Bach was born in Berlin on 10 April 1950.[5] In 1956, he moved with his family to Dortmund, where he attended school.[5] From 1970 to 1972, Bach completed an undergraduate degree in physicsatRuhr University Bochum, then moved to the University of Freiburg, where he studied for a Master's degree in physics. In 1975, he began a part-time position running an electronics workshop in the Department of Psychology, then became a full-time research assistant in the Department of Neurology in 1978. Bach was awarded his Master's in physics in 1977 and his PhD, also in physics, in 1981, on the visual system.[4] In 1981 he moved into a full-time position in the Department of Ophthalmology, rising to Professor in 1998, and being appointed as Head of Section Visual Function/Electrophysiology at the University Eye Hospital in 1999.[5] After Bach's retirement in 2015 he became an Emeritus Scientist, continuing his research.[5]
As of April 2021, Bach has published 356 scientific papers that have been cited 16602 times, giving him an h-index of 61.[15] According to Neurotree, Bach has 16 academic children and 44 academic grandchildren.[16]
Bach began his illusions web site as a hobby some time before 2005.[17] He did not appreciate how popular the site was until he discovered that his internet service provider had suspended his account after it received more than one million hits per day.[17] Bach upgraded his account and continued developing the site.[17]
As of April 2021, Bach's site contained 143 illusions, most interactive, and all with Bach's clear explanations. The site and Bach have won plaudits on the internet,[6][18] in the news media,[19][20] and in science journals.[5][21]
The site has also been used in scientific research into illusions.[22]
Marmor, M. F.; Fulton, A. B.; Holder, G. E.; Miyake, Y.; Brigell, M.; Bach, M. (February 2009). "ISCEV Standard for full-field clinical electroretinography (2008 update)". Documenta Ophthalmologica. 118 (1): 69–77. doi:10.1007/s10633-008-9155-4. PMID19030905.
Bach, Michael (January 1996). "The Freiburg Visual Acuity Test — Automatic Measurement of Visual Acuity". Optometry and Vision Science. 73 (1): 49–53. doi:10.1097/00006324-199601000-00008. PMID8867682.
Odom, J. Vernon; Bach, Michael; Brigell, Mitchell; Holder, Graham E.; McCulloch, Daphne L.; Tormene, Alma Patrizia (February 2010). "ISCEV standard for clinical visual evoked potentials (2009 update)". Documenta Ophthalmologica. 120 (1): 111–119. doi:10.1007/s10633-009-9195-4. PMID19826847.
McCulloch, Daphne L.; Marmor, Michael F.; Brigell, Mitchell G.; Hamilton, Ruth; Holder, Graham E.; Tzekov, Radouil; Bach, Michael (February 2015). "ISCEV Standard for full-field clinical electroretinography (2015 update)". Documenta Ophthalmologica. 130 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1007/s10633-014-9473-7. PMID25502644.
Odom, J. Vernon; Bach, Michael; Barber, Colin; Brigell, Mitchell; Marmor, Michael F.; Tormene, Alma Patrizia; Holder, Graham E.; Vaegan (March 2004). "Visual evoked potentials standard (2004)". Documenta Ophthalmologica. 108 (2): 115–123. doi:10.1023/b:doop.0000036790.67234.22. PMID15455794. S2CID16956477.
Schulze-Bonsel, Kilian; Feltgen, Nicolas; Burau, Hermann; Hansen, Lutz; Bach, Michael (1 March 2006). "Visual Acuities 'Hand Motion' and 'Counting Fingers' Can Be Quantified with the Freiburg Visual Acuity Test". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 47 (3): 1236–1240. doi:10.1167/iovs.05-0981. PMID16505064.
^ abBach, Michael (1981). Untersuchungen zur Wechselwirkung zwischen Nervenzellen im visuellen Cortex mit Vielfach-Mikroelektroden [Interaction between neurones in the visual cortex based on recordings with a multi-microelectrode] (Thesis) (in German). OCLC720817219.
^Bach, Michael (January 1996). "The Freiburg Visual Acuity Test — Automatic Measurement of Visual Acuity". Optometry and Vision Science. 73 (1): 49–53. doi:10.1097/00006324-199601000-00008. PMID8867682.
^Dennis, Richard J.; Beer, Jeremy M. A.; Baldwin, J. Bruce; Ivan, Douglas J.; Lorusso, Frank J.; Thompson, William T. (July 2004). "Using the Freiburg Acuity and Contrast Test to Measure Visual Performance in USAF Personnel After PRK". Optometry and Vision Science. 81 (7): 516–524. doi:10.1097/00006324-200407000-00013. PMID15252351. S2CID22810411.
^Kurtenbach, Anne; Langrová, Hana; Messias, Andre; Zrenner, Eberhart; Jägle, Herbert (February 2013). "A comparison of the performance of three visual evoked potential-based methods to estimate visual acuity". Documenta Ophthalmologica. 126 (1): 45–56. doi:10.1007/s10633-012-9359-5. PMID23143759. S2CID5638667.
^Zheng, Xiaowei; Xu, Guanghua; Wu, Yifan; Wang, Yunyun; Du, Chenghang; Wu, Yongcheng; Zhang, Sicong; Han, Chengcheng (December 2020). "Comparison of the performance of six stimulus paradigms in visual acuity assessment based on steady-state visual evoked potentials". Documenta Ophthalmologica. 141 (3): 237–251. doi:10.1007/s10633-020-09768-x. PMID32405730. S2CID218605570.
^Li, X.; Huang, A. E.; Altschuler, E. L.; Tyler, C. W. (14 August 2013). "Depth spreading through empty space induced by sparse disparity cues". Journal of Vision. 13 (10): 7. doi:10.1167/13.10.7. PMID23946433.
