Which surgical procedure removes the lens entirely?

Which surgical procedure removes the lens entirely?

• A. Extracapsular cataract extraction
• B. Intracapsular lens extraction (ICLE)
• C. Phacoemulsification
• D. Lens aspiration

Answer: (B)

The main idea is whether the capsule is removed along with the lens. Intracapsular lens extraction removes the entire crystalline lens plus its surrounding capsule in one piece, so nothing of the lens or capsule remains. The other procedures preserve part of the lens complex: extracapsular cataract extraction removes the lens material but leaves the posterior capsule intact; phacoemulsification breaks up and remove the lens while keeping the posterior capsule in place; and lens aspiration removes the lens fibers but leaves the capsule behind. Because only the intracapsular approach takes out both the lens and its capsule, it is the one that removes the lens entirely.

The main idea is whether the capsule is removed along with the lens. Intracapsular lens extraction removes the entire crystalline lens plus its surrounding capsule in one piece, so nothing of the lens or capsule remains. The other procedures preserve part of the lens complex: extracapsular cataract extraction removes the lens material but leaves the posterior capsule intact; phacoemulsification breaks up and remove the lens while keeping the posterior capsule in place; and lens aspiration removes the lens fibers but leaves the capsule behind. Because only the intracapsular approach takes out both the lens and its capsule, it is the one that removes the lens entirely.