Public Programs
The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye™ hosts events, talks, demonstrations and hands on activities. We work with a range of thematically relevant content providers to produce events for the public.
Upcoming Events
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Can You Believe Your Eyes?
Thursday, October 22
Time: 12:00pm noon PT
Where: Register Here
Cost: Free!
Registration: Registration for the Bay Area Science Festival is required, then find our session under Thursday
With Dr. Preeti Verghese, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute and Stephanie Stewart-Bailey, Museum of the Eye
Save some room on your couch for yourself and your family to enjoy this year's virtual Bay Area Science Festival.
Discover how your eyes are just the beginning of your complex visual system with museum specialists from the Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye and vision scientists from the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute. Your brain plays an important role in the visual system, but it can sometimes be tricked into seeing things that aren’t there. We will show you some of the museum’s medical artifacts and guide you through interactive hands-on (and eye-on) activities. Explore the anatomy of your eyes, binocular vision, the eye-brain connection and the persistence of vision. Can you always believe what you see? Join us to find out.
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Behind the Scenes: The National Trachoma Service
Wednesday, November 18
Time: 12:00pm noon PT
Where: Online
Cost: Free!
Register Here via Eventbrite
With Jenny Benjamin, Director, Museum of the Eye
Have you heard about the 20th century trachoma pandemic? This bacterial infection attacks the eyes and has been documented for thousands of years. Join Museum Director Jenny Benjamin for the launch of our new program series, where we examine curious medical objects in the museum’s storage cabinets. In this episode we will examine a rare set of glass propaganda teaching slides prepared by the National Trachoma Service. Learn about the trachoma epidemic in the United States between 1912 and 1924, and its parallels to our current health crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Renaissance Medicinal Recipes
Wednesday, November 18
Time: 12:00pm noon PT
Where: Online
Cost: Free!
Register Here via Eventbrite
With Rylan Sian, North Wind Apothecary and Jenny Benjamin, Museum of the Eye
Take a virtual seat at the table as we smell and taste our way through 16th century eye medicine. Clinical herbalist, Rylan Sian of North Wind Apothecary will join us to discuss herbal remedies found in the museum’s oldest text, “Ophthalmodouleia” authored by Georg Bartisch in 1583. Together we will sift through these Renaissance era medicinal recipes and explore ingredients used to treat eye issues.
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Call for Participation
Speaker Suggestions
We’re interested in hearing from local historians, medical professionals, scientists, innovators, start-ups and artists who are interested in presenting at our evening talks or our Brown Bag Lunch series. Email your suggestion to museum@aao.org.
Facilitators, Artists and Educators
We host hands-on activities, workshops and demonstrations that relate to the Museum of the Eye’s themes in our Education Center, which seats up to 30. If you have designed an activity that you would like us to consider, send your resumé, examples of your work, and why you’d like to work with us to museum@aao.org
Book-Related Events
Do you have a book to launch or publicize that relates to the Museum of the Eye’s themes? Contact museum@aao.org. Please note that at this time, we do not have a retail space or means to sell books.