Phakic


Phakic is a term applied to corrective eye surgery when an IOL (intraoccular lens) is inserted into the anterior or front part of the eye and the natural crystalline lens is not removed. This type of procedure is usually performed when the patient has severe myopia or short sightedness.

The job of the natural crystalline lens in the human eye is to focus images onto the retina, so they can be transmitted to the brain for interpretation. When the focussing or refractive power changes, the image we see becomes blurry. s`U

Prior to insertion, the ophthalmologist must determine the type of phakic IOL (PIOL) implant to use. This can be done by measuring the diameters of certain parts of the eye, or by using  3-D ultrasound. These PIOL’s are usually made to order by the manufacturers.

There are 2 main types of PIOL – spheric and toric. Spheric PIOL’s give the same level of refractive power throughout the entire lens, whereas this differs in the toric PIOL’s which are used for correction of astigmatism.

There are 3 main areas for placement of the PIOL. These are angle supported, iris supported and sulcus supported. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Angle supported are relatively easy to insert, however can cause dry eyes, this is said to be less of a problem with iris and sulcus supported.

After insertion and recovery, the patient can expect a return to normal vision. However, there are some possible side effects and problems with PIOL’s, namely and increased incidence of glaucoma and astigmatism


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