The Development and Status of Eye Banking with Special Focus on the Commitment of LIONS Clubs. / Entwicklung und Stand des Hornhautbankings unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Engagements von LIONS Clubs.

BACKGROUND: Ever since the first successful keratoplasty in 1905, there has been a need to store corneas for transplantation. R. Townley Paton founded the first eye bank in New York in 1944. With Helen Keller's call in 1925 for LIONS to "constitute themselves Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness", LIONS Clubs International has become involved in the establishment of eye banks worldwide. This paper presents the development of eye banking in general and with special attention to the support offered by LIONS Clubs. METHODS: Selective literature search through PubMed, Google Scholar and Google in close cooperation with the LIONS Eye Banks already established in Germany, LIONS Clubs International (USA) and the Julius Hirschberg Society (Austria). Analysis focused on the founding processes of 6 German eye banks and their current services. RESULTS: Filatov was the first to keep donor eyes in a cool, moist container for a few days. In 1973, Summerlin et al described the technique of organ culture for donor corneas, and McCarey & Kaufman described a liquid storage medium in 1974. LIONS Clubs International and their organisational structure first supported an eye bank in the US in 1952, outside America in Hong Kong in 1962 and in Germany in 1969. Funding is provided across all levels of LIONS as network support and material resources. In general, staff funding is not provided. Of the 88 eye banks operating worldwide today, 44 are called LIONS Eye Banks. 6 of the current 26 eye banks in Germany are operating under LIONS sponsorship and run by departments of ophthalmology at university medical centres. Although the number of transplants has increased in recent years due to new surgical techniques, the number of patients waiting for donor tissue is also growing as a result of the broadening indication. CONCLUSIONS: Even today, the availability of donor corneas limits patient care. Eye banks help to meet the need for donor corneas. However, the techniques and technical equipment of eye banks must undergo continuous improvement. The local, national and international network of LIONS Clubs can assist in establishing these in order to facilitate legal requirements and structural developments. This support frequently lasts for many years, often triggers additional public commitment and is thus also a supporting element for the future development of eye banking in Germany.

Lights and darks of a picture. The life of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, "il Guercino" - the squinter.

PURPOSE: To be cross-eyed is a wide-spread dysfunction of the eye and squinting is currently regarded as unattractive. However, in ancient times, societies saw squinting as a sign of piety or even beauty. Even Venus was depicted heterophoric quite often. The most famous artist who was cross-eyed was Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (*08.02.1591; †22.12.1666, both Italy). His nickname was "Il Guercino" which means "the squinter." This article reflects on vision and art from the perspective of a cross-eyed person. METHODS: Life and work of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri was analyzed and interpreted based on selective literature research of books and journal articles via PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google. RESULTS: As squinters use mostly only one eye as the other eye is amblyopic, it could be expected that their paintings would be more or less two dimensional. Already at the age of seven, Barbieri showed great talent in drawing and painting. At age 17, he started his education at the famous Bologna school. Barbieri was very productive, leaving behind, at his death,106 large altarpieces and 144 other paintings. During his lifetime, he was well accepted, sought after, and quite wealthy. In analyzing a selection of Barbieri's work, one is amazed at how detailed the artist was in depicting chiaroscuro in his paintings to present a three-dimensional picture. CONCLUSIONS: Barbieri did not make a secret of the dysfunction of his eyes. In contrast, he showed his squinting eye distinctly in his famous self-portrait from ca. 1635. It can be assumed that "Il Guercino" was so detailed in studying light and shadow with his one eye that he could compensate for his amblyopic eye. By this, Barbieri could create pictures with an amazing degree of variations of light and shadow.

[An important son of Aub: the military surgeon and ophthalmologist Johann Adam Schmidt (1759-1809)]. / Ein bedeutender Sohn Aubs: Der Militärarzt und Ophthalmologe Johann Adam Schmidt (1759-1809).

The following article gives you a review to the life and work of the military surgeon and ophthalmologist Johann Adam Schmidt who was born in Aub/Lower Franconia on the 12th of October 1759. He had got his surgical education in Würzburg and had worked as an Unterchirurgus in the War of the Bavarian succession. Later on he completed his education in Vienna where he, by joining different work places, had been appointed to a professorship at the Medico-Surgical Joseph's Academy and became a leading figure of the Austrian military medical service. Also as an ophthalmologist Johann Adam Schmidt obtained high credit for his practical activity and his academic work. Johann Adam Schmidt died on the 19th of February 1809 and left a multiplicity of publications. He got not least publicity as the doctor of Beethoven, who dedicated the trio for piano, clarinet or violin and violoncello (Es-major) Opus 38 to Schmidt.