Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.s2.t2.35

v1.c6.s2.t2.35

Sushruta in his work, *Suśṛtasamhitā*, introduced various topics related to the eye, its morphology, and relation of its parts ie the muscles, blood, white and black parts and empty channels, to five principal elements viz *bhu, agni, jala, vayu* and *akasa* meaning earth, fire, water, wind and aether, respectively.¹⁶ Then came the eye diseases and their etiologies. Susruta classified the eye diseases in a number of different ways eg they were based on 1. morphology of the eye, 2. curability of eye diseases, 3. etiology of eye diseases and lastly 4. the treatment. This was a novel approach for that period. Classification of diseases in other ancient cultures used to be chiefly based on the symptoms only. Susruta discussed altogether 76 eye diseases which included diseases of junctional areas, eye-lids, conjunctiva, then those of cornea and also those of the inner parts of the eye like various kinds of cataracts, glaucoma and night blindness.