[Carl Ferdinand von Graefe (1787-1840) and his relevance to ophthalmology].

This paper gives a short biography of Carl Ferdinand von Graefe, father of the most famous German oculist Albrecht von Graefe (1828-1870). On the occasion of his 200th birthday his work, in particular in the field of ophthalmology (cataract operations, prescription formulae, and therapeutic procedures, publications) is given due recognition. Although C.F. von Graefe was first and foremost a surgeon and the creator of plastic surgery of the face, he may also be considered one of the pioneers of ophthalmology, which, in the first third of the last century, had not yet achieved the status of an independent specialty.