How Phakic Lenses Work

Phakic lenses are used to treat patients with severe myopia (near-sightedness) or hyperopia (far-sightedness). In the process of normal vision, light reflected from objects in the environment passes through the lens of the eye, where it is refracted into a concentrated beam that is projected onto the retina. This projected image is then transferred to the brain through the optic nerve. In people with either myopia or hyperopia, imperfections of the eye cause light passing through the lens to improperly focus in front of or behind the normal focal point on the retina. The result is blurred vision.

Phakic lenses are designed to bend light entering the eye and refocus it on the retina. For patients with myopia, a phakic lens can be placed in the anterior chamber of the eye to correct nearsightedness.