When Are Phakic Lens Implants Recommended Instead of LASIK?
- Posted on: Nov 16 2018
LASIK is an incredible treatment but it is not for everyone. Nearly one out of every four candidates for LASIK is deemed ineligible for laser vision correction. They are not out of luck — Dr. Gregory Pamel offers another option for safe, permanent vision correction: phakic intraocular lens implants (IOLs).
Dr. Pamel is one of the area’s foremost authorities on the Verisyse™ phakic lens implant. He has published a book chapter on, been interviewed by various media outlets about, and traveled around the country to train other physicians on the implantation of the lenses.
What Is a Phakic Lens Implant?
A phakic lens implant is a small, thin plastic lens that is placed between the cornea and the eye’s natural lens to improve myopia (nearsightedness). It cannot be felt or seen by others. The lens can be placed during a 20-minute, in-office procedure, and it lasts indefinitely.
Why Would Someone Be Ineligible for LASIK?
There are several reasons why someone may not qualify for LASIK surgery and need to explore alternative vision correction options:
- Their corneas are not thick enough to undergo refractive correction with LASIK.
- Their corneal shape is too irregular for LASIK.
- Their eyeglass or contact lens prescription is too high (i.e., above -8 diopters) for LASIK. In those cases, too much tissue would need to be removed with LASIK to achieve the desired outcomes, and that could be detrimental to the cornea.
Phakic lens implants do not require the removal of any corneal tissue. And, unlike cataract surgery, which replaces the eye’s crystalline lens with an artificial lens, the natural lens remains in place with phakic lenses. Phakic lenses can be removed or exchanged if needed (though this is rare).
Should a patient with a phakic lens develop cataracts later in life, the natural lens and phakic lens are removed and replaced with another lens implant.
Contact Pamel Vision and Laser Group
If you are tired of wearing glasses or contact lenses but have been told you do not qualify for laser vision correction with LASIK, Dr. Pamel would be happy to speak with you about phakic lens implants. Please call (212) 355-2215 or email Pamel Vision and Laser Group today to request an appointment with Dr. Pamel.
Posted in: LASIK
