History of Iridotomy

HISTORICAL REVIEW OF IRIDOTOMY.

Reading edition

In this brief review of iridotomy,2 we shall confine our attention to the methods that have been advanced for the formation of an artificial pupil in cases of membranous occlusion of the pupil following removal of the lens, either by couching, extraction or discission, the iris-membrane in these cases being chiefly composed of inflamed iris tissue glued down by retro-iridian exudate to the thickened lens capsule.

The early history of iridotomy shows that the advocates of this operation were divided into two schools, (1) those recommending the use of the knife-needle for incising the iris-membrane, and (2) those adopting the method of introducing scissors through a previously made corneal section and freely incising the iris-membrane, or excising a portion of the same. We will first consider the school which advocated incision by the knife-needle.

Illustration from History of Iridotomy Knife-Needle vs. Scissors—Description of Author's V-Shaped Method

Portrait of William Cheselden, 1688–1752. Painted by Richardson.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Wagner, Karl Wilhelm Ulrich: Inaugural Thesis, Göttingen, 1818. He invented the designation iridotomia, which he formed from the original Gr