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Born in 1821
just outside of Berlin, Herman Von Helmholtz was interested in a
vast array of sciences. He studied everything from mechanics to
physiology. In 1849, Helmholtz became a professor of physiology at
Konigsberg. Helmholtz was promoted to various teaching positions
throughout Germany and eventually ended up in Berlin as a physics
professor.
Helmholtz
solidified and made coherent the work of many other scientists. He
brought new attention to Thomas Young’s theory of light, which we
consequently still use today. Young believed that three colors make
up color vision and mixed together they create white. Helmholtz
furthered this, believing that there are three types of nerve fibers
which deliver information to the brain. Helmholtz made it possible
to comprehend how the eye changes focus with his theories on
accommodation. He is also credited with advances in the
physiological nature of binocular vision. In addition, Helmholtz
brought attention to the ophthalmoscope and various other innovative
optical instruments. Helmholtz is a key figure in the history of
optometry.
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