A man behind a woman who is combing her hair; representing the sense of sight. Engraving.

Looking up from underneath a microscope

Retinal ganglion cell

A woman looks at herself in her mirror; a man looks through a telescope; representing the sense of sight. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, ca. 1650.

Visual distortion

Human eye with blue iris

Brown jumping spider (unknown species)

An old woman wearing spectacles; representing the sense of sight. Mezzotint by A.H.J. Degmair after P.A. Wille.

Colour vision

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Eighteenth Century collections online

A treatise on the diseases of the eye, and their remedies; to which is prefixed, the Anatomy of the eye; the theory of vision; And the several Species of Imperfect Sight. Illustrated with Copper Plates. By Geo. Chandler, Surgeon.

<p>In the centre is a bed screened off by a curtain; a pair of slippers lie before it. On the wall behind the mirror is a painting with no image. The stool on the right bears a coat and a plumed hat</p>

Photomacrograph of a close-up view of part of a human eye. The sclera is the white part of the eye, which forms a tough, outer coating to protect the eyeball. Part of the iris (brown) and some eyelashes are also visible here. The human eye is a complex organ and works in a similar way to a camera. Light enters the eye through the pupil. The size of the pupil is controlled by the iris in order to adjust how much light enters the eye at any given time. Light enters the eye and is focused onto the retina at the back of the eye, which then converts these images into electrical signals and sends them on to the brain to interpret and make sense of. Width of image is 2 cm.

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Vision

Images

Works

A treatise on the diseases of the eye, and their remedies; to which is prefixed, the Anatomy of the eye; the theory of vision; And the several Species of Imperfect Sight. Illustrated with Copper Plates. By Geo. Chandler, Surgeon.

A woman looks at herself in her mirror; a man looks through a telescope; representing the sense of sight. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, ca. 1650.

Sclera (white part) of the human eye

Zur Physiologie des Gesichtssinnes / von A. Classen.

Eyesight, good & bad : a treatise on the exercise and preservation of vision.

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Wellcome uses cookies.

Vision

Images

Works

A treatise on the diseases of the eye, and their remedies; to which is prefixed, the Anatomy of the eye; the theory of vision; And the several Species of Imperfect Sight. Illustrated with Copper Plates. By Geo. Chandler, Surgeon.

A woman looks at herself in her mirror; a man looks through a telescope; representing the sense of sight. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, ca. 1650.

Sclera (white part) of the human eye

Zur Physiologie des Gesichtssinnes / von A. Classen.

Eyesight, good & bad : a treatise on the exercise and preservation of vision.

Wellcome Collection

Today’s opening times