The authors deal with the meaning of the terms glaucosis and hypochyma, in the texts of ancient Greek and Byzantine medical writers. The analysis of these texts shows us that the meanings of these terms do not correspond to the modern ones. In the texts the term glaucosis corresponds to the modern cataract, and the term hypochyma to the pathological formation of a kind of membrane which appears in the space of the pupil, due to coagulation of a fluid.

In the introduction, the principles and limitations of modern glaucoma surgery are described. There then follow some personal observations on the history of goniotrepanation, from which it is evident that the scleral flap is not the invention of any single surgeon, but rather the result of experiments by several. The importance of the scleral flap was proved by the almost simultaneous appearance of trabeculectomy and goniotrepanation and, some time later, of Schleie's covered fistulizing operation. The technical details of goniotrepanation and the features peculiar to this procedure are then described. It follows from this description that goniotrepanation is a microsurgical procedure demanding skill and experience on the part of the surgeon. Comparative studies of goniotrepanation in the literature are then discussed in detail. These are concerned with postoperative findings, pressure regulation, morphological changes at the site of the operation and the effect on visual function. The advantages of goniotrepanation and the function of the parathalamus, which represents a new drainage path for the aqueous, are then described. The procedure creates a normal balance between the quantity of aqueous produced and its drainage to the exterior, resulting in a normalization of intraocular pressure. This drain does not lead directly to the subconjunctival space, but indirectly, via normal pathways, through the parathalamus formed by the flap. The creation of the parathalamus can be useful in glaucoma surgery; it offers advantages as regards both indication and surgical technique.

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Twenty-six eyes in which IOP had been regulated at a mean 14 mmHg by goniotrepanation were operated on for cataract after an interval of at least 4 years. On exposing the scleral flap the authors discovered gray-black funiculi on the two unsutured vertical sides, representing new fluid-permeable membranous tissue. Beneath them was a fairly small fluid-filled space, the " parathalmus " - a kind of secondary anterior chamber.

After a short introduction to the Homeric Epics, the name of Homer and the time and place where the poems were written, the authors refer to the terms of the eyes and to the verses where they are found. Among these terms, the most important is the term omicron phi theta alpha lambda mu omicron sigma, the first term for the eye in ophthalmology, which has remained throughout the years unchanged. Finally, they refer to the injuries of the eyes, the participation of the two sons of Asclepios in the Trojan campaign and to the verses including the classical paragraph '... a doctor is more capable than the other men ...' Both Epics relating to the cardinal human values: prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice, contain the lofty ideal of human excellence, called by the Greeks alpha rho epsilon tau eta.