Fundamentals of Phaco Innovations: Definitions and Basic Understanding

In modern cataract surgery, the diseased lens is removed and an artificial lens implant is placed in its place. The cataractous lens is removed by ultrasound phacoemulsification. This method was developed in the 1960s by Dr. Charles David Kelman. The first intraocular lens (IOL) was implanted previously in 1949 by Sir Nicholas Harold Lloyd Ridley. These two key steps of this procedure, phacoemulsification and IOL implantation, have been very well established since, which speaks to the tenacity of the inventors. Before going into the operating room (OR) for surgery, it is better for aspiring surgeons to get to know the microscope and also the phacoemulsification machine [1].