milan, et al. “Albrecht Von Graefe (1828–1870) and His Contributions to the Development of Ophthalmology.” International Ophthalmology, vol. 40, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1029–1033., https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-019-01253-y.

https://www.aao.org/biographies-detail/albrecht-von-graefe-md

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1583--Ophthalmodouleia: das ist Augendienst by Georg Bartisch

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1583--Ophthalmodouleia: das ist Augendienst by Georg Bartisch

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Georg Barisch, a German oculist and cutter for bladder stones, has also been debated to be the father of modern day ophthalmology due to his publication of the 273 page textbook, Ophthalmodouleia: das ist Augendienst, the first manuscript from the Renaissance about eye surgery and many ophthalamic disorders which consisted of 92 handmade woodcuts illustrating the diseases.

Many of the woodcuts contained an interactive component similar to a pop-up book where readers could lift up flaps on the woodcuts to simulate a dissection of specific anatomy. With every woodcut, Barisch also included details about each ocular diseases discussed, the surgical techniques implemented to perform the surgeries, and the medical instruments used. Another unique feature about his textbook is that it was written in German rather than the traditional Latin associated with medicine, making it one of the first medical publications in German.

I chose this artifact due to the intricate details of the woodcuts for the time period, as well as the fact that many of the details in his book are still pertinent today--and obviously the eyes are linked to neuroscience at the very core so the procedures and surgeries are directly connected to any realm of neuroscience involving vision or the eyes. It is especially impactful that the book was written in German, showcasing how medicine was evolving across the globe and becoming accessible in other languages and countries, not just one particular region and in Latin. Just as the field of neuroscience is continuously expanding today across the globe and among many languages, it is very important to recognize that same expansion across documented history and notice their impact on the development of their field centuries ago.

Sources:

Lowe, Ronald F. “Georg Bartisch: Ophthalmodouleia, Der Augendienst, 1583. A Treatise on Service of the Eyes and a Review of the Chapter on Strabismus.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 25, no. 3, Dec. 1997, pp. 295–298., https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9071.1997.tb01518.x.

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/georg-bartisch-s-ophthalmodouleia-1583

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1623--Benito Daza de Valdes Writes About Vision Correction

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1623--Benito Daza de Valdes Writes About Vision Correction

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Spanish optician, Benito Daza de Valdes, revolutionized the field of optometry with his publication named Uso de los Antoios, a textbook on the use of eyeglasses and a how-to manual for physicians to implement vision testing and eyeglass use. He proposed a new way of assessing visual acuity in 1623: "presenting small objects of regular size and determining the distance at which they could not be discerned," such as how far away a row of mustard seeds couldn't be counted anymore or the distance where small print became illegible (Wade 2011). He urged that these practices could be implemented in the field of optometry to gauge the optical correction needed for a person with visual deficits or the differentiation between needing convex or concave lenses.

His book is divided into three sections: the first one centered around "the nature and properties of the eyes," the second one centered around "the remedies for sight through cravings"  where he discusses the details of corrective vision, glasses, and lenses, and the third section centered around the clinical cases he witnessed the most that could benefit from the usage of glasses.

Interestingly enough, although his work was revolutionary for the time period, it was mostly overlooked and ignored during his lifetime. It wasn't until 1901 that Valdes was recognized for being so ahead of his time and that many of his findings are still compatible with the science we practice today.

I chose this artifact mostly because it is impossible to ponder a time period without vision correction such as eyeglasses or contact lenses. Neuroscience classes here at OSU have emphasized the importance of blue-light glasses due to how much time is spent looking at our computers or smartphones, so I thought it was only fitting to include the an artifact of the very first mention of eyeglasses in general. Vision is such an important aspect of daily life and especially neuroscience, given how intricate the visual system in the brain is. It is also interesting to note how he wasn't recognized for his work during his lifetime, which goes to show how scientific discoveries can never be discarded or ignored even post-death.

Sources:

Hofstetter, Henry W. “Optometry of Daza De Valdes (1591-Ca. 1636).” Optometry and Vision Science, vol. 65, no. 5, July 1988, pp. 354–357., https://doi.org/10.1097/00006324-198805000-00008.

https://neuroportraits.eu/portrait/benito-daza-de-vald%C3%A9s.html

https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/15987/benito-daza-de-valdes

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1798--John Dalton Documents Research Into Color Blindness

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1798--John Dalton Documents Research Into Color Blindness

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From England, John Dalton, most widely known for his atomic model theory, also influenced the field of ophthalmology by spearheading interest in color blindness, a genetic disorder that him and his brother both suffered from. Although he certainly wasn't the first person to be colorblind, he was the first person to scientifically describe and document his visual experience as a colorblind person; his publication was called "Extraordinary Facts Relating to the Vision of Colours with Observations." He compared his visual experiences with those of his friends and peers to ultimately recognize that he viewed color differently than most.

According to his documentation, he confused red with green and pink with blue--but he hypothesized that vitreous humor was blue, affecting the wavelengths of color absorbed. He was so interested in the science behind his dilemma that he requested that his eyes be examined posthumously, which revealed perfectly normal vitreous humors.

Thanks to modern day science, researchers were able to analyze his eyes due to his eye tissues being preserved. The DNA reflected findings that Dalton was missing the middlewave photopigment of the retina, also known as deuteranopia or red-green colorblindness. Also, due to his involvement in research of colorblindness, colorblindness can also be referred to as "Daltonism" as an ode to John Dalton.

I chose this artifact for two reasons: one being how common color-blindness is talked about nowadays and two being that Dalton is known for being absolutely crucial in the field of chemistry on the atomic level. Since childhood, our generations have been aware of colorblindness, with there now even being colorblindness correcting glasses. It's been mentioned in numerous biology, chemistry, and neuroscience classes beginning in early high school with particular emphasis on its genetic component and prevalence in males. I find it fascinating that the now common phenomenon was not mentioned in scientific literature until almost 1800. Secondly, Dalton's atomic model and atomic theory are two of the most basic foundations of chemistry, which thus shapes the field of neuroscience. It's important to recognize that neuroscience is directly intertwined with other scientific fields: Dalton's interest in chemistry is directly linked to his interest in his colorblindness which furthered the field of ophthalmology and our understanding of the brain & it's inner-workings.

Sources:

Hunt, David M., et al. “The Chemistry of John Dalton's Color Blindness.” Science, vol. 267, no. 5200, 1995, pp. 984–988., https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7863342.

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1260--Louis IX founded the Hopital des Quinze-Vingts in Paris

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1260--Louis IX founded the Hopital des Quinze-Vingts in Paris

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In the year 1260, Louis IX created a residential hospital fit to house 300 blind or visually impaired residents of Paris. Not only was this the first institution meant to house those suffering from blindness, it also was a significant development in promoting accessibility for those with disabilities which was extremely difficult given the time period and lack of technological advancements. The institution included a chapel with one chaplain overseeing it, and although it was called a hospital, it was not a hospital in the traditional sense where medical staff aided residents such as modern day nursing homes, but "rather a community in which the blind and the sighted lived and worked together on every aspect of communal life from agriculture to governance" (Wheatley 2002).

As years progressed, a dispensary was established in the hospital in the year 1873 which led to the creation of the Centre Hospitalier National D'Ophthamologie (CHNO): the biggest hospital infrastructure concentrated on visual and ocular diseases in modern day continental Europe. The current hospital structure was finally completed in 1974 after society surpassed the need for a residential commune and leaned towards modern day medicine. According to the CHNO website, the CHNO "brings together over 200 ophthalmologists who give over 150000 external consultations a year, carry out more than 13000 surgical operations and the biggest number of surgical acts on the retina."

Granted that modern day neuroscience deals a lot with finding novel treatments and new inventions for many life-altering disabilities, I found this event to be particularly important as it is one of the first institutions for people suffering from a visual disorder. It's extremely interesting to see at what point in history did a particular disorder or disease garner enough attention to dedicate a living quarter to them and see how it transformed over time to become one of the most influential medical entities in Europe that continues to contribute to findings relevant to the field of Ophthalmology, which of course is linked directly to the field of Neuroscience.

Sources:

Wheatley, Edward. “Blindness, Discipline, and Reward: Louis IX and the Foundation of the Hospice Des Quinze Vingts.” Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 4, 2002, https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v22i4.385.

https://www.institut-vision.org/en/22-partnerships/institutions/59-lalala.html

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The earliest known description of the eye from the 9th century done by Arab physician and translator: Hunayn Ibn Ishaq.

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809-877--First Documentation of the Eye by Islamic Physician

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809-877--First Documentation of the Eye by Islamic Physician

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In the years between 1000-1088, Islamic physicians and surgeons documented numerous monographs to the field of ophthalmology. As described above, the image is the first known medical description of the eye, written in Arabic in Iraq by Hunayn Ibn Ishaq.

Ishaq wrote Ten Treatises on the Eye, which is the earliest documentation of ophthalmology. Ishaq founded many of his theories on what is described as "cosmological natures of pathways from the brain to the object being perceived." His work was built off of foundations laid by Galen's work regarding anatomy and physiology. Since he was also a translator, he translated his work into Latin, allowing his work to be accessed by physicians in other parts of the world as well. This translation caused much of his work and theories to be adopted by early Greek and Roman doctors of the same time period.

I chose this artifact because it represents the very beginning of the field of ophthalmology and early documentation of how the body and brain work. I find it relevant to the field of neuroscience, particularly because he based a lot of his work off of Galen's theories, which we discussed in class. It is also fascinating to see how medicine has stereotypically been associated with Latin, but the first documentation was actually written in Arabic and then translated to what would become the mainstream medical language.

Sources:
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/islamic_medical/islamic_09.html
https://dbpedia.org/page/Book_of_the_Ten_Treatises_of_the_Eye