An aphakic patient essentially becomes which refractive state?

An aphakic patient essentially becomes which refractive state?

• A. Hyperope
• B. Myope
• C. Emmetrope
• D. Astigmatic

Answer: (A)

Removing the crystalline lens takes away a large part of the eye’s refractive power. The cornea provides about 43 diopters, while the lens normally adds roughly 18–20 diopters; without the lens, the total power is about 43 D. With the same axial length, that weaker optical power causes light to focus behind the retina, producing a farsighted state. So an aphakic eye is hyperopic and requires plus lenses or another corrective method to bring images onto the retina. It isn’t inherently myopic or emmetropic, and astigmatism isn’t a defining feature of aphakia itself.

Removing the crystalline lens takes away a large part of the eye’s refractive power. The cornea provides about 43 diopters, while the lens normally adds roughly 18–20 diopters; without the lens, the total power is about 43 D. With the same axial length, that weaker optical power causes light to focus behind the retina, producing a farsighted state. So an aphakic eye is hyperopic and requires plus lenses or another corrective method to bring images onto the retina. It isn’t inherently myopic or emmetropic, and astigmatism isn’t a defining feature of aphakia itself.