did the Ophthalmiater really blind Bach and Handel with cataract surgery?
Summarizing his reading of historical records, Dr. Albert said that Taylor apparently twice performed couching for cataracts on Bach’s eyes in Leipzig in 1750. The second surgical bout led to inflammation, Bach’s health collapsed and his vision never returned. He died several months later. Taylor operated on Handel in 1758 for blindness that many historians believe was caused years earlier by a stroke. “In both cases the surgery and the associated medical treatment probably did contribute to deterioration of vision and health, although more clearly so in Bach’s case than in Handel’s,” Dr. Albert said. And the same hands that harmed Bach also restored the vision of another creative force of the 18th century: Edward Gibbon, who began working on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire after the surgery. To discuss how we can improve your Vision with Cataract Surgery, call us FREE on 1800 DR EYES (1800 37 3937) to talk to one of our Patient Education Counsellors now or cont
