Anton Elschnig (22 August 1863 – 1939) was an

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

born in

Leibnitz Leibnitz (; ) is a city in the Austrian States of Austria, state of Styria and on 1 Jan. 2023 had a population of 13,014. It is located to the south of the city of Graz, between the Mur (river), Mur and Sulm (Austria), Sulm rivers. The town is ...

, Austria. In 1886, he received his medical doctorate at the University of Graz, and later worked as an assistant at ophthalmology clinics in Graz and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. In 1892 he obtained his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

at Graz, and from 1907 to 1933 was a full professor and head of the eye clinic at the University of Prague. He is best known for performing corneal transplants in the early days of keratoplasty, being credited with developing a method introduced by Arthur von Hippel (1841-1916).Who Named It
(bibliography) Elschnig described this surgical procedure in the "Archives of Ophthalmology" (1930, 4: 165–173). He was the publisher of the second and third editions of the Graefe- Saemisch ''Handbuch der gesammten Augenheilkunde''.

Eponymous ophthalmic terms

* "Elschnig's conjunctivitis":

Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye or Madras eye, is inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, clear layer that covers the white surface of the eye and the inner eyelid. It makes the eye appear pink or reddish. Pain, burning, scratchiness ...

associated with

hyperplasia Hyperplasia (from ancient Greek ὑπέρ ''huper'' 'over' + πλάσις ''plasis'' 'formation'), or hypergenesis, is an enlargement of an organ or tissue caused by an increase in the amount of Tissue (biology), organic tissue that results from ...

of the tarsal gland. * "Elschnig's pearls": Pearl-like clusters formed by growth of epithelial cells on the

lens capsule The lens capsule is a component of the Globe (human eye), globe of the Human eye, eye. It is a clear elastic basement membrane similar in composition to other basement membranes in the body. The capsule is a very thick basement membrane and the t ...

in secondary cataract formation. * " Elschnig's spots": phenomena of black flecks surrounded by yellow or red halos as seen by

ophthalmoscope Ophthalmoscopy, also called funduscopy, is a test that allows a health professional to see inside the fundus of the eye and other structures using an ophthalmoscope (or funduscope). It is done as part of an eye examination and may be done as part ...

. It occurs in cases of advanced hypertensive

retinopathy Retinopathy is any damage to the retina of the eyes, which may cause vision impairment. Retinopathy often refers to retinal vascular disease, or damage to the retina caused by abnormal blood flow. Age-related macular degeneration is technically in ...

, represent focal choroidal infarcts.

External links

Ophthalmology Hall of Fame
(biography and photograph)

@ Who Named It Austrian ophthalmologists 1863 births 1939 deaths University of Graz alumni Academic staff of Charles University People from Leibnitz Physicians from Austria-Hungary {{austria-med-bio-stub