Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

Abstract

Introduction: Greeks, generally, have been known as the founder of science but centuries before that in a region called Mesopotamia, known as Iran today, different sciences including medicine were practiced.

Goal: to learn about the role of Iranians in optical sciences, it is necessary to conduct a historical investigation which addresses how Iranians managed myopia, hyperopia, presbiopia, and ocular deviation with lenses and spectacles in past.

Results: Considering the discovery of the spectacle made up of bone from 4^th&3^rdmillennium B.C., the discovery of ocular prosthesis in the burned city in Systan and Balouchestan, and the use of eye glass flower to relieve visual symptoms, it can be concluded that in pre historical times, spectacles, lenses, prosthesis, and drugs were used to manage visual problems.

Discussion: One area of interest in ophthalmology in Islamic Era was cataract. Learning about cataract, means learning about the intraocular lens of the eye and this means learning about ophthalmic lenses and magnifiers. In those times, a theory was needed to explain how lenses placed in front of the eye could focus the light on the retina. The success was dependent upon the mechanism of action of the intraocular lens. Therefore, it is necessary to mention that after discovering this mechanism, ophthalmic lenses were synthesized and following that telescope and microscope were designed. Avicenna took important steps in this endeavor. He performed investigations on how light could be focused by water filled bottle and not by an empty bottle. He also had adequate knowledge ocular muscles and their innervations. All of these studies provided the basics for using ophthalmic lenses in front of the eye.

Avicenna says in his book Shafa the ligh to fits object must be seen to bereflected. Greek scientists say the opposite.

In thesecondmillenniumBCItwasapprovedandaddedto thecredibility of Avicenna.