21/05/2025
Do you know that cataract is an ocular disease that has been plaguing humans for thousands of years???
Yes, indeed...Cataracts are not a new phenomenon. It has plagued people throughout human history and doctors have attempted to surgically treat them long before they had a clear understanding of how eyes worked and well before the advent of anesthesia.
The first known documentation of cataract surgery was written in India around 800 B.C., but evidence from archeological digs suggest that cataract surgeries may have been performed in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia even earlier.
Couching is the well-documented method of cataract surgery used during ancient times in India. Maharshi Sushruta, an ancient Indian surgeon, first described the procedure in a medical treatise. The procedure involved taking a curved needle and pushing the lens into the rear of the eye and out of the field of vision. After the surgery, the eye would be soaked in a warm milk and bandaged. When successful, couching let light back into the eye. However, it knocked the patient’s lens out of place, which resulted in unfocused vision. Regardless, the popularity of the procedure spread into surrounding countries, eventually making its way across the world. Couching remained the dominant surgical treatment for cataracts until the eighteenth century.
However technological advancements and improved surgical techniques have significantly enhanced its effectiveness and safety. Modern cataract surgery methods focus on optimizing visual outcomes, shortening recovery periods, and minimizing potential complications.
