Ophthalmology in ancient Egypt

Knowledge of the Ophtalmologie in ancient Egypt was limited to the pupil, the sclerotic one, and with the external aspects, eyelids, lashes and eyebrows; the Egyptians were unaware of almost all the internal structure of the eye: vitreous body, retina and optical nerve.

the eyelids are named the “back of the eye”;
the white of the eye was already called sclerotic ;
the iris was observed, certain texts indicate that its examination made it possible to discover the sex of the fetus;
the pupil was named “the young girl (who) is in the eye”, because of image of people reflecting itself on the cornea on the level of the black bottom of the pupil (word derived from pupilla - headstock, and of Greek XOPE - girl).

In spite of the skill of the craftsman-enamellers of the Ancient Empire, who manufactured to perfection of the glass eyes and of enamel for the statues (see opposite those of the scribe squatted Musée of Louvre), nothing makes it possible to say that these objects were used in the ocular prosthesis.

Since, texts mention the care given to the eyes, interfered magic practices: Thot, god of science and medicine is the ancestor of the ophthalmologists ; according to mythology it would have positioned back the eye of Horus torn off at the time of its combat against Seth, and declares “I am Thot, the doctor of the eye of Horus”.

Later, under Pépi {{Ier}} (), on a funerary stele, a man is represented sometimes sat, sometimes walking, with this inscription dédicatoire: “ Pépi-ânkh-iri, director and senior of the royal doctors, doctor of the eyes of the palate, guard of the intestinal opening, that which prepares the good, that which controls the scorpions ”.

The Papyrus Ebers and the Papyrus of London contain several magic incantations, to repeat several times during the application of an eye lotion. The same one which saved the eye of Horus in its fight against Seth, was supposed capacity to return the light to the patients of the eyes.