Esmaeil Shabaninezhad - MD, Ophthalmology Department, Baghiatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Samaneh Soleymani - PharmD, PhD, Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza Khalili - MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Alireza Mehdizadeh - MD, PhD, Research Office for the History of Persian Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Arman Zargaran - PharmD, PhD, Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Cataract is mentioned as one of the most important blindness factors in the world. Management and treatment methods of cataract dates back to antiquity. Avicenna is one of prominent Persian scientists that played an important role in the development of ophthalmology in ancient Persia. In this review, Avicenna’s points of view about cataract is discussed in the Canon of medicine and compared with the current medicine. Cataract or “Nozol-al-maâ” is an obstructive disease due to the accumulation of a dense liquid layer between the lens and cornea. Avicenna categorized cataracts based on their density, size and color. To treat and manage cataract, he took three approaches: changing life style and nutrition in the first step; using simple and complex medicines in the next step; and performing surgery in the last stage. Nowadays, in vivo and in vitro studies have proven the effects of some food, nutraceuticals and medicinal plants in preventing cataractogenesis progression. As surgery is the only remedy of cataract today and postoperative problems may occur, finding new non-surgical procedures can be noteworthy.

Persian medicine, eye diseases, Cataract, History of medicine