Cover illustration courtesy of Mr Richard Keeler, curator of the museum of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK. Cover photo: Mark Thomas.

Drops, ointments, gels, inserts and sprays are established modes of administering medication to the eye. Doctors and patients will not pause to give a second thought when instilling a drop of any drug in the conjunctival sac. It is difficult to comprehend that there was a time when this simple act was a challenge. What we take for granted today, required elaborate containers called ‘Undines’ and ‘Drop bottles’.

The clear glass container on the left of the front page illustration is an undine. …