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April 1993, Vol 111, No. 4 >
ARTICLE | April 1993

The History of Vitamin A and Its Ophthalmic Implications: Title and subTitle BreakA Personal Viewpoint FREE

A. Edward Maumenee, MD
[+] Author Affiliations

Accepted for publication April 14, 1992.

Reprint requests to PO Box 478, Point Clear, AL 36564-0478 (Dr Maumenee).


Arch Ophthalmol. 1993;111(4):547-550. doi:10.1001/archopht.1993.01090040139048
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Comments

In ancient Egypt, night blindness was described as early as 1500 BC in the "Ebers Papyrus" No. 3511; it is possible that this information was obtained from even earlier medical sources dating back to 2500 BC. Although the Egyptians did not know of vitamin A or of the fact that a diet deficient in this vitamin would lead to a decline in the visual pigment rhodopsin (necessary for the function of the rods in the retina), night blindness was undoubtedly the first clearly recognized nutritional-deficiency disease.

The ancient Egyptians treated night blindness by instilling the juice of compressed liver onto the surface of the eye. Current thought suggests that not enough of the vitamin A contained in the liver extract could be absorbed from the surface of the eye to cure the night blindness. However, if applied frequently enough, the drops of liver extract could have passed down the

REFERENCES

1 +
Wolf G.  A historical note on the mode of administration of vitamin A for the cure of night blindness . Am J Clin Nutr . 1978;;31:290-292.
2 +
The Holy Bible: The International Version . The Old Testament, Jeremiah 14:15. Grand Rapids, Mich; Zondervan Bible Publishers; 1979;:715.
3 +
Wolf G.  A historical note on the mode of administration of vitamin A for the cure of night blindness . Am J Clin Nutr . 1978;;31:290-292.
4 +
Wolf G.  A historical note on the mode of administration of vitamin A for the cure of night blindness . Am J Clin Nutr . 1978;;31:290-292.
5 +
Arlt CF. Die Krankheiten des Auges . Prague, Czechoslovakia: Credner and Kleinbub; 1855;:211-215.
6 +
Snell S.  On nyctalopia with particular references on the conjunctiva . Trans Ophthalmol Soc U K . 1881;;1:207-215.
7 +
Elias PM, William ML.  Retinoids, cancer, and the skin . Arch Dermatol . 1981;;117:160-180.
8 +
McCollum EV, Davis M.  The necessity of certain lipins in the diet during growth . J Biol Chem . 1913;;15:167-175.
9 +
Wolbach SB, Howell PR.  Tissue changes following deprivation of fat-soluble vitamin-A . J Exp Med . 1925;;48:753-777.
10 +
Fell HB, Mellanby E.  Metaplasia produced in cultures of chick ectoderm by high vitamin-A . J Physiol . 1953;;119:470-488.
11 +
Moon RC, Itri LM.  Retinoids and cancer . In: Sporn MB, Roberts AB, Goodman DS, eds. The Retinoids . Orlando, Fla: Academic Press Inc; 1984;;2:327-371.
12 +
Moore T. Vitamin-A . Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier Science Publishers; 1957;.
13 +
Goodman DS.  Vitamin-A and retinoids in health and disease . N Engl J Med . 1984;;310:1023-1031.
14 +
Gilman AG, Goodman LS, Rawl TW, Murad F. The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics . 7th ed. New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Co Inc; 1985;:1580.
15 +
Baxter JG, Robeson CD.  Crystalline vitamin-A . J Am Chem Soc . 1942;;64:2411-2416.
16 +
Arens JF, van Dorp DA.  Synthesis of some compounds possessing Vitamin-A activity . Nature . 1946;;157:190-191.
17 +
Isler O, Huber W, Roneo A, Kofler M.  Syntheses des vitamin A. Helv Chim Acta . 1947;;30:1911-1927.
18 +
Wald G, Brown PK.  The synthesis of rhodopsin from vitamin A . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 1950;;36:92-102.
19 +
Chader GJ.  Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP): a model protein for molecular biological and clinically relevant studies . Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci . 1989;;30:7-22.
20 +
Bok D.  Retinal photoreceptor-pigment epithelium interactions . Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci . 1985;;26:1659-1693.
21 +
Dowling JE.  The biological activity of vitamin-A acid . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 1960;;46:587-608.
22 +
Zelent A, Krust A, Petkovich M, Kastner P, Chambon P.  Cloning of murine Á and à retinoic acid receptors and a novel receptor predominantly expressed in skin . Nature . 1989;;339:714-717.
23 +
Mangelsdorf DJ, Ong ES, Dyck JA, Evans RM.  Nuclear receptor that identifies a novel retinoic acid response pathway . Nature . 1990;;345:224-229.
24 +
Sommer A. Nutritional Blindness: Xerophthalmia and Keratomalacia . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1982;.
25 +
Maumenee AE, Scholz RO.  The histopathology of ocular lesions produced by the sulfur and nitrogen mustards . Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp . 1948;:82:121-147.
26 +
Maumenee AE.  Keratitis secondary to keratinization of the tarsal conjunctiva . Am J Ophthalmol . 1956;;41:477-487.
27 +
Maumenee AE.  Keratinization of the conjunctiva . Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc . 1979;;77:133-142.
28 +
Gunderson T.  Conjunctival flaps in the treatment of corneal disease with reference to a new technique of application . Arch Ophthalmol . 1958;;60;880-888.
29 +
Tseng SCG, Hirst LW, Farazdaghi M, Maumenee AE, Green WR.  Retardation of conjunctival trans-differentiation by topical retinoids . Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci . 1984;;25( (suppl) ):76.
30 +
Egbert PR, Lauber S, Maurice DM.  A simple conjunctival biopsy . Am J Ophthalmol . 1977;;84:798-801.
31 +
Tseng SCG, Maumenee AE, Stark WJ, et al.  Topical retinoid treatment for various dry eye disorders . Ophthalmology . 1985;;92:717-727.
32 +
Soong MK, Martin NF, Wagoner MD, et al.  Topical retinoid therapy for squamous metaplasia of various ocular surface disorders . Ophthalmology . 1988;;95:1442-1446.

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1 +
Wolf G.  A historical note on the mode of administration of vitamin A for the cure of night blindness . Am J Clin Nutr . 1978;;31:290-292.
2 +
The Holy Bible: The International Version . The Old Testament, Jeremiah 14:15. Grand Rapids, Mich; Zondervan Bible Publishers; 1979;:715.
3 +
Wolf G.  A historical note on the mode of administration of vitamin A for the cure of night blindness . Am J Clin Nutr . 1978;;31:290-292.
4 +
Wolf G.  A historical note on the mode of administration of vitamin A for the cure of night blindness . Am J Clin Nutr . 1978;;31:290-292.
5 +
Arlt CF. Die Krankheiten des Auges . Prague, Czechoslovakia: Credner and Kleinbub; 1855;:211-215.
6 +
Snell S.  On nyctalopia with particular references on the conjunctiva . Trans Ophthalmol Soc U K . 1881;;1:207-215.
7 +
Elias PM, William ML.  Retinoids, cancer, and the skin . Arch Dermatol . 1981;;117:160-180.
8 +
McCollum EV, Davis M.  The necessity of certain lipins in the diet during growth . J Biol Chem . 1913;;15:167-175.
9 +
Wolbach SB, Howell PR.  Tissue changes following deprivation of fat-soluble vitamin-A . J Exp Med . 1925;;48:753-777.
10 +
Fell HB, Mellanby E.  Metaplasia produced in cultures of chick ectoderm by high vitamin-A . J Physiol . 1953;;119:470-488.
11 +
Moon RC, Itri LM.  Retinoids and cancer . In: Sporn MB, Roberts AB, Goodman DS, eds. The Retinoids . Orlando, Fla: Academic Press Inc; 1984;;2:327-371.
12 +
Moore T. Vitamin-A . Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier Science Publishers; 1957;.
13 +
Goodman DS.  Vitamin-A and retinoids in health and disease . N Engl J Med . 1984;;310:1023-1031.
14 +
Gilman AG, Goodman LS, Rawl TW, Murad F. The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics . 7th ed. New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Co Inc; 1985;:1580.
15 +
Baxter JG, Robeson CD.  Crystalline vitamin-A . J Am Chem Soc . 1942;;64:2411-2416.
16 +
Arens JF, van Dorp DA.  Synthesis of some compounds possessing Vitamin-A activity . Nature . 1946;;157:190-191.
17 +
Isler O, Huber W, Roneo A, Kofler M.  Syntheses des vitamin A. Helv Chim Acta . 1947;;30:1911-1927.
18 +
Wald G, Brown PK.  The synthesis of rhodopsin from vitamin A . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 1950;;36:92-102.
19 +
Chader GJ.  Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP): a model protein for molecular biological and clinically relevant studies . Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci . 1989;;30:7-22.
20 +
Bok D.  Retinal photoreceptor-pigment epithelium interactions . Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci . 1985;;26:1659-1693.
21 +
Dowling JE.  The biological activity of vitamin-A acid . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 1960;;46:587-608.
22 +
Zelent A, Krust A, Petkovich M, Kastner P, Chambon P.  Cloning of murine Á and à retinoic acid receptors and a novel receptor predominantly expressed in skin . Nature . 1989;;339:714-717.
23 +
Mangelsdorf DJ, Ong ES, Dyck JA, Evans RM.  Nuclear receptor that identifies a novel retinoic acid response pathway . Nature . 1990;;345:224-229.
24 +
Sommer A. Nutritional Blindness: Xerophthalmia and Keratomalacia . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1982;.
25 +
Maumenee AE, Scholz RO.  The histopathology of ocular lesions produced by the sulfur and nitrogen mustards . Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp . 1948;:82:121-147.
26 +
Maumenee AE.  Keratitis secondary to keratinization of the tarsal conjunctiva . Am J Ophthalmol . 1956;;41:477-487.
27 +
Maumenee AE.  Keratinization of the conjunctiva . Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc . 1979;;77:133-142.
28 +
Gunderson T.  Conjunctival flaps in the treatment of corneal disease with reference to a new technique of application . Arch Ophthalmol . 1958;;60;880-888.
29 +
Tseng SCG, Hirst LW, Farazdaghi M, Maumenee AE, Green WR.  Retardation of conjunctival trans-differentiation by topical retinoids . Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci . 1984;;25( (suppl) ):76.
30 +
Egbert PR, Lauber S, Maurice DM.  A simple conjunctival biopsy . Am J Ophthalmol . 1977;;84:798-801.
31 +
Tseng SCG, Maumenee AE, Stark WJ, et al.  Topical retinoid treatment for various dry eye disorders . Ophthalmology . 1985;;92:717-727.
32 +
Soong MK, Martin NF, Wagoner MD, et al.  Topical retinoid therapy for squamous metaplasia of various ocular surface disorders . Ophthalmology . 1988;;95:1442-1446.

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