When was cataract surgery first done

The steady improvement in the refractive accuracy of cataract surgery is the result of several advances in the past 20 years that we shall review, but none was more important than phacoemulsification with its small incision, upon which almost every subsequent innovation depended. A typical visionary, Charlie Kelman was ahead of his time, and for a while so was phaco. Although the benefits of the small 3-mm phaco incision were increasingly apparent, the large rigid IOL of the time required an incision of 6 mm to 7 mm.

For most surgeons, there was simply no compelling reason to change from ECCE, which was steadily improving with the techniques and teaching of Dave McIntyre and others. I recall participating at a roundtable on the future of phaco in I had been trained in phaco during my fellowship with Richard Kratz a few years earlier and was beginning to teach and write about what I saw as a valuable and underutilized technique.

Each participant in that roundtable was asked to predict the maximum utilization of phaco in the future. None of us anticipated what was about to happen. Why was a good ECCE procedure suddenly no longer good enough? What had happened to suddenly make phaco an essential element of cataract surgery?

The answer is the next chapter in our story. The foldable IOL was conceived for one purpose; to unleash the considerable benefits of the unenlarged 3-mm phaco incision.

I know, because I was there at its moment of conception. After a series of five cases of phaco with the rigid IOL of the day, Tom then performed a true small-incision 3 mm phaco in a myopic patient who did not require an IOL. We both remarked on the significant difference between the two procedures. Within 5 years it would be all but extinct in the United States. Now that the full benefit of small-incision phaco was within reach, more and more of us could begin to see the significant refractive potential of cataract surgery.

An important function of the natural lens is to refract light waves so that they are focused on the retina, providing a clear image. Patients without such lenses are considered aphakic and before the advent of intraocular lenses IOLs required often high-powered, bulky spectacles, which often led to poor visual quality.

Ridley observed that one of the Royal Airforce pilots had sustained shrapnel ocular trauma from plastic and despite having a foreign body, remained largely asymptomatic for years. In Dr. Ridley was credited to perform the first IOL operation at St. His work was met with disdain as this was a revolutionary idea of inserting a foreign object inside the eye.

Further criticism stemmed from complications such as glaucoma, inflammation, inability to individualize the refractive strength of the IOL, and frequent dislocation of the IOL. Ridley admits that further work was necessary to address many of the complications, but his innovative work paved the way for modern advancements in IOL and cataract surgery [4] [8]. Some of the benefits of the foldable IOL are easier implantation and a small incision, resulting in less induced astigmatism, faster healing and fewer infections [9].

The conglomeration of foldable IOL, use of topical anesthetics in by Fischman, and the introduction of phacoemulsification in by Dr. Charles Kelman allowed for the modern extraction of cataracts to be effective and safer [10]. Phacoemulsification uses ultrasound to break up the cataract and then subsequently the cataract is aspirated from the eye. This development allowed surgeons to decrease the incision in the eye from 10mm to typically less than 3mm, which has the benefits of shorter recovery times, more stable surgery, and lower complication rate.

In modern surgery, small incisions ranging from Micro-instruments are used to help divide the lens into fragments and phacoemulsification is to break up and aspirate the cataract. An IOL, often foldable, is then inserted into the remaining lens capsule if possible [4]. Federal Drug Administration in The femtosecond laser has imaging software to image the cornea, capsule lens and anterior chamber.

After registry, the laser can perform corneal incisions for entry into the eye and for astigmatism correction, capsulotomy, and lens softening or fragmentation. Surgeons can use this technology for corneal astigmatism correction or in cases where advanced-technology lenses, such as astigmatism correcting toric or multifocal or trifocal lenses are inserted. Thank you for your understanding. Schedule Appointment. Thousands of people receive treatment every year with little to no side effects.

The earliest known method for cataract surgery was called couching, where the lens was pushed out of direct sight lines but not fully extracted. Surgeons began by cutting out the cloudy area with a sharp tool. The cataract was then pushed into the lower eye until the patient could see motion and told the surgeon to stop. This was far from a perfect science, and often carried abysmal results and side effects like glaucoma.

The first indication of cataract surgery using couching can be found in the tomb of an Egyptian surgeon. The depiction seems to show a cataract surgery taking place, accompanied by approximately 30 bronze tools that could have been used for the procedure.

In Thebes, Egypt, another wall painting was found likely depicting a cataract surgery. Couching remained the primary treatment for cataracts despite the low success rate for decades.

A preliminary report. Am J Ophthalmol ; 64 1 : 23 — Kohnen T. How far we have come: from Ridley's first intraocular lens to modern IOL technology. J Cataract Refract Surg ; 35 12 : Initial clinical evaluation of an intraocular femtosecond laser in cataract surgery. J Refract Surg ; 25 12 : — Harper RF. The code of Hammurabi, king of Babylon: about B.

Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. Sign in Sign up. Advanced Search Help. Developments in Health Sciences. Author: Z. Nagy nagy. Open access. Download PDF. Check for updates. Abstract Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed ophthalmic surgery worldwide. Introduction Good visual acuity was an ancient wish of mankind. Ancient cataract surgery The first written record goes back to BC, when Hammurabi, the king of Babylon, created a law related to the outcome of cataract surgery: Modern cataract surgery In Charles Kelman introduced the method of phacoemulsification, in which he used the energy of ultrasound to crush the lens and remove it from the eye through a 3.

Discussion and conclusions Cataract surgery is nowadays the most frequent transplant procedure. Crossref Feigenbaum A. Crossref Hildreth HR. Crossref von Graefe A. Crossref Kelman CD. Crossref Kohnen T. Export References. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Epidemiology and antibiotic resistance trends of Pantoea species in a tertiary-care teaching hospital: A year retrospective study.

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