About Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmologist provide medical and surgical care and treatment of problems and disease of your eyes. These medical and surgical healers command the same respect brain surgeons enjoy. Ophthalmologists also clarify myths about the human eyes and vision using scientific facts. As early as 1600 B.C., the ancients knew of many of the maladies to which your eyes are susceptible. But centuries passed before valid cures, treatments and skilled surgery developed through the specialized medicine of the ophthalmologist.

History Is Ancient

• An early Egyptian papyrus describes eye diseases ophthalmologists treat today, including iritis, blepharitis, chalazion, cataract, trachoma and ophthalmoplegia. What the early physicians did not know were genuine medical cures and treatments for these illnesses of the eye. Treating, caring for and surgically manipulating the human eye came centuries later. The American Ophthalmologist Society was established in 1864.

Understanding and Specializing

• Completing two ophthalmic texts in the third century A.D., the Greek philosopher and physician Galan clearly understood the eye's ability to refract light to reflect the image inside the eye and communicate with the brain, thus providing "sight." The founding of the AOS in the mid-19th century benchmarks the arrival of the ophthalmologist as a specialized medical and surgical doctor.

New Invention

• The rise of the ophthalmologist in medicine of the eye brought the invention of the ophthalmometer in 1880. This innovation measures the curvature of the cornea and is a key instrument specific to the skills of the ophthalmologist.
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Ophthalmologists Mark History

• Continuing research adds to ophthalmology medical firsts including:

  •Successful use of antiviral agents to cure an eye disease
  •Surgical replacement of a cornea was the first successful homotransplant.
  •Development of laser photo-coagulation
  •Development of microsurgery

Facts About Eyes

• Ophthalmologist clarify what is fact and what is myth in beliefs about the human eye. Some facts about your eyes:

  •Reading in dim light does not harm your eye but does make it more difficult to see what you read.
  •Wearing contacts while swimming or in a hot tub opens opportunity for severe eye infections.
  •Safety goggles effectively prevent eye injuries.
  •Eye strain and fatigue are the only two things caused by using a computer screen for prolonged time.