Observations on a mode of making the incision of the cornea, for the extraction of the cataract / by James Wardrop.

  • James Wardrop
Date:
1818
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on a mode of making the incision of the cornea, for the extraction of the cataract / by James Wardrop. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    a constant rule, to touch the eye gently, or to give it little strokes with the back of the knife, as long as it starts or remains unsteady; but the moment it appears fatigued and fixed, I draw the back of the knife with great caution along the surface of the cornea, till the point arrives at the exact place where it is intended to pene- trate, and then, with some quickness and firmness, push it into the anterior chamber. In fixing the eye, likewise, great advantage is derived by making the assistant press consider- ably on the ball, whilst the knife is made to pass through both sides of the cornea: but whenever this part of the operation is com- pleted, all pressure ought to be carefully guarded against, and the upper eyelid merely supported. I have found the incision, such as has now been described, to fulfil completely my expec- tations, after having been in the constant habit of performing it for many years. I have also observed, in some persons who have been ope- rated on by the most able Surgeons, that the inci- sion of the cornea was by no means of the regular semicircular form, nor was it so near the cir- cumference of the cornea as is recommended; notwithstanding the lens in these cases was rea- dily extracted and the pupil remained perfectly regular. This most frequently happened in eyes
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