The Albrecht von Graefe Story

His father, too, was a surgeon; he pioneered plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery, and was also a founder of German rhinoplasty. Albrecht was dedicated to following in his father's footsteps, so he studied extensively to become a teacher and surgeon. Ophthalmology was the field that he found himself most drawn to.

After his father died, Albrecht von Graefe studied at the University of Berlin, where he was the youngest student to begin studying at the age of 15. Four years later, he graduated with his medical degree and began to travel throughout Europe, continuing to study medicine and still paying special attention to ophthalmology. Eventually, he settled on becoming an oculist and founded a private institution for eye treatment, which laid the foundation for similar institutions that would be established later in Germany and Switzerland.

He was appointed as the teacher of ophthalmology at the University of Berlin in 1853, becoming an Extraordinary Professor in 1858 and then finally an Ordinary Professor in 1866. With the help of Carl Ferdinand von Arlt and Franciscus Donders, he established the Archiv für Ophthalmologie, and he became a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1870. Albrecht bon Graefe is best known for having discovered a way to treat Glaucoma, as well as developing a new form of Cataract Surgery.

The eye is one of the most sensitive parts of the human body, and can be damaged considerably by even the slightest abrasion. In what seems almost like a complete contradiction, it's also one of the most important organs we have. It's hard for some to imagine what the world would be like if they couldn't see, and from a young age you're taught to Protect Your Eyesight —“You shouldn't strain them in front of the TV like that,” or “Don't do that, you could poke an eye out!” It's no surprise that ophthalmology (the study of the eye, its mechanisms and the various conditions it is vulnerable to) is one of the biggest branches of medicine we have now.

It's of the utmost importance that surgeons learn the safest, most efficient ways of working with the eye to avoid lifelong damage to their patients. Ophthalmology has existed for 2,000 years, and it's been growing ever since. The first known surgeon to have performed a cataract removal, for example, lived in the year 800 BC. The technology for operating on eyes still isn't perfect, but we've come a very long way, with a line of bright scientists researching how to make this medical field even better than what it is.

Albrecht von Graefe died in 1870 after contracting tuberculosis, and his grave was preserved in the .

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Albrecht von Graefe to Facts About Eyesight

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