1. New York Times article from October 1925
2. William Holland Wilmer
3. Original home of Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital
4. Arc Perimeter
5. Gertrude Rand
6. HRR Color Test, developed by Gertrude Rand and colleagues
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The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, is incredibly fortunate to have retained many of the books, articles, awards and artifacts resulting from Wilmer activities over the last century. These historical treasures help tell the compelling story of how one woman, Aida Breckinridge, recognized the genius of one man, ophthalmologist William Holland Wilmer, and took it upon herself to ensure that his work would live on in the generations of students that followed. They tell the story of some of the biggest breakthroughs in ophthalmology during the institute’s 100-year history — and of the exceptional dedication, discovery and innovation that remain hallmarks of Wilmer today.

In this installment, we look at the decades from the 1920s–1930s.

GRAND OPENING

The Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute is established on the Johns Hopkins University medical campus on Oct. 11, 1925. William Holland Wilmer, one of the country’s most influential ophthalmologists, is selected as its founding director.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARC PERIMETER

During the 1920s and 1930s, Clarence Ferree and Gertrude Rand, director and assistant director, respectively, of the Research Laboratory for Physiological Optics at Wilmer, develop the Ferree-Rand perimeter for determining light sensitivity and color discrimination in the visual field. Rand and colleagues would go on to develop the HRR color test.

DEVELOPING TECHNIQUES OF GLAUCOMA AND CATARACT SURGERY

Spanning the William Holland Wilmer era and that of his successor, Alan Woods, the institute develops surgical techniques for treatment of glaucoma and cataracts, and publishes protocols for the benefit of patients everywhere. The institute’s first paper, by senior resident Cecil Bagley, is published in 1926.