Atlas and epitome of operative ophthalmology / by O. Haab ; edited by G. E. de Schweinitz.

  • Otto Haab
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Atlas and epitome of operative ophthalmology / by O. Haab ; edited by G. E. de Schweinitz. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    Ricaldi and Bettmann, lias recently advocated. Simple paracentesis of the cornea with external massage, as recom- mended by T. R. Pooley and J. R. White, is said to be effectual. Should cortical remnants be found after the extraction of unripe cataract, they may be removed with the help of a syringe, as has been specially recommended by McKeown, Lippincott, and others. The editor has not, however, been pleased with this form of irrigation, al- though in the hands of experienced colleagues it finds much favor. He believes that the lens may be safely extracted even if it is in part unclouded, certainly after the sixtieth year, and prefers extracting an unripe cata- ract to performing a ripening operation.—Ed.] Snellen, Horner, and others long ago emphasized the fact that an iridectomy usually hastens the ripening of a cataract and that this is, therefore, one of the most important reasons for resorting to preliminary iridectomy—that is, an iridectomy performed a few weeks before extraction of the cataract. It also increases the chances of success by the fact that a major operation is divided into two minor operations, each of which is less dangerous by itself. Another considera- tion is that the preliminary operation has a desirable edu- cational effect on the patient and enables the operator to determine how he acts under the knife, information which he will find useful to guide him at the subsequent extrac- tion. The preliminary operation is also the best one to combat any disposition there may be to glaucoma, which sometimes develops in a most unpleasant way after a cataract extraction, even when no part of the cataract has been left behind. Preliminary iridectomy is unquestionably most desir- able in many cases and is especially indicated when com- plications threaten, either during or after the operation, aside from insufficient ripeness—be it that the eye is not entirely normal, as, for example, in high myopia, or the patient's strength and general condition necessitate the greatest caution. A preliminary iridectomy is also, as a rule, necessary in cases of true complicated cataract—