In 1775, Johan Lorenz Odhelius presented a lecture to the Royal Academy of Science at Stockholm describing his preferred operation for cataract. Odhelius generally endorsed the technique described by Daviel (1753) 22 years earlier, but included additional observations and modifications based on his own experience. This address was published in Swedish (Odhelius 1775) in the same year and is one of the earliest ophthalmological monographs by a Swedish author. Odhelius’ publication is now translated into English and put into its historical perspective.