title: The Eye in the Old Testament and Talmud.
abstract: The Old Testament and Talmud contain references to the eye and its diseases. Ancient ophthalmology, emanating from Egyptian and Greek medicine, was confined to diseases of the external eye. Blindness was widespread in biblical times. We present some descriptions of the eye, its parts and disorders, as they appear in the Bible and Talmud. At times, there are other references that provide interesting clues as to possible systemic disorders associated with the visual problems experienced by the people who appear in the Biblical narrative. Did Isaac have diabetic retinopathy, Jacob hypermature cataract, and Elijah absolute glaucoma?
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Haytham I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Salti
authors.forename: Zaher M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Sbeity
mesh_terms: D001633:Bible; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007599:Judaism; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000266:history; D012068:Religion and Medicine