Intraocular lens replacement

Posted on Posted in Anatomy, Eyes, Face, Head, Senses, Surgery

Replacing intraocular lenses

In a normal, healthy eye (at left), the lens is surrounded by a capsule and situated just behind the iris. If this lens grows cloudy and impairs vision, it can be replaced by an artificial intraocular lens.

The plastic lens has two arms, or haptics, that anchor it in a pocket behind the iris called the ciliary sulcus. It is sewn in place with polypropylene thread. The knot of the suture is buried in the outer wall of the eye, or sclera. The suture is covered by the conjunctiva.

Sometimes intraocular lenses cause problems and need replacing. If a lens capsule has been removed, there are two procedures used to replace an old lens with a new one. One, shown here, is called transscleral fixation.

LABELS
Normal eye
Cornea
Iris
Conjunctiva
Lens capsule
Ciliary sulcus
Lens
Anterior chamber
Posterior chamber
Replacement lens
Haptic
Sutures
Conjunctiva
Sclera
Knot

Text and illustrations by Kevin T. Boyd

Acupressure for eyes
Here is a list of acupressure points for symptoms of the Eye on PointFinder.org.