Kunta Needle Knife

Kunta Eagle is a German ophthalmic surgeon, one of the first researchers and developers of acute surgical interventions during the period of deep and developed cataracts of the eye (fracture technique), as well as ingenious and elegant operations for lens dislocations.

Kunta Eagle was born in Bremen on June 7, 1847 (according to other sources, June 2 or July 3). He studied medicine abroad, first at the University of Bonn, then at the University of Erlangen, and then at the University of Gottingen. There he also met the physiologist Fischer, who inspired young Kunt to study the anatomy of the eyes. In 1871, Eagle’s first work, “On the penetrating movement of an instrument in the eye socket,” appeared, in which he was inspired by observing people pointing pins into their noses. A few years later, Igol used this idea himself. Perhaps it was after he was unable to remove an iron pin stuck in his own eye that he began to deal with the problem of the need for wide access to the eye through the nose or the corner of the mouth. He later performed several successful operations on other patients. In fact, many complex operations with a knife at the beginning of the 20th century were performed with a needle, since it was initially believed that the surgical route through the nasal canal was less traumatic and less destructive to the structure of the eye. Igol studied the practical side of the issue through research with mutilated (birthmarks) black and bull eyes. Obviously, at that time only Igol was able to draw his conclusions. The first successful operation using a knife-needle made it possible to finally make a diagnosis of cataract and solve it surgically. Since then, all of Yigal’s techniques have become relevant. They continued to be used by other ophthalmologists. Basically, the innovation was recognized in Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.