On the cure of cataract, with a practical summary of the best modes of operating, (Contintental and British).

  • Neill, Hugh
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the cure of cataract, with a practical summary of the best modes of operating, (Contintental and British). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    there is slight uneasiness of the eye. [a] The patient sees objects as if in a mist. At an advanced stage, an opaque speck becomes perceptible on looking into the eye. Generally it is grey-coloured, white, or yellowish. Its most usual situation is behind the pupil. In pro- portion as this opacity increases, sight diminishes. Those who, at the commencement of this visitation, can still discern objects,—especially during the day, or with sufficiently clear light while the pupil is dilated; or when wearing convex glasses which enlarge objects, —go on from bad to worse, till unable to do more than distinguish day from night. Progress of the disease. The development of Cataract is more or less quick. Generally it is very slow—creeping over a period of months, even of weary years. Sometimes, especially after violent disturbance or injury to the eye, Cataract forms in a few days; or its progress is rapid at first, then slow,—or remains stationary for a while. Most high, her hopes are strong, and she feels that she has been blessed: she now can see, and she waits with patience and looks forward with pleasure to the time when (to use her own words) she shall be a happy, happy mother. This poor woman frequently calls at the Hospital to shew the pro- gress of her own eyes, and to ex- hibit her infant. She believes that the operation upon herself broke the charm,and that other- wise her child would have in- herited her blindness.—H. N. [»] Persons coming from rural districts have frequently stated that although now almost quite blind, they were unaware of the factuntil miscalculating distances; as in crossing the ridges of a field instead of stepping on higher ground, they stumbled into hol- low places. On other occasions they have put up the hand to rub the eye, and on closing the eye have unexpectedly found the other useless, and also the better organ to be in an imperfect state. So gradually does the darkening, or obscuring process go on, that acci- dent alone discovers it.—H. N.