Question

Which procedure is the removal of a cataract leaving the posterior lens capsule intact?

Answer 1

The answer is extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE). It is a kind of eye surgery in which the lens of the eyes are removed, leaving the elastic capsule covering the lens which is left partially attached to let the implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL). This approach is compared with intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE), an older procedure in which the surgeon detached the complete lens within its capsule and left the eye aphakic (without a lens). The patient's vision was corrected after intracapsular extraction by extremely thick eyeglasses or by contact lenses. There are two major types of ECCE: manual expression, in which the lens is removed through a slit made in the cornea or the sclera of the eye; and phacoemulsification, in which the lens is shattered into fragments inside the capsule by ultrasound energy and removed by aspiration.