[Phantom vision phenomenon]. / Zjawisko widzenia fantomowego.

The subject of the paper is the phenomenon of phantom vision. It occurs among the blind (or almost blind) and is characterised by perceiving various visual sensations, for example: light, geometrical shapes, buildings, people, flowers etc. The paper presents views explaining the generation of phantom vision. According to Melzack's theory, the occurrence of these sensations is explained in relation to the phenomenon of transforming the neuro-activity of the brain in a specific--for each organ--neuronal network called neuromatrix. Even if some organs do exist but have ceased to function completely (or to a significant degree) and consequently the brain does not receive any sensory stimuli from them, the neuromatrix in brain can generate visual sensations constituting the phantom vision phenomenon. The paper also presents three cases of phantom vision.

[The role of the spontaneous occurrence of Pulfrich's stereophenomenon in the diagnosis of demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system]. / Znaczenie spontanicznego wystepowania stereofenomenu Pulfricha w diagnostyce schorzen demielinizacyjnych osrodkowego ukladu nerwowego.

PURPOSE: Checking the usefulness of the spontaneous occurrence of Pulfrich's stereophenomenon in the diagnosis of demyelinating diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Research embraced 22 patients with visual disturbances (including 9 patients with retrobulbar neuritis and others with anterior ischaemic neuropathy, central retinal vein occlusion, intrabulbar optic neuritis and traumatic atrophy of the optic nerve). The research also embraced 27 patients with demyelinating diseases (sclerosis multiplex). RESULTS: Spontaneous occurrence of Pulfrich's stereophenomenon was reported in 9 retrobulbar neuritis patients. It was also reported in 24 demyelinating patients. CONCLUSION: This simple Pulfrich's pendulum test is positive in 92% of demyelinating patients, including all patients with SM and retrobulbar neuritis.

Witelo--Polish vision scientist of the middle ages: father of physiological optics.

Unknown to the Western hemisphere, a Polish scientist, naturalist, anatomist, physiologist, philosopher and optician, Witelo, wrote an important ten volume manuscript, Peri-Optikes, usually cited in the literature as Perspectiva. This classic textbook was first published in 1535 in Nuremberg under the title: Vitellionis mathematici doctissimi ... vulgo Perspectivam vocant libri X, which is translated to English as Perspectiva. It was a vital source of information for such scientists as Leonardo da Vinci, Keppler and others in the next few centuries. Although many of his ideas were similar to Alhazan's, who earlier had written a significant optical manuscript De aspectibus, Witelo developed his own interpretation of many optical issues. He was one of the first scientists to discover spherical aberration of concave lenses and concave mirrors. He was also first to point out "that deflection of the light ray increases with the angle in which they approach two different optical substances and each increase is smaller than the previous one." Until recently, Witelo's achievements and contributions to the understanding of optical and anatomical aspects of the eye and visual function have remained unknown in western literature. Undoubtedly, Witelo should be recognized as the father of physiological optics.

[Use of Pulfrich's stereo-phenomenon in determining stereoscopic vision]. / Zastosowanie stereofenomenu Pulfricha do oceny widzenia stereoskopowego.

PURPOSE: To check whether a test based on Pulfrich's stereophenomenon can be applied to determine stereopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The group of 24 patients with normal visual acuity and stereopsy and 15 with ambylopia without stereopsy were tested with Pulfrich's pendulum test. RESULTS: This method yielded 24 positive and 15 negative cases confirming the previous assessments. Neither false positive nor false negative cases were recorded. CONCLUSION: The simplicity and reliability of this method in determining stereopsy provide arguments for its widespread use.

[Evaluation of new intraocular lenses in a scanning microscope]. / Ocena nowych soczewek wewnatrzgalkowych w mikroskopie skaningowym.

New posterior chamber lenses produced by 6 different companies, 3 from each, were examined in a Novoscan 30 scanning microscope. Practically in each lens irregularities of the surface of the haptic part were found and in many of them also in the optic part. The relatively smallest irregularities were observed in the lenses of the companies (in alphabetical order): Alcon, Domilens and Storz.

[Microsurgical modification of Allen's glaucoma operation]. / Mikrochirurgiczna modyfikacja operacji przeciwjaskrowej allena.

The modified anti-glaucomatous operation, introduced its classical version by Allen, has been presented in this paper. The microsurgical version could be defined as micro-cyclodialysis with basal iridectomy, combined with the restoration of the anterior chamber. The surgery was performed in simple glaucoma and glaucoma in aphakic eyes. The details of the surgery and the illustrations of its respective phases have been presented. The results were based on clinical observation of 41 patients. The satisfactory results, up to 6 months, were obtained in 85.3% of the patients. Later the percentage decreases to 78%. For 10 aphakic eyes stabilization was obtained in 9 cases.

Transmission of the normal and cataractous lenses.

Results of measurements of the transmission (total and in line) of cataractous lenses are presented. A magnitude is introduced which can be used as a measure of the in vitro opacity of lenses.

Father Waclaw Szuniewicz, M.D., an ophthalmologist of unusual courage and devotion.

The authors present a short biography of the missionary-priest ophthalmologist Waclaw Szuniewicz (1892-1963). This remarkable man completed his ophthalmologic training between 1922 and 1927 at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Stefan Batory University in Wilno, Poland. From 1931 to 1949 he served as a missionary priest in China, and for part of this time he was the head of the Department of Ophthalmology at a hospital in the Chinese town of Shuntehfu. He organized and ran a 100 bed ophthalmology department there, also supervising 18 outpatient clinics in the surrounding area. During this period he regularly saw over 145,000 patients and performed over 5000 ophthalmic operations a year! From 1949 to 1952 Dr Szuniewicz carried out research work on the surgical treatment of corneal astigmatism. His interesting refractive procedures were done at Yale University in the USA and the techniques he developed arose from the work he had initially done in China from 1946 to 1948. Dr Suniewicz moved from the USA to Brazil in 1952 where he continued his refractive surgery research until 1954 and his missionary service until his death in 1963.

[Crystalline lenses of newborn infants in scanning electron microscope. Preliminary report]. / Soczewka niemowleca w mikroskopie skaningowym. Doniesienie wstepne.

Results of examination of 6 transparent infant lenses in a scanning microscope are presented. Discussed is the structure of the termination of the zonula on the lens capsule and the appearance of lenticular fibres in the cortical and nuclear layers.