Kandi K. Exposito
Everest College
Pharmacy Technician Mod D
A cataract is a condition which affects the eye. This condition causes a normally transparent eye lens to become cloudy or opaque. The cloudiness of the cataract can impair ones vision and may even lead to blindness. A cataract may occur in just one or both eyes; however, it cannot spread from one eye to another. The lens, where a cataract occurs, is a clear part of the eye that assists in focusing light or images on the retina. The retina is the light sensitive tissue located at the back of the eye. In normal eyesight process, light passes through the clear part of the lens through the retina. After reaching the retina, that light is then transformed into nerve signals and then sent to the brain. In order for the retina to receive …show more content…
It is said that this condition may have been named from the milky white appearance of swift running water. The earliest documented case of a cataract is said to be in a museum in Cairo that contains a small wooden statue from the 5th dynasty, about 2457-2467 B.C.E. The statue is of a priest reader who has a white patch carved into the pupil of his left eye (Multiple, 2009). This white patch is thought to represent a cataract. The earliest form of surgery for cataract removal was referred to as Couching (Multiple, 2009). Illustrations depicting surgical instruments that indicate the use of couching have been found on the inside of Egyptian temples and tombs (Multiple, 2009). This procedure was first described by an ancient Indian surgeon by the name of Maharshi Sushruta in his treatise called the Sushruta Samhita, Uttar Tantra, which dates back to 800 B.C.E.(Multiple, 2009) The couching procedure was described as a needle being used to force the lens toward the back of the eye. Afterwards, the eye would be soaked with clarified butter and bandaged (Multiple,