Fania (Fanny) Kaplan and the attempted assassination of Vladimir Lenin: Ophthalmologic considerations

Fania (Fanny) Kaplan (1890-1918), who was reportedly visually impaired, confessed to the attempted assassination of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) in 1918 by shooting him with a pistol. The precise nature of her visual loss is unknown and raises doubts about whether she had sufficient visual function to perform the act.

Historical documents were reviewed.

The cause of Kaplan's visual loss is uncertain but occurred following a bomb blast in 1906. If the explosion was the cause, then she most likely had bilateral closed-globe, blast-related injuries, perhaps with additional functional visual loss. She reportedly received treatment at a medical centre in Kharkov (now Kharkiv), then led by the prominent ophthalmologist Leonard Girshman (1839-1921). An informal estimate of the minimum visual acuity required to shoot an adult at 10 feet (3 m) with a pistol is approximately 1.2 logMAR (Snellen equivalent 20/320 or 6/96).

Based on available historical documents, Kaplan's visual function was most likely sufficient to carry out the assassination attempt, although her visual impairment may have contributed to the attempt being unsuccessful.