Ophthalmology was called Nimi Tantra in Ancient India.
A research paper presented states that nearly all the diseases known to us were known these ancient people and the cures.
Complicated Eye Surgery, Cataract removal were performed.
The Founder is Nimi,from whose name is derived the word for Minute,Nimisham”
Ophthalmology was a recognised branch of
Salakya tantra and we owe our fullest
treatment of it to the Uttara tantra of
Susruta. Its history goes back to a period of
very remote antiquity. The author of the
Uttara tantra, in his introduction, specially
observes: “This part comprises within it the
specific descriptions of a large and varied
list of diseases viz., those which form the
subject matter of the Salakya tantra diseases
of the eye, ear, nose and throat – as narrated
by the kind of Videha”. The Salakya tantra
here referred to must be that traditionally
credited to Nimi, the King of Videha, the
reputed founder of the Science of
Ophthalmology in India….
Unfortuntely, though the contents of these
tantras were, in a compressed and selective
form, compiled in Susruta’s Compendium,
the original of the work is not now available.
The names of other famous works by Nimi
are said to be Vaidya Sandehabhanjini and
Janaka tantra. About this period six other
Salakaya tantras written by the disciples of
Nimi Salyaka, Saunka, Karalabhatta, Caksu
Sena, Videha and Krsnatreya appear to have
been current and regarded with great esteem.
Though the identity of Nimi is still a
question of keen debate, we have reliable
records to assume that he was the great
grand-father of Sita, the daughter of Kind
Janaka. He is believed to have beenthe
twelfth King in descent from the Iksvaku
line of kings who then ruled the kingdom of
Ayodhya.
The eye-ball is described as two fingers’
broad, a thumb’s width deep and two and a
half fingers in circumference. The eye, we
are told, is almost round in shape and is
made up of five mandalas, or circles, six
sandhis or joints, and six patalas or
coverings. The mandals are (1) Paksma
(circles of the eyelashes) (2) Vartma (circles
of the eyelids) (3) Sveta (the white circle)
(4) krishna (region of the cornea) (5) drishti
(circles of the pupil). The sandhis are (1)
pakshmavartma (between the eye – lashes
and eyelids) (2) vartma sveta (the fornise)
(3) sveta krishna (the limbus) (4) krishna
drishti (the margin of the pupil) (5) kaninika
(the inner canthus) (6) apanga (the outer
canthus)
Of the six patalas two are in the eyelid
region and four are in the eye proper. There
are two marmas near the eye, apanga at the
outer end of the eyebrow and avarta above
the middle of the eyebrow. If these are cut,
loss of sight results.
Most of the common diseases of the eye
were known to Nimi. He gives a count of
76 eye diseases of which ten are due to vata
dosha, ten to pitta dosha, thirteen to kapha
dosa and sixteen to vitiated blood, twenty
five are caused by the united action of the
three doshas (sannipatha) and two are due
to external causes (visible or invisible
injury) Cloudiness of vision, lachrymation,
slight inflammation, accummulation or
secretion, heaviness and burining sensation,
racking or aching pain, redness of eye are
indistincly evident as premonitory
symptoms…
Of the seventy six kinds of diseases eleven
should be treated with incision operations
(chedya); nine with scarification (lekhya);
five with excision (bhedya); fifteen with
venesction (siravedhya); twelve should not
be operated upon, and nine admit only of
palliative measures (yapya) while fifteen
shoud be given up as incurable.
Opthalmoplegia, nyctalopia, hemeralopia,
glaucoma, keratitis and corneal ulcers,
subconjunctival echymosis, scleral nodules,
blepharitis, xerothalmia membraneous
conjunctivitis and sclerosis are diseases in
which operation is not indicated..
Citation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3331568/pdf/ASL-3-183.pdf
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