Implantable contact lenses, known as phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) to ophthalmologists, are presently being investigated as another refractive procedure. Phakic IOLs hold promise as potentially powerful refractive tools with almost unlimited potential to correct refractive errors (nearsightedness and farsightedness). At the present time, however, phakic IOLs are being studied in clinical trials to determine efficacy and safety. If FDA approved, phakic IOLs are expected to gain wide acceptance from ophthalmologists who have implanted IOLs in cataract patients for the past four decades with excellent results.
Ophthalmologist believe that the phakic IOL may prove to be a powerful addition to the present refractive armamentarium, especially for those individuals whose refractive errors presently fall out of the range for LASIK. |