Edward Jackson (March 30, 1856 - October 29, 1942) was an American ophthalmologist better known for popularizing

retinoscopy Retinoscopy is a technique to obtain an objective measurement of the refractive error of a patient's eyes. How It Works The examiner uses a retinoscope to shine light into the patient's eye and observes the reflection (reflex) off the patient' ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He also described detecting

astigmatism Astigmatism is a type of refractive error due to rotational asymmetry in the eye's refractive power. The lens and cornea of an eye without astigmatism are nearly spherical, with only a single radius of curvature, and any refractive errors ...

and its correct axis using a cross-cylinder. The modified

Stokes lens Stokes lens also known as variable power cross cylinder lens is a lens used to diagnose a type of refractive error known as astigmatism. Lens design The Stokes lens also known as variable power cross cylinder lens, in its standard version, is a l ...

he made was later known as Jackson's cross-cylinder.

Biography

Edward Jackson was born March 30, 1856, in

West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania West Goshen Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 23,040 at the 2020 census. In 2013, ''Money'' magazine ranked West Goshen as the 10th-best place to live in the nation. West Goshen has also b ...

, the son of Holiday and Emily Jackson. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Union College, New York in 1874, and in 1878 received his medical degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. Jackson married Jenny L. Price in 1878. After she died in 1896, he settled in Denver in 1898, where he married Emily Churchman. Jackson died of

heart block Heart block (HB) is a disorder in the heart's rhythm due to a fault in the natural pacemaker. This is caused by an obstruction – a block – in the electrical conduction system of the heart. Sometimes a disorder can be inherited. Despite the ...

on October 29, 1942, at the age of 86.

Career

Jackson, who served as Professor of Ophthalmology at the Penn Medicine Rittenhouse (previously Philadelphia Polyclinic) and surgeon at

Wills Eye Hospital Wills Eye Hospital is a non-profit eye clinic and hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1832 and is the oldest continually operating eye-care facility in the United States. It is the ophthalmology residency program for T ...

later became professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the

University of Colorado School of Medicine The University of Colorado School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Colorado system. It is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, one of the four University of Colorado campuses, six mil ...

. He founded the Colorado Ophthalmological Society and started the first postgraduate course in ophthalmology in the US. In 1885, he popularized retinoscopy in the United States. In 1887 he described detecting astigmatism using a cross-cylinder, and in 1907 he described the determination of the axis of a correcting cylinder in astigmatism using a cross-cylinder. The modified

was later known as Jackson's cross-cylinder. He founded and edited the Yearbook of Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Literature, and was appointed editor of the third series of the

American Journal of Ophthalmology ''American Journal of Ophthalmology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering ophthalmology. It was established in 1884 and is published by Elsevier. The editor-in-chief is Richard K. Parrish II (Bascom Palmer Eye Institute). Indexing ...

in 1918. He held several other positions including president of the

American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology The American Academy of Ophthalmology is a professional medical association of ophthalmologists. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its membership of 32,000 medical doctors includes more than 90 percent of practicing ophthalmolo ...

and member of

American Board of Ophthalmology The American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for certifying ophthalmologists ( eye physicians and surgeons) in the United States of America. Founded in 1916, the ABO was the first American Bo ...

Awards and honors

In honor of him, the

American Academy of Ophthalmology The American Academy of Ophthalmology is a professional association, professional medical association of ophthalmologists. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its membership of 32,000 medical doctors includes more than 90 percent ...

annually conducts a Jackson Memorial Lecture.

References

External links

Edward Jackson's Place in the History of Refraction: First Jackson Memorial Lecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Edward American ophthalmologists 1856 births 1942 deaths