[History of cataract operations in Hungary]. / A hályogoperálás története Magyarországon.

The history of the cataract operations dates back to thousands of years ago. Initially, surgery was carried out using rudimentary operating techniques resulting in the loss of many eyes. Cataract surgery has evolved immersely and now it is a highly refined surgical practice. Evolution of the cataract surgery was closely linked to broadening of anatomical-pathological knowledge and to the development of the instruments applied. Although Daviel performed the first intentional cataract removal in 1747, almost one hundred years passed before the extracapsular cataract extraction method finally replaced the old couching technique. By the middle of the 20th century, with the progression of the operation techniques and instruments, different forms of intracapsular cataract extraction methods became prevalent. Introduction and widespread use of the artificial intraocular lenses from the second half of the 20th century led to the rediscovery and further perfection of the extracapsular cataract extraction technique. Today, phacoemulsification through small incision, along with the foldable intraocular lenses is the gold standard of cataract surgery. The aim of this study is to present the different cataract surgery methods applied throughout the centuries, as well as the difficulties encountered. It discusses pioneering steps of each era, in order to give a closer look at the most frequently performed surgical intervention in ophthalmology.

[Cataract--short history of treatment methods tried and abandoned]. / Cataracta--scurt istoric metode încercate si abandonate.

The author presents a brief history of treatment methods used for cataract, emphasizing key moments and highlightening Romanian contribution to this kind of surgery.

Couching for cataract: advanced medical achievements of China in 1976?

Cataracts have been a common disease in China for centuries. As early as the Tang dynasty, physicians of Chinese medicine had developed 'jin pi shu', a method of couching, to cure the disease. In 1976, a new method, invented by Tang Youzhi, was acknowledged as one of the most advanced medical achievements in communist China. This paper explores the significance of Tang's method for Mao Zedong's China. Tang's method achieved two goals set by Chairman Mao for medical and health policies: to serve rural China and to integrate Chinese and Western medicine.

Fototoxicidad. Radiaciones ultravioleta y cataratas / Phototoxicity. Ultraviolet radiation and cataracts

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[Couching then and now]. / Staarsteek vroeger en nu.

Cataracts are the most important cause of acquired blindness worldwide. The oldest known surgical treatment for cataracts dates back to around 1,000 years before Christ. The Indian surgeon Sushruta described the technique of 'couching', in which the opaque lens is pushed from the line of vision using a needle. At the time of Alexander the Great this technique spread across Europe and then to the rest of the world. Couching was the only available treatment for cataracts for a long time, until the discovery of lens extraction by Jacques Daviel in 1748. Since then lens extraction has replaced couching in the western world, because of poor results and high complication rates. This procedure is, however, still practiced in areas of Africa and Asia.

Couching for cataract in China.

Couching for cataract is one of the most ancient surgical procedures. Maharshi Sushruta, an ancient Indian surgeon, first described the procedure around 600 BCE in Sushruta Samhita. The procedure, also 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 it spread throughout China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). As the procedure was combined with the Chinese concept of acupuncture, jin pi shu was integrated into Chinese medical practice until the founding of the Republic of China in 1911. The government of the Republic of China considered jin pi shu to be unscientific. In 1949, the Communists established the People's Republic of China. Jin pi shu was revitalized by Chairman Mao Zedong (1893-1976), who thought that traditional Chinese medicine, including jin pi shu, was a great treasure. After his death and the opening of China to the external world, many Chinese ophthalmologists pointed out that jin pi shu had relatively high complications and a low success rate, compared to various modern techniques for cataract surgery. This procedure is gradually fading away in China. The use of jin pi shu reflects the history, culture, and political transformation of China.

[Prolapse of the uterus and cataract: a comparison of veterinary and human medicine in Greco-Roman antiquity]. / Gebärmuttervorfall und Katarakt: Antike Human- und Veterinärmedizin im Vergleich.

A number of surgical interventions in ancient veterinary medicine were modelled on the same procedures in human medicine. This is discussed in some detail for the prolapse of the uterus and the couching of the cataract in horses. In the introductory section, the importance of Switzerland and neighbouring areas for the transmission of ancient veterinary medicine is highlighted.

Visual dysfunction in artists.

The representation of the world provided by an artist is often modified by abnormalities in the visual pathways. Some artists have used these distortions to create a particular style. Controversy surrounds earlier artists whose visual function was not well documented historically. Drugs and psychiatric disease may also modify the artist's imagery.

[The classification and therapeutical methods of cataract on Chinese medicine in the modern times].

We investigated cataract-related description on the medical literatures written at China in modern times. In those days, the cataract was classified by the shapes of clouds on the crystalline lens. In present Chinese medicine, it has been interpreted that the senilecataract was showed Eneinaisyo. Hyoei-naisyo, Katsuei-naisyo, Zyuei-naisyo, Sanei-naysyo, Fuei-naisyo, Tinei-naisyo, Ohei-naisyo, Engetsuei-naisyo, Soukaei-naisyo, Hakueiohsin-naisyo and Kokusuigyoei-naisyo; these words were old names for cataract. We separately rethought about their symptoms from the description in the original literatures; however, they showed some symptoms which generally were not found on the senilecataract. On the other hand, the therapeutic methods mainly existed pharmacotherapy, surgical methods and treatments with acupuncture and moxibustion and their applications were each different according to the shapes of the clouds.