Of Medicine, in Eight Books

by Aulus Cornelius Celsus

Whoever is troubled with a dimness must walk much, use exercise, frequent bathing, at which time the whole body must be rubbed, but principally the head, with iris ointment till it sweat; after that it must be veiled, and not uncovered, till after he has got home, and the sweat and heat have ceased. Then he must keep to an acrid and extenuating diet; and after the interval of some days use a gargarism of mustard.

Of a cataract.

A suffusion also, which the Greeks call hypochysis[ GE ], sometimes obstructs the pupil of the eye, where vision is performed. If this disorder be inveterate, it requires an operation to remove it. At the beginning sometimes it is discussed by certain methods adapted to the case. It is expedient to bleed in the forehead, or nose; to cauterize the veins in the temples; by the use of gargarisms to evacuate phlegm; to use fumigations; to anoint the eyes with acrid medicines. The best diet is such as extenuates phlegm.

A palsy of the eyes.

Nor is a palsy of the eyes (which the Greeks call paralysis) to be cured by any different diet, or different medicines, so that it is needless to do more than describe the distemper. It happens then sometimes in one eye, sometimes in both, either from a blow, or from an epilepsy, or spasms, where the eye itself is strongly convulsed, so that it can neither be directed to any particular object, nor be kept fixed; but moves to and fro involuntarily; and therefore cannot see any thing distinctly.

Of a mydriasis.

What the Greeks call a mydriasis[ GF ] is not very different from this distemper. The pupil is dilated, the sight grows dull, and almost dim. This kind of weakness is extremely difficult to remove. Against both disorders, that is, the palsy and mydriasis, we must use the same remedies as have been prescribed in the dimness of the eyes, with a few alterations; thus for the head, to the iris oil must be added sometimes vinegar, sometimes nitre; it is sufficient to anoint the eyes with honey. In the latter disorder some have made use of hot waters[(8)], and been relieved; others without any apparent cause have suddenly lost their sight. Some of these, after continuing blind for some time, from a sudden purging have recovered their sight: whence it seems the less improper, both when the disorder is recent, and when it is of some standing, to procure stools by medicines, in order to force all the noxious matter into the lower parts.

A weakness of the eyes.

Besides these, there is a kind of weakness of the eyes, in which patients see well enough in the day-time, but not at all in the night: which never happens to a woman, when her menstrual discharge is regular. But persons labouring under this disorder ought to be anointed with the blood of a liver (particularly the liver of a he-goat; if that cannot be had, of a she-goat) that drops from it while roasting; and they ought to eat the liver itself. They may nevertheless not improperly make use of the same medicines, that extenuate either cicatrices, or an asperity. Some powder the seed of purslane, and add honey to it, till the mixture be of such a consistence, as not to drop off a probe, and anoint with that. They must also use exercises, bathing, frictions.

Of external hurts in the eyes.