1696-1762

French ophthalmologist who performed the first known cataract surgery. In 1748 Daviel performed the first "modern" cataract surgery when he removed the entire cataract from the lens of a patient's eye while leaving portions of the lens capsule and attached muscles. This allowed the patient to retain some vision, though extremely limited. A cataract is the formation of opacities in the lens of the eye, making the world appear clouded or milky before blindness sets in.