Aphakia

Aphakia is the medical condition in which the eye's natural lens is absent, most often following surgical removal during cataract surgery, though it can also result from a perforating wound or ulcer, or from a congenital anomaly. Without the lens's focusing power, affected people lose the ability to accommodate and develop a high degree of farsightedness along with a deep anterior chamber; possible complications include vitreous or retinal detachment and glaucoma. Congenital aphakia is rare and usually follows surgery for a congenital cataract. People with aphakia characteristically have small pupils that dilate less than normal. Management options include corrective glasses or contact lenses, artificial intraocular lens implantation, or refractive corneal surgery; an eye fitted with an artificial lens is called pseudophakic.