Dug around for references and found this interesting article "A Brief History of the Use Of Human Milk in Ocular Therapeutics by Tomsak, RL. published in the Bulletin of the Cleveland Medical Library 24(1): 12-21, Jan. 1978.
 
"Human milk is one of the most interesting substances which has a long history in medical therapeutics, particularly as used in the treatment of the eye. Some of the earliest references to the use of breast milk in ocular disease occur in the Ebers Papyrus....written about 1500 BC".......the author then winds through the centuries through to 1722. "from the foregoing it is apparent that human milk has a history in ocular therapeutics spanning tens of centuries, furthermore it was mainly employed for inflammatory conditions of the eyes. Although obvious difficulties arise in reconstructing the causes of eye inflammations which occurred hundreds of years ago, it is likely that many of these disorders, especially those that occurred in infants and following wounds, had infectious origins.

[the Egyptian references only used "Milk-of-a-woman-who-had-borne-a-Son :-) It all started that long ago!] 

Another article in the Human Milk as Medicine file tells about using mother's milk in the eyes in the 20-30's, when people were poor & health insurance non existent.

I've heard it mentioned for years, I guess I hang around too many lactation people  & that  doctor must keep his head buried in  medical texts.  Pat in SNJ

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