{"id":16126,"date":"2021-07-25T07:51:58","date_gmt":"2021-07-25T07:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=16126"},"modified":"2021-07-25T07:51:58","modified_gmt":"2021-07-25T07:51:58","slug":"did-vision-problems-impact-famous-artists","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/9-ways-eyes-change-with-age\/did-vision-problems-impact-famous-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Vision Problems Impact Famous Artists?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many famous artists, including Rembrandt, Monet and Degas, struggled with vision problems.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Analyzing the differences in color selections and techniques used by artists over the course of their careers provides a window into the artist’s soul.<\/p>\n

However, to an eye doctor, these changes in color and style are signs that the artists may have had eye health issues.<\/p>\n

When comparing paintings from an artist’s youth to those from their later years, the differences indicate that eye disease may have impacted their vision, and thus their artwork.<\/p>\n

How did eye conditions affect famous artists?<\/p>\n

Claude Monet<\/b><\/h2>\n

Beginning in his 60s, Claude Monet developed cataracts.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Cataracts are the clouding of the clear lens of the eye, and are a natural part of the aging process. Because of the cloudy lens, people with cataracts gradually develop have impaired vision and perceive colors as dull or yellow-toned.<\/p>\n

When Monet became aware that his eyesight was deteriorating, he wrote to a Parisian eye doctor:<\/p>\n

\u201cI no longer perceived colors with the same intensity\u2026 I no longer painted light with the same accuracy. Reds appeared muddy to me, pinks insipid, and the intermediate and lower tones escaped me.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Water Lilies, Monet’s best-known series of paintings, appear to have been impacted by his cataracts<\/a>, as the images in these works have been described as \u2018blurry\u2019 and the colors muted.<\/p>\n

When Monet’s cataracts progressed to the point where he couldn’t use his vision to choose paint colors, he had to read the labels on the paint bottles to figure out which color was inside.<\/p>\n

Monet later underwent cataract surgery, which restored his ability to see more clearly. In fact, he even went back to the Water Lilies paintings and repainted parts to give them more clarity.<\/p>\n

While his vision was much improved, he expressed his dissatisfaction with his inability to perceive yellows and reds. Since cataract surgery<\/a> was still relatively new at the time, it couldn’t completely correct his vision.<\/p>\n

To help correct his color vision, Monet eventually wore tinted lenses.<\/p>\n

SEE REALTED: 4 Frequent Eye Conditions<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

If you notice any changes to your vision, contact<\/a><\/b> an eye doctor near you<\/b> who can diagnose the cause and discuss the many options with you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\t

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