Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C E Letocha.
Three patients in whom Ridley intraocular lenses (IOLs) were successfully implanted more than 42 years ago are presented. One case had traumatic cataract at age 13. The other 2 had surgery for unilateral cataract of unknown etiology at about age 40 and surgery on the second eye approximately 40 years later. A review of other reports of late-term results with this IOL is included.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In several sources, it is stated that Dr. George McClellan was one of the first surgeons to lose an ophthalmic malpractice case in the United States. Examining the original sources, one can conclude that he actually won a libel suit. The trial testimony gives a useful insight into cataract surgery in the 1820s as well as the medical climate of that period. This trial revealed to the public the existence of the secret medical society, Kappa Lambda.
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A 44-year-old man had unilateral closure of the anterior chamber angle associated with ciliary body swelling. He was treated with topical cycloplegics and corticosteroids. The shallow chamber deepended to equal the fellow eye in 6 days, and no recurrence has been noted.
In this series, ten patients with systemic sarcoidosis presented with retinal changes as the initial manifestation of the disease. The diagnosis was suspected on the basis of the retinal findings, and subsequently substantiated by medical evaluation. Anterior uveitis, the best-known finding in ocular sarcoidosis, was overshadowed by the retinal changes. The retinal findings in this condition are characteristic and should alert the ophthalmologist to evaluate the patient for systemic sarcoidosis.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Every so often we receive letters to the editor commenting on a previously published paper. The following commentary is just such a letter. Its content and review are so thorough, we feel compelled to share the letter with our readers as it complements the original article on the history of glasses ("Spectacles: Past, Present and Future," March-April 1986). Modesty keeps me from further elaboration on my original article. Suffice it to say, Dr. Letocha's letter elaborates upon the issues of the date and inventory of spectacles. It stands solidly as an example of erudition in historical research.
Benjamin Franklin, who died 200 years ago, is generally credited with the invention of bifocals. However, serious historians have from time to time produced evidence to suggest that others may have preceded him in the invention. This historical article includes correspondence from George Whatley, a London philanthropist, and John Fenno, editor of The Gazette of the United States, which convincingly documents that Franklin invented bifocals, perhaps 50 years earlier than has been generally thought. Appendices detail the many difficulties encountered in the early manufacture of bifocals.