Painting and the eye

Abstract

This article reviews various ophthalmic diseases in the most famous historical paintings. Sometimes, the ophthalmic diseases might also substantially affect the vision of artists and we can deduct from their paintings what ophthalmic problems could have influenced these painters. They have their own painting, which is greatly influenced not only by their brain but also by their actual visual acuity. The most important ophthalmic diseases, which might affect vision and styles of painting, are refractive errors, cataract, glaucoma, ocular inflammations like uveitis; corneal opacities; haemorrhage in the vitreous, macular, and retinal degenerations; and retinal detachment. In the history of the painting, the different styles can be recognised and very often the question raised is whether this style is influenced by the visual acuity of the artists or visual acuity has nothing to do with the different styles. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how ophthalmic problems might have influenced final arts during the past centuries.