Intraocular Lens

An intraocular lens is an artificial lens implanted inside the eye, most commonly to replace the eye's natural lens after it is removed during cataract surgery. British ophthalmologist Harold Ridley implanted the first intraocular lens in a patient in 1949, inspired by his observation that Royal Air Force pilots who had shards of acrylic canopy material embedded in their eyes during the Second World War showed little inflammation or rejection of the material. Ridley's design, made from the same acrylic plastic, laid the groundwork for intraocular lenses that are now implanted in cataract patients worldwide.