Fick’s ophthalmic tonometer, Germany, 1888-1936
Fick's ophthalmotonometer, by Siedentopf, Wurzburg, Germany
Tonometers measure pressure within the eye. This is known as intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a condition where the optic nerve becomes damaged leading to loss of sight. Glaucoma raises intraocular pressure. Tonometers were refined in the 1880s by German physiologist Adolph Eugene Fick (1829-1901). Cocaine was introduced as a local anaesthetic in 1887. This allowed tonometers to be applied directly to the cornea.
- Measurements:
-
overall: 10 mm x 95 mm x 71 mm, .02kg
- Materials:
- instrument, brass and instrument, steel
- Object Number:
- A71676/1
- type:
- ophthalmic tonometer
