Set of five ophthalmic instruments for microsurgery of the eye, comprising repositor, Colibri and St. Martin, forceps blade holder and corneal section scissors, blue anodised titanium, by Downs Surgical Ltd., 1980

Microsurgery, as the name suggests, is performed on an extremely small scale and requires precision instruments. Microsurgery is now commonly used for reconstructive surgery – a fairly new discipline, developed in the early twentieth century.

The eye undergoing surgery requires magnification as the structures of the eye are both small and highly sensitive. The instruments include a repositor, for returning a part of the eye that has been moved during surgery to its original position, cornea scissors and a forceps blade holder.