Couching

[Andrew_Doan]

Did you know that the first surgical treatment for cataract surgery was documented in India 800 B.C.?!

It was called couching. The physician used a sharp needle and stuck it into the eye ~4 mm posterior to the limbus. Blindly, the physician impaled the lens and pushed it down to tear the lens from its lens zonules.

Image borrowed from http://www.mrcophth.com/Historyofophthalmology/cataracthistory.htm

 

[TomOD]

http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/museum/exhibits/online/cataract/

 

[ParisHilton]

Originally posted by Andrew_Doan
The physician used a sharp needle and stuck it into the eye ~4 mm posterior to the limbus. Blindly, the physician impaled the lens and pushed it down to tear the lens from its lens zonules.

Managed care at its worst...

 

[J.opt]

Last week I watched a show on the history channel about Galen where they talked about how he performed cataract surgeries. They even showed some of the tools that he developed for such purpose.

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by J.opt
Last week I watched a show on the history channel about Galen where they talked about how he performed cataract surgeries. They even showed some of the tools that he developed for such purpose.

Is this the same guy as the Great Cerebral Vein of Galen?

 

[J.opt]

I would think so. Galen developed the basic principles of modern medicine. He even successfully performed brain surgery about 2000 years ago.