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Ophthalmology in the Ebers Papyrus: a translation-based reassessment of ancient Egyptian eye remedies

Eye volume 39, pages 2326–2329 (2025)Cite this article

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The Ebers Papyrus (~1550 BC) remains the most substantial and complete ancient Egyptian medical text to date. A digitised version is freely accessible online [1]. However, published translations often suffer from a lack of medical expertise, resulting in misinterpretations, particularly concerning medical terminology unique to this papyrus. Such inaccuracies are regrettable, as ancient medical knowledge continues to prove valuable today. For example, the investigation of an ancient Chinese anti-malarial led to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of artemisinin. More recently, an Anglo-Saxon eye salve from the tenth century was found to eradicate bacterial biofilms [2], a significant finding in an era of increasing antibiotics resistance. Such discoveries underline the importance of translating ancient remedies, which can provide both historical insight and practical benefits.

This article presents excerpts from the author’s ongoing translation of the ophthalmology section of the Ebers Papyrus, shedding new light on ancient Egyptian ophthalmology. It also provides the first interlinear English translations of these remedies.

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Fig. 1: Interlinear English translation of Ebers papyrus remedy #351, for the Å¡Arw disease of the eyes.
Fig. 2: Interlinear English translation of Ebers papyrus remedy #353, for ‘removing the symptom of heat in the eyes’, and #342, for ‘opening the vision’.

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  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, UK

    David Maskill

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  1. David Maskill
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Correspondence to David Maskill.

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Maskill, D. Ophthalmology in the Ebers Papyrus: a translation-based reassessment of ancient Egyptian eye remedies. Eye 39, 2326–2329 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-025-03865-4

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