The Ophthalmodouleia, which offers a view of 16th century Ophthalmology, is a manual for surgeons, guide for laymen, and a bit of self-promotion for its author, Georg Bartisch.

It includes 88 full-page woodcuts and covers eye defects, surgical instruments and methods for curing diseases and injury, as well as recipes and illustrations of equipment for producing medicaments.

It is considered the first modern work on eye surgery and one of the finest woodcut illustrated books of the 16th century. It was also one of the first medical books to be printed in the German vernacular instead of the usual Greek or Latin.

The edition housed at the History of Medicine Collections in the Duke University Medical Center Library was acquired as part of the Trent Collection. It is one of only three or four known contemporary, hand-colored copies.