Innovations and creativity in contemporary ophthalmology: preliminary experience with the phakic myopic intraocular lens.

For years, American ophthalmology has considered alternative modes of treatment for myopia. Clearly, certain degrees of high myopia are unsuitable for spectacle correction. Contact lenses are an improvement over spectacles but are not without complications. The introduction of radial keratotomy by Fyodorov led to a proliferation of procedures for the treatment of myopia by surgically altering the cornea. Verzella later introduced the concept of clear lensectomy with low-power implants for the correction of myopia. Although phakic myopic intraocular lenses were tried and abandoned in the 1950s, it is my contention that this modality should be reconsidered. I discuss some preliminary experiences with the phakic myopic intraocular lens.