[History of cataract surgery].

By analysis of ancient surgical instruments it's possible define the history of medical specialties, and acquaint the evolutions of specific surgical techniques and operations through the centuries. The aim of the article is to reconstruct the history of the conception of cataracts, of theories and pathological interpretations in different eras, through the descriptions of surgical instruments and methodologies found in medical texts and the analysis of the artefacts kept in the Museum of History of Medicine of Rome.