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Early Cataract Surgeries in Ancient Egypt

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Early Cataract Surgeries in Ancient Egypt

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Cataracts have been impeding people's vision forever. Cataracts develop when the lens in the eye becomes opaque is no longer able to produce a clear image. In ancient Egypt around 1000 A.D., one early ophthalmologist, Ammar ibn Ali of Mosul, born in 1010 A.D., invented a syringe that would be able to be inserted into the lens and suck up cataracts, leading to a clearer vision for his patients, without as many risks as the customary approach at the time¹. His invention was crucial for the development of optic surgeries for centuries to come, as this was the first case of cataracts being completely removed².

At the time, a method called couching was standard. This operation included inserting a needle into the corner of the cornea and pushing aside the cataract out of focus from the path to the cornea, but still leaving the cataract in place². Ammar disapproved of this method, and instead opted for a method that would completely remove the cataract. His syringe worked well, and he performed many operations with his new removal technique in his lifetime.

Sources:

1. https://www.djo.harvard.edu/print.php?url=/physicians/re/3379&print=1

2. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Ammar-ibn-Ali-al-Mawsili-and-His-Innovating-Suction-Laios-Moschos/67ea6a432ab0dfc7c05a3b2e55109cae26d1c9df#citing-papers

3. https://islaminindonesia.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/ammar/

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The first eyeglasses, dated back to 1284 A.D.

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Born into a noble family in Flourence, Italy, Salvino D'Armate was very interested in eyesight, and would invent these spectacles during his life in Italy¹. They were the first eye glasses that did not require use of the hands, like a monocle or a reading stone¹. Instead, they simply rested and balanced on the bridge of the nose, with two convex lenses made from a type of quartz called Beryl².

In terms of importance in history, glasses are one of the most common and practical ways to correct myopia and hyperopia. D'Armate's invention is one of the most important inventions in vision history, but the credit wasn't always known to be his. It wasn't until his grave was found in the 14th century that D'Armate got the credit he deserved².

Sources:

1. https://www-jstor-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/stable/24619648?seq=2

2. https://www.salus.edu/Centennial-Celebration/Highlights/Centennial-Features/The-Quest-for-Clearer-Vision-The-History-of-Eyegl.aspx

3. https://www.bygonely.com/bg_item/spectacles-1286-by-salvino-darmate/ (Image)

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Bartolomeo Eustachio Correctly Identifies the path of the Optic Tract in Italy, 1552

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Bartolomeo Eustachio Correctly Identifies the path of the Optic Tract in Italy, 1552

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In the midst of the 16th century in Italy, Bartolomeo Eustachio was an outstanding scientist and neurosurgeon. He was the first person to correctly identify the correct path of the optic nerves¹. He also put forth that the optic chiasm may be part of the optic tract and he was completely correct. Contrary to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, he argued that the optic tract does not project to the lateral ventricles like previously believed, and instead  argued that the optic tract passed through the lateral geniculate nuclei¹.

However right he was about the optic tract, it wouldn't be until 1714 for his works to be rediscovered and published by Pope Clement XI, over 150 years later¹. His works helped shaped the way we view vision and how that works in transmitting information to the brain.

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5644697/

2. https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/224769/view/bartolommeo-eustachio-italian-physician (Image)

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This is the cover of the book, published in 1623.

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Uso de los Antoios - The First Comprehensive Optometry Guide.

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Uso de los Antoios - The First Comprehensive Optometry Guide.

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In 1623, Benito Daca de Valdes released a book that would change optometry forever. Released in his home country of Spain, Uso de los Antoios served as a comprehensive look into how glasses should be fit on a patient¹. This comprehensive manual took into account the degrees of prescriptions and when glasses should be worn, and the powers of each different kind of lens and when those should be worn.

This book is widely considered to be the first comprehensive book of optometry and how sight can easily be corrected with glasses¹. Interestingly, he was also the first person to describe anisometropia, a disorder where the two eyes have different refractive powers². His contribution to the world of Optometry was critical in building the foundations of how vision sciences are handled today, with prescription fittings and different lenses.

Sources:

1. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/hindsight/article/download/24562/30074/57550

2. http://www.blog.contactlensking.com/Daza-de-Valdes-First-Book-of-Optometry.php

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A page from one of Guillaume Pellier de Quengsy's manuals

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The First Idea of an Artificial Cornea, 1789. 

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The First Idea of an Artificial Cornea, 1789. 

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One of the pioneers of ophthalmology in the 18th century was French ophthalmologist Guillaume Pellier de Quengsy. He was the first to propose the idea of Keratoprosthesis, a surgical procedure in which a diseased cornea is replaced by an artificial one¹. This diseased cornea could be a result of a birth defect, an infection or a burn¹.

He proposed a correct procedure for a surgery that is still used today. Keratoprosthesis is only recommended if a person has had a failure of a donor corneal transplant, but Pellier de Quengsy was ahead of his time with his suggestion of Keratoposthesis. He even developed the idea for a porous prosthetic skirt, a concept still used today in ophthalmology².

Sources:

1. https://bjo.bmj.com/content/bjophthalmol/98/5/576/F4.large.jpg (Image)

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0142961201001685

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10432778/

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The docent for this exhibit: Georg Bartisch

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The docent for this exhibit: Georg Bartisch

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Georg Bartisch would be the perfect mentor and instructor to guide you through this exhibit. Born in 1585, Georg quickly became a renowned ophthalmologist in Saxonia. Georg Bartisch is often considered the "father of ophthalmology" for his excellent works and teachings throughout his life, most notably his work entitled Ophthalmodouleia ¹. This was the first German book on ophthalmologic diseases, and included 92 wood prints of drawings of the eye that acted as layers that could be lifted to imitate dissection¹. Ophthalmodouleia was a very in-depth look into ocular anatomy and went extensively into disorders of the eye, along with prescriptions and herbal remedies to pacify them.

Throughout his life, Georg was keen on the eye. He became an oculist at a very young age, and later became a court oculist for Duke Augustus I of Saxony¹. He left such an impact on the world of vision science and is still widely respected today as the father of ophthalmology.

Sources:

1. https://library.uthscsa.edu/2015/01/george-bartisch-an-inventive-look-into-ophthalmodouleia/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0039625705000871 (photo)

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This is an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) Machine

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Technology now allows for High-Resolution Images of the Retina

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Technology now allows for High-Resolution Images of the Retina

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The OCT was first introduced at MIT in 1991 by James G. Fujimoto. This imaging technique is one of the most widely used in the world to examine the retina¹. The OCT is so impactful in Ophthalmology when it comes to diagnosing diseases like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy¹. The OCT has changed the world of Ophthalmology, and it is one of the most common machines at an eye doctor's office.

James Fujimoto worked extensively with multiple different scholarly groups and universities to invent this life-changing optical imaging device. The OCT works by using light waves to reflect off of different depths in the eye to reconstruct a 3D model of the eye, more specifically, the retina². This technology has also been used widely in the world of cardiovascular and oncologic imaging². If it weren't for the progress made by the other ophthalmologists and optometrists of the past, an advancement as significant as the OCT machine could never have been made.

Sources:

1. https://www.nae.edu/164563/Inventors-of-Optical-Coherence-Tomography-Win-2017-Fritz-J-and-Dolores-H-Russ-Prize#:~:text=Hitzenberger%2C%20David%20Huang%2C%20and%20Eric,optical%20coherence%20tomography%20(OCT).

2. https://downloads.hindawi.com/archive/2017/3409327.pdf

https://www.opticianonline.net/news/specsavers-names-oct-suppliers (Image)