The word cataract comes form the Greek word for waterfall. It was thought that opaque material flowed into the lens of the eye like a waterfall causing blurred vision. Now we know that cataracts result most often from the natural aging process as well as chemical or drug exposure and genetics.
The earliest accounts of cataract surgery come from Sanskrit manuscripts referring to a procedure known as couching.In this procedure, the lens was displaced away from the pupil to lie in the vitreous cavity in the back of the eye. The displacement of the lens enabled the patient to see better. Vision, however, was still blurred due to the unavailability of corrective lenses.
Bronze Instruments have been discovered in Greece and Egypt that were used to remove cataracts by inserting a needle into the lens and breaking it up.
Modern cataract surgery, in which the cataract is actually extracted from the eye, was introduced by Jacques Daviel in Paris in 1748. Samuel Sharp of London introduced the concept of intracapsular cataract surgery in 1753 by using pressure with his thumb to remove the entire lens intact through an incision. Small suction cups were introduced for this purpose in 1902 as well as various capsular forceps to grasp the lens for removal.
The use of sutures for cataract surgery was first described by Henry Willard Williams of Boston in 1867. It wasn't until the 1840s that general anesthesia was introduced for surgical procedures. In 1884 anesthesia in the form of eyedrops (cocaine) was developed, obviating the hazards of general anesthesia and its postoperative complications.
It wasn't until Harold Ridley introduced the intraocular lens in England in the 1940s that efficient and comfortable visual rehabilitation became possible following cataract surgery. The intraocular lens, or IOL, is a permanent plastic lens implanted inside the eye to replace the crystalline lens.
In 1957 Barraquer of Spain used alpha-chymotrypsin to enzymatically dissolve the zonules for removal of the lens. Cryo-surgery was introduced by Krawicz of Poland in 1961 to remove the lens with a tiny probe that could attach by freezing a small area on the surface of the cataract.
In the late 1960s Charles Kelman of New York developed a technique for emulsifying the lens contents using ultrasonic vibrations and aspirating the emulsified cataract. In recent decades, there has been a rapid evolution of designs, materials, and implantation techniques for intraocular lenses, making them a safe and practical way to restore normal vision at the time of surgery.
The word cataract comes form the Greek word for waterfall. It was thought that opaque material flowed into the lens of the eye like a waterfall causing blurred vision. Now we know that cataracts result most often from the natural aging process as well as chemical or drug exposure and genetics.
The earliest accounts of cataract surgery come from Sanskrit manuscripts referring to a procedure known as couching.In this procedure, the lens was displaced away from the pupil to lie in the vitreous cavity in the back of the eye. The displacement of the lens enabled the patient to see better. Vision, however, was still blurred due to the unavailability of corrective lenses.
Bronze Instruments have been discovered in Greece and Egypt that were used to remove cataracts by inserting a needle into the lens and breaking it up.
Modern cataract surgery, in which the cataract is actually extracted from the eye, was introduced by Jacques Daviel in Paris in 1748. Samuel Sharp of London introduced the concept of intracapsular cataract surgery in 1753 by using pressure with his thumb to remove the entire lens intact through an incision. Small suction cups were introduced for this purpose in 1902 as well as various capsular forceps to grasp the lens for removal.
The use of sutures for cataract surgery was first described by Henry Willard Williams of Boston in 1867. It wasn't until the 1840s that general anesthesia was introduced for surgical procedures. In 1884 anesthesia in the form of eyedrops (cocaine) was developed, obviating the hazards of general anesthesia and its postoperative complications.
It wasn't until Harold Ridley introduced the intraocular lens in England in the 1940s that efficient and comfortable visual rehabilitation became possible following cataract surgery. The intraocular lens, or IOL, is a permanent plastic lens implanted inside the eye to replace the crystalline lens.
In 1957 Barraquer of Spain used alpha-chymotrypsin to enzymatically dissolve the zonules for removal of the lens. Cryo-surgery was introduced by Krawicz of Poland in 1961 to remove the lens with a tiny probe that could attach by freezing a small area on the surface of the cataract.
In the late 1960s Charles Kelman of New York developed a technique for emulsifying the lens contents using ultrasonic vibrations and aspirating the emulsified cataract. In recent decades, there has been a rapid evolution of designs, materials, and implantation techniques for intraocular lenses, making them a safe and practical way to restore normal vision at the time of surgery.