The Origins of Cataract Surgery
First successful cataract extraction took place in 1747
Howard Larkin
Published: Thursday, September 19, 2019
[caption id="attachment_16769" align="alignleft" width="1024"]
David Spalton delivering the 2019 ESCRS Heritage Lecture[/caption]
“If a physician … open a tumour (over the eye) with an operating knife, and saves the eye, he shall receive ten shekels…”
– Code of Hammurabi, Mesopotamia, 1750 BCE.
References to cataracts and ocular surgery date back to antiquity, and couching cataracts – pushing the lens out of the capsular bag to restore light perception – has been practiced the world over. But breakthroughs in understanding the anatomy and physiology of sight in the 16th and 17th Centuries paved the way for Jaques Daviel to perform his first successful cataract extraction in 1747, said David Spalton FRCS, FRCP, FRCOphth at the ESCRS Heritage Lecture 2019 “The Origins of Cataract Surgery”.
Using instruments remarkably similar to today’s, by 1756 Daviel reported 434 extractions with 88% successful, a marked improvement over couching, Dr Spalton said. Refinements accelerated through the 19th Century, with development of foundational surgical techniques by Albrecht von Graefe, and anaesthesia. Invention of the intraocular lens by Sir Harold Ridley and phacoemulsification by Charles Kelman MD were the other two key developments that made cataract surgery the most widely performed and highly successful procedure it is today.
“Many surgeons have made great contributions, but Daviel was the first of the four great pioneering surgeons,” Dr Spalton concluded.
David Spalton delivering the 2019 ESCRS Heritage Lecture[/caption]
“If a physician … open a tumour (over the eye) with an operating knife, and saves the eye, he shall receive ten shekels…”
– Code of Hammurabi, Mesopotamia, 1750 BCE.
References to cataracts and ocular surgery date back to antiquity, and couching cataracts – pushing the lens out of the capsular bag to restore light perception – has been practiced the world over. But breakthroughs in understanding the anatomy and physiology of sight in the 16th and 17th Centuries paved the way for Jaques Daviel to perform his first successful cataract extraction in 1747, said David Spalton FRCS, FRCP, FRCOphth at the ESCRS Heritage Lecture 2019 “The Origins of Cataract Surgery”.
Using instruments remarkably similar to today’s, by 1756 Daviel reported 434 extractions with 88% successful, a marked improvement over couching, Dr Spalton said. Refinements accelerated through the 19th Century, with development of foundational surgical techniques by Albrecht von Graefe, and anaesthesia. Invention of the intraocular lens by Sir Harold Ridley and phacoemulsification by Charles Kelman MD were the other two key developments that made cataract surgery the most widely performed and highly successful procedure it is today.
“Many surgeons have made great contributions, but Daviel was the first of the four great pioneering surgeons,” Dr Spalton concluded.
Tags: heritage lecture
Latest Articles
Organising for Success
Professional and personal goals drive practice ownership and operational choices.
Update on Astigmatism Analysis
Is Frugal Innovation Possible in Ophthalmology?
Improving access through financially and environmentally sustainable innovation.
iNovation Innovators Den Boosts Eye Care Pioneers
New ideas and industry, colleague, and funding contacts among the benefits.
Making IOLs a More Personal Choice
Surgeons may prefer some IOLs for their patients, but what about for themselves?
Need to Know: Higher-Order Aberrations and Polynomials
This first instalment in a tutorial series will discuss more on the measurement and clinical implications of HOAs.
Never Go In Blind
Novel ophthalmic block simulator promises higher rates of confidence and competence in trainees.
Simulators Benefit Surgeons and Patients
Helping young surgeons build confidence and expertise.
How Many Surgeries Equal Surgical Proficiency?
Internet, labs, simulators, and assisting surgery all contribute.