The contribution of A. Gref to clinical ophthalmology (to the 190th anniversary of the birth)

The first scientific and practices works in ophthalmology of Professor Albreht Grephe are possibilities. Notes, that in 1850 Hermann Helmholtz introduced the ophthalmoscope into clinical practice, this tool allowed Albrecht Gref to make a number of discoveries and scientific proposals concerning the pathology of the fundus. He described the embolism of the retinal artery, differentiated central recurrent syphilitic retinitis from diffuse, described optic neuritis and much more. Seven years of his scientific work, A. Gref has devoted to the study of the functioning of the eye muscles, strabismus and its correction by surgery, the study of amblyopia. Later, he described in detail the symptoms of ocular muscle paralysis and the clinical manifestations of diphtheria and benign renal conjunctivitis, outlined the ways of drug treatment of these diseases. Gref considered eye pressure the main cause of glaucoma. In his opinion, reducing pressure, it was possible to save the patient from glaucoma. During the treatment of the patient with complete infection of the pupil, A. Grefe made iridectomy (excision of the iris part) and noticed that the eye after the operation became softer. This prompted the doctor to think about the possibility of using such an operation for glaucoma. It is important to note that at the first International Ophthalmological Congress in Brussels in 1857 Gref made a report «On the nature and treatment of glaucoma by iridectomy». This operation brought him world fame and saved many glaucoma patients from blindness. Iridectomy is used in ophthalmic practice and at the present time. In 1859 Grefe proposed a method for peripheral linear extraction of cataracts. He made a peripheral linear cut, thanks to which the divergence of the edges of the wound of the patch cut was eliminated. For such a cut Grefe invented a special long and narrow scalpel, behind which the name Grefevsky was preserved. As time has shown, the basic theoretical and practical provisions and discoveries of Grefe still form the foundation of our knowledge in ophthalmology.

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