Definition

Noun: 1. A surgical procedure to correct vision: A specific type of refractive surgery in which a piece of donated corneal tissue is grafted onto the surface of a patient's cornea. This graft acts to reshape the cornea and correct vision, often for a patient who has had a cataract removed. The procedure effectively creates a living lens on the eye's surface.

Usage

• This term is highly specialized and used almost exclusively in medical contexts, particularly in ophthalmology (the study and treatment of eye disorders).
• It describes a specific historical or niche surgical technique.

Examples

• The surgeon recommended epikeratophakia as a potential solution after the cataract extraction.
• Epikeratophakia was once considered an innovative alternative to other vision correction surgeries.
• The study compared the long-term outcomes of epikeratophakia with other corneal grafting procedures.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in contrast to other surgical techniques like LASIK, PRK, or intraocular lens implantation.
• It may be discussed in the context of surgical history or in specialized medical literature reviewing various treatment options for aphakia (the absence of the eye's natural lens).

Variants and Related Words

• Epikeratophakic (Adjective): Pertaining to or resulting from epikeratophakia.
  • The epikeratophakic graft remained clear for many years.

Synonyms

• Onlay lamellar keratoplasty: A more general technical term for a procedure where donor tissue is placed on top of the recipient's cornea without removing the host tissue.
• Corneal onlay graft: A descriptive synonym focusing on the graft itself.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is the surgical procedure itself. The phrase "a living contact lens" is a descriptive analogy used to help conceptualize the result of the operation, where the donated tissue integrates with the host cornea.

Noun

1. using a piece of donated corneal tissue to repair the eye of someone who has had a cataract removed
   • epikeratophakia gave her a living contact lens