History of Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is probably one of the oldest surgical procedures known to man and it has come a long way since its ancient origins. Chitta mottia, translated from modern Urdu as “white blindness”, was treated by our ancestors with techniques that will make you cringe nowadays, and that were definitely life threatening.

Centre for Sight History of Cataract Surgery

We’ve put together an infographic with the history of cataract surgery, but if you want more details, you can always refer to an older article we posted in the blog on how cataract surgery evolved through the ages.

If you have undergone cataract surgery yourself, know someone that has, or you are just fascinated by the history of medicine, please share the infographic below. We hope you enjoy it!

Centre for Sight infographic on cataract surgery

Author Information

Authored by Sheraz Daya MD FACP FACS FRCS(Ed) FRCOphth, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon & Medical Director, June 2019.

Net review due June 2026