Atlas of the external diseases of the eye : including a brief treatise on the pathology and treatment / by O. Haab ; Authorized translation from the German, edited by G.E. de Schweinitz.

Haab O. (Otto), 1850-1931.

Date:: 1899

Credit: Atlas of the external diseases of the eye : including a brief treatise on the pathology and treatment / by O. Haab ; Authorized translation from the German, edited by G.E. de Schweinitz. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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$The sclerosis incident to old age often produces an intense gray reflex in the pupil, which may be mistaken for a 'cataractons lens. By transmitted light, however, tlie pupil exhibits a beautiful red reflex, and the streaks of opacity which characterize incipient cataract are absent (Plate 33, c). In tranmatic cataract, if the lens becomes opaque rapidly, a bright metallic reflex is sometimes seen in the posterior layers by lateral illumination ; and must not be mistaken for a foreign body. The latter ajqiears black by transmitted light, which is not the case with the reflex referred to. The treatment of all forms of cataract, except the complicated, is essentially surgical. Partial juvenile cat- aracts are treated by di.scission, and the semifluid mass is evacuated through an incision in the cornea. (\)in])lete soft cataracts can also be removed by means of a short incision through the cornea and capsule. To remove a senile nuclear cataract a semicircular incision must be made concentric with the corneal margin and involving more than one-third of the circumference. If, after the delivery of the cataract through the pupil and corneal wound, it is found difficult to replace the iris, a small section must l>e removed by means of iridectomy. It is .‘sometimes advisable in slowly ripening cataracts to operate before the stage of maturity has been reached. In such cases iridectomy is performed before the cataract is deliv- ered, in order to make more room for the egress of the lens-substance and prevent an increase in tension from swelling of the cortical remains. In traumatic cataract the intraocular tension must be carefully watched and a part of the lens-substance re- moved by paracentesis of the cornea, if the pressure rises. If the swelling is great, the ]nij)il must be well dilated to allow the cataractons mass free access to the anterior chamber. Dislocation of the Lens. This is due to anomalies in the zonula. Owing to con- genital unequal development, decentration of the lens to-$