Instruments used in Corneal Procedures and Surgeries
Although tales and myths of ocular surgery and organ transplantation appear in numerous ancient texts, the earliest accounts of ophthalmic diseases were written as a treatise by Sushruta, in the 6th century BC. Sushruta described 76 eye diseases, out of which 51 required surgical treatment. In the western world, the concepts of corneal surgery date back to Greek physician Galen (130-200AD). The concepts to improve corneal clarity by surgery were developed over the next centuries and especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. But the major scientific progress and experimentation in the field of corneal surgeries happened in the 19th century. The progress in corneal surgery was hindered by a lack of understanding of immunology, asepsis, surgical procedures, and of course, the lack of proper instrumentation. Emmert Wolf wrote over a century ago, “A man is only as good as his tools.” Early surgeons were hampered by a lack of proper surgical instruments. Over the centuries, innumerable opht
Dr. Hema Joshi, MBBS, DO, DNB · Dr. Ankita Patil