Schultz-Crock binocular ophthalmoscope

Historical Significance: Gerard Crock, (1929-2007), Foundation Ringland Anderson Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne, devised the concept of a light weight spectacle mounted binocular indirect ophthalmoscope that could be used for eye examination and retinal surgery. He developed a prototype and approached SOLA Optical, a large lens manufacturing company in Adelaide, Australia, in 1965 to ask them to develop the concept. Donald Schultz (1910-1987), an optometrist and the Technical Director at SOLA then took responsibility for designing the instrument for commercial viability. The Schultz-Crock ophthalmoscope received an Australian Design Council award for outstanding industrial design. It remained in production for the next 35 years and many thousands of units were produced and sold all over the world. Australian optometrists used only direct ophthalmoscopes up to about 1970. The Schultz-Crock BIO was their instrument of choice when they began to embrace binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. See Watkins RD Profile of Donald Herbert Schultz Clin Exp Optom 2004; 87: 187-190. The patent for this model (Cat 2316) was lodged on September 16 1968. The patent application cites Donald Herbert Schultz as the inventor. The Museum holds another model of this instrument (Cat No 1506), which is a slightly later model. Australian Patent Number 406782 for this other instrument (Cat No 1506) was lodged on 12th May 1969, accepted on 9th October 1970 and published on 19th November 1970.