Ophthalmosauridae is an extinct family of thunnosaur ichthyosaurs from the Middle Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous (Bajocian - Cenomanian) of Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Currently, the oldest known ophthalmosaurid is Mollesaurus from the early Bajocian of Argentina. Named by George H. Baur, in 1887, it contains the basal taxa like Ophthalmosaurus. Appleby (1956) named the taxon Ophthalmosauria which was followed by some authors, but if these two names are synonyms, Ophthalmosauridae has the priority over Ophthalmosauria.