The history of women in ophthalmology takes us across the United States, and even into Europe, but imagine our delight to find that there was a part of this history centered in the museum’s hometown of San Francisco, California.

Did you know that the museum’s collection also includes science fiction toys? Science fiction has often imagined ways that the future might enhance or restore eyesight, and science fiction toys have brought that imagination into the hands of fans from all over the world.

The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye® is celebrating the Halloween season with a new tour and gallery guide, Ocular Oddities: Weird and Wild Stories in Ophthalmology. Come visit the museum in person during our four open days a week, or check out these strange-but-true stories in a new virtual tour on the museum app.

The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye® is home to nearly 4,000 aids to vision including eyeglasses, contact lenses, goggles, monoculars, binoculars and telescopes. We are currently featuring this collection in our temporary exhibit, “Spectacular Spectacles”. This intricate collection will be on view for a finite period of time in the museum’s temporary exhibit space. Be sure to catch it in person when the museum opens its doors this summer.

Three years ago, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation set off on an audacious goal to raise $12 million to build the first publicly accessible museum on the eye, vision and ophthalmic heritage in San Francisco. We are thrilled to announce that we have reached the finish line with the help of many generous donors.