Phakic intraocular contact lenses–perversion of a profession?

Abstract

Elective surgery on a healthy tissue is controversial and may entail dierent parts of the body. Such elective procedures may have either cosmetic and/or functional goals in mind and may involve cosmetic improvements or alterations to various parts of the body, such as sex changes and refractive corrections. Invasion of healthy tissue may be legally performed by non-medical personnel, who may oer tattoos, body piercing, etc. Refractive surgery is an elective procedure performed on a healthy tissue for both cosmetic and functional purposes. Corneal refractive surgery ®rst became popular in the early 1980s as an alternative to spectacles and contact lenses. Initially we saw radial keratotomy (RK), which has now been largely replaced by laser refractive surgery. This shift is primarily due to the laser procedures having more manageable and less severe complications than to improved visual outcomes (Bergmanson and Farmer, 1999). These corneal laser procedures, although frequently stirring a debate concerning the moral justi®cation for invading and altering this beautifully structured and evolved organ, have found wide acceptance among both the public and practitioners.