Dear Readers,

We are pleased to present our special issue, which is devoted to cataract and its treatment. We have called on authors from Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia/Oceania in order to draw up the most diverse picture possible, as well as the historical aspect of the subject.

From Madagascar, José Bronfman writes about an important phase in cataract treatment for developing countries: screening in rural areas. For his part, Heriberto P. Guballa describes for us the development of surgical methods used in the Philippines.

Joaquín and Rafael I. Barraquer from Barcelona retrace the great cataract adventure, as experienced by several generations of pioneers in this field. And from Florida, Ernst Nicolitz’s team tells us about the well tried modern methods used today.

Marino J. Discepola in Montreal continues with research into the treatment of so-called «secondary» cataract and offers us an understanding of the mechanisms that trigger posterior capsular opacification.

R. Sundra Ganesh et al. at Aurolab in the Aravind Group, India, write about developments with implants and the way in which India has mastered the problem of cost by means of setting up its own production.

From Paris, Jean-Pierre Bonnac reminds us of what corrective spectacles for post-cataract wear were like before the arrival of implants and the Australian Damien Smith from Sydney examines with us all the optical comfort currently available for patients with implants.

In keeping with our traditional Art and Vision section, we are pleased to welcome a new author from Brazil, Almir Ghiaroni from Rio de Janeiro, who shares with us the special relationship he enjoys with the painter patient on whom he performed a cataract operation.

In this same section, we are pleased to welcome for the second time Gotfried H. Vesper from Germany, who tells us of a period in the life of Charlotte von Lengefeld, wife of the German poet Friedrich Schiller, and retraces the various procedures used over the years in cataract operations.

EDITORIAL N°61 by Marc ALEXANDRE

Detection of cataract

Surgery

Follow-up of surgery

Implants manufacturers

Second glasses