Marc Amsler

Marc Amsler was an outstanding teacher of ophthalmology and a highly creative clinician, investigator and designer of instruments and surgical procedures. He studied under Jules Gonin (1870-1935) at the University of Lausanne and became an advocate Gonin's ideas about surgical repair of retinal detachment. He succeeded Gonin in 1935 as chair of ophthalmology at Lausanne, and in 1944 became professor at the University of Zurich.

Amsler pioneered in the study of aqueous humor in uveitis and developed an interest in how to monitor macular symptoms in retinal disease.

It seems likely that Amsler got the idea for his patterns from a small card with a grid pattern that Edmund Landolt (1846-1826) designed to place in the centre of his perimeter to test the macula. Landolt may have intended to describe his test card in print, but he never did, and his plans for the card are not known. It appears to have been Amsler's idea to take the grid out of the perimeter and use it as an independent test and in doing so Amsler experimented extensively with different patterns and different colours of grid design.

• Le keratocone fruste au Javal. Ophthalmologica, Basel, 1938, 96: 77-83.
• Heterochromie de Fuchs et fragilite vasculaire. With F. Verrey.
  Ophthalmologica, Basel, 1946, 111: 177.
• L’examen qualitatif de la fonction maculaire. Ophthalmologica, 1947, 114: 248–261.
• Lehrbuch der Augenheilkunde. Basel, Karger, 1948. 858 pages.
  M. Amsler, A. Brückner, Adolphe Franceschetti (1896-1968), Hans Goldmann (1899-1991) and Enrico Bernardo Streiff (1908-), editors:
  New edition with several new authors in 1954, 927 pages.
  3rd, revised and expanded edition, Basel, Freiburg im Breisgau, New York : Karger, 1961. 1011 pages.
• Quantitative and qualitative vision. Transactions of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom, London, 1949, 69: 397-410.
• Mydriase et myose directes et instantanées par les médiateurs chimiques.
  With Florian Veerrey.
  Annales d'oculistique, Paris, December 1949, 182 (12): 936.
• Earliest symptoms of diseases of the macula.
  The British Journal of Ophthalmology, London, 1953, 37: 521-537.
• Zur Frage des pterygiumbedingten Astigmatismus.
  [On the problem of astigmatism associated with pterygium.].
  Ophthalmologica, Basel, July 1953, 126 (1): 52-54, 1953.
• L‘Humeur Aqueuse et ses Fonctions.
  With Florian Verrey and Alfred Huber. Paris, Masson, 1955.
• Lexicon Ophthalmologicum. Multilingual Ophthalmological Dictionary.
  By A. Moacyr (São Paulo), M. Amsler (Zürich), A. Hermengildo (Barcelona), Giambattista Bietti (1907-1977, Roma), D.-E. Stewart (London).
  Basel : Karger, 1959. Biographical etc:
• [To Marc Amsler on his 60th birthday.] [No authors listed]
  Schweizerische medizinische Wochenschrift, Basel, February 10, 1951, 81 (6): 127.
• F. Verrey:
  [To Professor Marc Amsler on his 70th birthday.]
  Schweizerische medizinische Wochenschrift, Basel, February 25, 1961, 91: 244-245. French.
• Stewart Duke-Elder:
  Marc Amsler, 1891-1968.
  The British Journal of Ophthalmology, London, July 1968, 52 (7): 575.
• G. B. Bietti:
  [Marc Amsler (1891-1968)] [Article in Italian]
  Bollettino d'oculistica, Bologna, June 1968, 47 (6): 439-440.
• J. Babel:
  Marc Amsler (1891-1968). Archives d'ophtalmologie et Revue générale d'ophthalmologie, Paris, September 1968, 28 (6): 577-579.
• R. Witmer, A. Gigon:
  [Marc Amsler, February 15, 1891-May 3, 1968] German.
  Bulletin der Schweizerischen Akademie der Medizinischen Wissenschaften, Basel, November 1968, supplement 24: 122–.
• F. Verrey:
  [Marc Amsler, 1891-1968]. French.
  Annales d'oculistique, Paris, October 1968, 201 (10): 1001-1004.
• F. Verrey:
  [Marc Amsler, 1891-1968]. Ophthalmologica, Basel, 1969, 157 (6): 401-406.
• J. Babel:
  [Marc Amsler, 1891-1968].
  Archives d'ophtalmologie et Revue générale d'ophthalmologie, Paris, September 1968, 28 (6): 577-579. French.
• R. Sampaolesi:
  Prof. Marc Amsler and the Cantonal Hospital Eye Clinic, Zurich.
  Survey of Ophthalmology, New York, March-April 1996, 40 (5): 400-404.
• [Professor Marc Amsler, 1890-1968] No author listed.
  Bulletin de la Société belge d'ophtalmologie, June 30, 1968, 149: 417-9. French. available.
  
  
• M. F. Marmor:
  A brief history of macular grids: from Thomas Reid to Edvard Munch and Marc Amsler.
  Survey of Ophthalmology, New York, January-February 2000, 44 (4): 343-353.