Model beam path of eye, Watkins & Hill, London, 1825-1850 Inv V12049

This model shows the beam path from a point of light to and through the eye. It was made between 1825 and 1850 by Watkins and Hill of London. These kinds of models were used in both medical and physics instruction. One of the institutions where particular attention was paid to eye ailments and eye diseases was the Eye Sufferers' Hospital in Utrecht, founded in 1858 by F.C. Donders. In this centre he trained many eye doctors. Who in turn themselves trained pupils. This makes Donders the founding father of all ophthalmologists in the Netherlands. Donders himself studied mainly the seeing of colours and astigmatism (a frequent abnormality). He also introduced the beam path model into Dutch ophthalmology.