Which surgical procedure treats myopia by making incisions in the cornea with radial cuts?

Which surgical procedure treats myopia by making incisions in the cornea with radial cuts?

• A. Radial keratotomy (RK)
• B. Phacoemulsification
• C. Intraocular lens (IOL)
• D. Ocular prosthesis

Answer: (A)

Radial keratotomy changes how the eye focuses by altering the cornea itself. It achieves this by making multiple shallow incisions in a radial pattern around the central cornea. These incisions weaken and flatten the central cornea, lowering its refractive power so light is focused more directly onto the retina for distance vision. This approach was developed to correct myopia before laser techniques and is typically used for mild to moderate myopia, though results can vary as the cornea can change over time and may cause issues like glare or optical shifts. The other options don’t involve corneal incisions: phacoemulsification is cataract surgery that uses ultrasound to break up the lens, often followed by lens replacement; an intraocular lens implant is a lens placed inside the eye to correct vision; and an ocular prosthesis is a cosmetic replacement for an eye that has been removed.

Radial keratotomy changes how the eye focuses by altering the cornea itself. It achieves this by making multiple shallow incisions in a radial pattern around the central cornea. These incisions weaken and flatten the central cornea, lowering its refractive power so light is focused more directly onto the retina for distance vision. This approach was developed to correct myopia before laser techniques and is typically used for mild to moderate myopia, though results can vary as the cornea can change over time and may cause issues like glare or optical shifts. The other options don’t involve corneal incisions: phacoemulsification is cataract surgery that uses ultrasound to break up the lens, often followed by lens replacement; an intraocular lens implant is a lens placed inside the eye to correct vision; and an ocular prosthesis is a cosmetic replacement for an eye that has been removed.