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Cataract Tabulated History
Last Update: January 21, 2025
Introduction
In this post I’ve created a (roughly) chronological tabulated history of cataract procedures and surgery developments through the ages.
The first table is the historical listing, including a reference source number.
The second table provided can then be used to find the reference (a title and a web link address).
Out of all of these references, I found the following to be the most useful in terms of providing a broad understanding of the history.
- Video – The Amazing History of Cataract Surgery by Professor Fernando Trindade
- NIH – The history of cataract surgery: from couching to phacoemulsification
- EyeWiki – History of Cataract Surgery
- PDF – A history of cataract surgery, Gresham College, Professor Will Ayliffe, 2010
- Video – A history of cataract surgery, Gresham College, Professor Will Ayliffe, 2010
Cataract Tabulated History
| # | Date/Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2540 BC; Egypt Wooden Statue Sheikh Al Balad; White Cataract shown on left eye | Ref: 3 |
| 2 | 2700 BC; Egypt Instruments Copper surgical needles possibly for Couching found in the tomb of King Khasekhemwy and tomb of Skar (chief physician of one of Egypt’s fifth dynasty rulers) | Ref: 7,11 |
| 3 | 2000 - 1000 BC Procedures Egyptians and Babylonians probably practiced Couching (possibly mentioned in Code of Hammurabi) | Ref: 8, 11,39 |
| 4 | 1550 BC; Egypt Procedures Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE). Cataract described. | Ref: 4, 11, 35 |
| 5 | 1600 - 1100 BC; Egypt Wall Paintings Valley of Kings; Wall inscriptions possbily depicting cataract removal | Ref: 3, 7, 11 |
| 6 | 1500 - 1000 BC; India Rgveda Ancient Text Rgveda - Hymns - Hints of Opthalmic Surgery to heal blindless | Ref: 11 |
| 7 | ~ 600 BC; India (800 BC ?) Sushruta (Susruta) - earliest ? treatise on surgery called the Sushruta Samhita (Susruta) - first to perform cataract surgery by couching - Used instrument to enter the eye and push the cataract into the vitreous space - this was probably spread via Silk Road | Ref: 1, 7,9, 39 |
| 8 | 600s BC Tobit Tobit had cataracts; featured in Bible; the Book of Tobit. (part of the Apocrypha.) | Ref: 39 |
| 9 | 206 BC - 907 AD; China Silk Road to China Couching procedure, known as jin pi shu in Mandarin, was introduced to China via the Silk Road during the late West Han Dynasty (206 BCE-9 CE), and spread throughout China duringTang Dynasty (618-907 CE). | Ref: 10 |
| 10 | 400 - 270 BC Ptolomaic Egypt Cataracts and Procedures Mentioned / Practiced by Heophilus,philoxenes,Antyllus, Oribasius, Lathyrion | Ref: 39 |
| 11 | 279 - 206 BC; Greece Chyrsippus of Soli The philosopher Chrysippus of Soli (c. 279–206 BCE) mentioned couching of cataracts. | Ref: 11, 39 |
| 12 | 131 - 201 BC Galen of Pergamon Galen of Pergamon, a prominent Greek physician, surgeon performed cataract surgery using a needle-shaped instrument. | Ref: 14, 39 |
| 13 | ~25BC-50 AD; Roman Cornelius Celcus Possible 1st Western Reference. Medical texts written by Cornelius Celsus; lived during reign of Emperor Tiberius (r. AD 14–37), include a detailed description of a cataract operation (De Medicina) | Ref: 2,7, 14, 39 |
| 14 | 1C AD? Egyptians, Greeks, Romans A similar process called "needling" (discission) was performed where lens would be sliced up and allowed to be reabsorbed by body. (Celcus, Galen) | Ref: 11, 26,27,28 |
| 15 | 2nd Cent. AD Antyllus Greek Roman Surgeon. Used suction technique to extract cataract | Ref: 5 |
| 16 | 1st - 3rd Cent. AD Instruments Roman era Cataract Couching and Suction Instruments Found: Montbellet (France) and Viladamat (Spain) | Ref: 6 |
| 17 | 538-594 AD Gregory of Tours Gallo Roman Bishop refers to cataract surgery being done with needles | Ref: 39 |
| 18 | Early 6C AD Aeteus of Amida Byzantine; discusses cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 19 | 625 - 690 Paulus Aegeneta Byzantine; writes on cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 20 | 777-857 Islamic Era Yuhanna Ibn Masawaih (777–857), an Assyrian physician; Daghal al-’ain or Disorder of the Eye; removal of cataracts with a hollow tube via suction (he attributed to Antyllus) | Ref: 16 |
| 21 | 809-877 Islamic Era Ibn Ishaq (Jahannitus) | Ref: |
| 22 | 900s AD Islamic Era Ammar bin Ali Al Mawsili cataract extraction via a tubular metallic syringe with a hypodermic needle | Ref: 16 |
| 23 | 865 - 925 AD Islamic Era Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi 10th century Persian physician developed a cataract surgery technique that used Antyllus’ suction equipment. | Ref: 13, 17 |
| 24 | 940-1010 Islamic Era Ali ibn isa wrote about cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 25 | 936-1013 Islamic Era Al Zahrawi (Abulcasis) wrote about cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 26 | 980-1037 Avicenna wrote about cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 27 | 1000s AD Islamic eric Ammar of Cairo needling (discission) procedures described in texts | Ref: 11 |
| 28 | 1000s AD Benevenutus Grassus Hebrew Itinerant Oculust Wrote De Oculis | Ref: 39 |
| 29 | 1091-1161 Islamic Era Avenzoar wrote about cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 30 | 1200s Islamic Era Khalifah of Aleppo needling (discission) procedures described in texts | Ref: 11 |
| 31 | 1213-1288 Islamic Era Ibn Al Nafis wrote about cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 32 | 1240 Thoedoric Borgagnoni, Roger Frugardi Middle Age writes on cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 33 | 1250 Gilbertus Anglicus, Bruno Middle Age writes on cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 34 | 1300s AD; Islamic Era Sadaqah ibn Ibrahim al-Shadhili The 14th century Egypt oculist Al-Shadhili reported of a variation on the oral suction instrument; this device used a screw to produce suction instead. | Ref: 11 |
| 35 | 1377 John of Arderne Middle Age writes on cataracts | Ref: 39 |
| 36 | 1583; Middle Ages Georg Bartisch Monks in Medievil times. Couching practiced throughout Middle Ages. In his 1583 text Augendienst (Service of the Eyes), German oculist Georg Bartisch describes the process in great detail | Ref: 18 |
| 37 | 1560s - 1751 Couching Cataract couching probably arrived in England by the 1560s, in Scotland by 1595, in Ireland by 1684, and in Anglo-America by 1751. | Ref: 15 |
| 38 | 1656 - 1705 Rolfinck; Maitre Jan, Brisseau Developments in cataract patholody. | Ref: 25 |
| 39 | 1700s - Early 1800s Itinerant Couchers Itinerant Cataract Couchers roamed europe looking for cataract business. See story of Chevalier John Taylor ( c. 1703 – 1770 or 1772) a British eye surgeon, self-promoter and Charlatan. | Ref: |
| 40 | 1747 Jacques Daviel: France French Surgeon - 1747 Pioneered first true Extracapsular Cataract Extration (ECCE); where lens capsules are left in place. | Ref: 19, 3 |
| 41 | 1753 Samuel Sharp; England First to perform intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE), whereby the lens and surrounding capsule were removed in one piece. | Ref: 3 |
| 42 | 1865 Albrecht von Graefe ; Germany Invented special knife design for cataract surgery. Used as late as the 1950s. | Ref: 3 |
| 43 | 1884 Karl Koller; Austria First Topical Anaesthesia (cocaine) | Ref: 3 |
| 44 | 1907 Ignasi Barraquer; Spain Erisophake Technique (lens extraction suction cup) | Ref: |
| 45 | 1949 Harold Ridley; Britian On November 29, 1949, Harold Ridley implanted the first intraocular lens (IOL - Rayner and Keeler ltd). Transparent acrylic similar to RAF spitfire canopy material. Extracapsular extraction (only lens) | Ref: 3, 20 |
| 46 | 1957 Joaquin Barraquer; Spain Use fo α-chymotrypsin to selectively break down the lens zonular fibers allowing for easier extraction of the lens | Ref: 3 |
| 47 | 1959 Taduesz Krawicz; Poland Cryoprobe for lens removal (using liquid N2); Cryoextraction of lens | Ref: 3 |
| 48 | 1950s-1970s ICCE Most cataract surgerys in the 1950s to 1970s for were ICCE (capsule + lens removed). | Ref: 3 |
| 49 | 1963 Micro scopes zoom microscopes introduced | Ref: 3 |
| 50 | 1967 Charles Kelman USA Small Incision Phacoemulsification procedure. Using ultrasound. Inspired by dental ultrasound procedures. | Ref: 3 |
| 51 | 1978 Kai-yi Zhou; China The Chinese eye surgeon Kai-yi Zhou implanted the first foldable IOL made of Silicone | Ref: 3 |
| 52 | 1980 Miller and Stegman Introduction of Viscoelastic agents. Makes space in anterior chamber and gives added protection to eye during ECCS procedure | Ref: 3 |
| 53 | 1980s Drs. Aron-Rosa and Fankhauser. The Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser capsulotomy, also known as the posterior capsulotomy developed for post cataract surgery (if vision becomes cloudy again which is common) | Ref: 3 |
| 54 | 1981 laserphaco probe The Laserphaco probe was invented by Dr. Patricia Bath in 1981 | Ref: 36 |
| 55 | 1985 Thomas R. Mazzocco Developed refined foldable silicone intraocular "taco" lens (IOL) in 1985 | Ref: 3 |
| 56 | 1989 Gholam A. Peyman Invented LASIK eye surgery ; awarded the first US patent for the procedure in 1989. | Ref: 37 |
| 57 | 1990 Laser 1st laser assisted cataract surgery | Ref: 3 |
| 58 | 1995-1997 Femto second laser technology Ron Kurtz, MD, and Tibor Juhasz, PhD developed the IntraLase Femtosecond Laser at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor | Ref: 38 |
| 59 | 2011 Femto Laser Femtosecond laser assited cataract surgery LenSx, Victus, LensAR, Catalys (FLACS) | Ref: 3 |
Cataract History References
| # | Reference Link and Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | https://www.aao.org/lifetime-engaged-ophthalmologist/perspective/article/sushruta#two |
| aao.org - Sushruta By Thomas S Harbin, MD, MBA | |
| 2 | https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/en-us/blogs/ancient-history-blog/roman-cataract-surgery?srsltid=AfmBOoo7s2msTU59lWdM6fSZ_I6CHgu69ynwEFUCQNHitbQtqORJwRSH |
| Ancient history magazine; Roman cataract surgery | |
| 3 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFjeM98kS10 |
| Video - The Amazing History of Cataract Surgery by Professor Fernando Trindade | |
| 4 | https://www.aao.org/museum-blog/detail/surgerys-ancient-roots#:~:text=Almost%20one%20thousand%20years%20after%20the%20Ebers,surgeries:%20couching%20of%20cataracts%20and%2C%20surprisingly%2C%20rhinoplasty. |
| aao.org - Surgery's Ancient Roots - Aubrey Minshew | |
| 5 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antyllus |
| Antyllus | |
| 6 | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aos.12843#:~:text=The%20extremity%20appears%20in%20both,1).&text=Hollow%20needle%20found%20in%20Tolegassos,);%202nd%E2%80%933rd%20century%20A.D. |
| Acta Opthalmologica - Hollow needle cataract aspiration in antiquity | |
| 7 | https://eyemuseum.ranzco.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Couching_presentation_1.pdf |
| Ranzco Museum - Cataract couching Out of the dark and into the light? Shirley Ma, David Kaufman | |
| 8 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couching_(ophthalmology)#:~:text=Technique,-This%20section%20does&text=A%20sharp%20instrument%2C%20such%20as,positive%20prescription%20lens%20to%20compensate. |
| Wikipedia - Couching | |
| 9 | https://www.aao.org/museum/exhibition-detail/cataract-surgery-couching-to-phaco-2#:~:text=Couching%20is%20an%20ancient%20procedure,surgery%20until%20the%2019th%20Century. |
| aao.org - cataract surgery couching to phaco | |
| 10 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20451942/ |
| NIH - Couching for cataract in China Chi-Chao Chan |
|
| 11 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7729313/ |
| NIH - The history of cataract surgery: from couching to phacoemulsification | |
| 12 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmology_in_the_medieval_Islamic_world#:~:text=among%20numerous%20others.-,Ottoman%20Empire,frauds%22%20was%20far%20from%20spotless. |
| Ophthalmology in the medieval Islamic world | |
| 13 | https://www.choateeye.com/blog/2019/02/05/history-of-cataract-surgery-196269/#:~:text=Cataract%20Removal%20in%20the%20Early,suction%20rather%20than%20the%20mouth. |
| History of Cataract Surgery By Walter Choate on February 05, 2019 | |
| 14 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cataract_surgery#:~:text=The%20first%20references%20to%20cataract,anterior%20aspect%20of%20the%20eye. |
| History of cataract surgery | |
| 15 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33744237/#:~:text=Seemingly%20miraculous%20cures%20of%20blindness,in%20Anglo%2DAmerica%20by%201751. |
| The First Cataract Surgeons in the British Isles | |
| 16 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3441032/#:~:text=Cataract,a%20method%20known%20as%20couching. |
| Light through the dark ages: The Arabist contribution to Western ophthalmology | |
| 17 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11324200/#:~:text=Despite%20his%20fame%2C%20Al%2DRazi,5%2C6%2C18%5D. |
| Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi (Rhazes) (865-925): The Founder of the First Psychiatric Ward | |
| 18 | https://becker.wustl.edu/news/couching-cataracts-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-infection/ |
| Couching Cataracts: Cloudy with a chance of infection | |
| 19 | https://www.aao.org/biographies-detail/jacques-daviel-md |
| aao.org - Daviel, Jacques | |
| 20 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11453175/ |
| NIH Sir Harold Ridley as the Pioneer of Intraocular Lenses: His Inspiration Drawn From World War II Pilots | |
| 21 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract_surgery#:~:text=Cataract%20surgery%20and%20IOL%20implantation%20have%20the,surgery%2C%20however%2C%20some%20level%20of%20risk%20remains. |
| Wikipedia - Cataract Surgery | |
| 22 | https://eyewiki.org/History_of_Cataract_Surgery |
| EyeWiki - History of Cataract Surgery | |
| 23 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6139750/ |
| NIH - The Evolution of Cataract Surgery Geetha Davis | |
| 24 | https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/cataract-historyecce-and-sicspptx/252995847 |
| Cataract Surgery - History - Bhandari ICCE, ECCE, SIC cataract ,history,ECCE AND SICS.pptx | |
| 25 | https://www.mrcophth.com/Historyofophthalmology/cataracthistory.htm |
| Cataract History | |
| 26 | https://neoretina.com/blog/evolution-of-cataract-surgery-types-of-surgery-and-advantages-of-technological-advancements/#:~:text=The%20surgery%20of%20cataracts%20is,the%20French%20surgeon%20Jacques%20Daviel. |
| Evolution of Cataract Surgery | |
| 27 | https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/cataract-surgery-what-to-expect-before-during-and-after |
| Cataract surgery | |
| 28 | https://laser-cataractsurgery.com/history-of-cataract-surgery.html |
| History of Cataract Surgery | |
| 29 | https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/transcript/The%20History%20of%20Cataract%20Surgery.pdf |
| The History of Cataract Surgery | |
| 30 | http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/12586/1/H.E.%20Henkes%20%282%29.pdf |
| History of Ophthalmology 4 Sub auspiciis Academiae Ophthalmologicae Intemationalis Editor H.E. HENKES Geervliet. The Netherlands Associate Editor CI. ZRENNER Tubingen. Germany | |
| 31 | https://archive.org/details/ophthalmodouleia00bart/page/n196/mode/1up |
| Ophthalmodouleia: das ist Augendienst" (1583) Georg Bartisch (1535-1606) | |
| 32 | https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/42710/InTech-The_history_of_cataract_surgery.pdf |
| The History of Cataract SurgeryF.J. Ascaso1 and V. Huerva2 1University of Zaragoza, 2University of Lleida, Spain | |
| 33 | https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2066/2/4/article-p88.xml |
| History of cataract surgery from ancient times to today | |
| 34 | https://eyewiki.org/History_of_Ophthalmology |
| History of Ophthalmology | |
| 35 | https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/ancient-egyptian-records-provide-clues-ophthalmic-care |
| Ancient Egyptian records provide clues to ophthalmic care | |
| 36 | https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/african-americans-in-sciences/patricia-bath.html#:~:text=Bath%20(1942%E2%80%932019),Dr. |
| Dr Patricia Bath | |
| 37 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gholam_A._Peyman#:~:text=Peyman,-Article&text=Article-,Gholam%20A.,for%20the%20procedure%20in%201989. |
| Gholam A. Peyman | |
| 38 | https://crstoday.com/articles/2011-mar/the-origins-of-laser-cataract-surgery |
| The Origins of Laser Cataract Surgery | |
| 39 | https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/29_0jan10willayliffe_cataractsurgery.pdf |
| A history of cataract surgery, Gresham College, Professor Will Ayliffe, 2010 | |
| 40 | https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/history-cataract-surgery |
| A history of cataract surgery, Gresham College, Professor Will Ayliffe, 2010 |
