Pigment vacuum iridectomy for phakic refractive lens implantation.

I present a technique designed to ensure an atraumatic patent basal iridectomy for phakic refractive lens implantation. The technique divides the iridectomy procedure into 2 steps. First, the stromal layer is removed by surgical excision. Then, the pigment layer is removed by gentle vacuum aspiration with a 25 gauge cannula. Atraumatic, small, basal peripheral iridectomies that are functional and cosmetically pleasing have been performed in 12 eyes. There were no cases of large amounts of pigment debris deposited in the trabecular meshwork as checked by gonioscopy. Pigment vacuum iridectomy may be a reliable procedure to ensure a proper basal iridectomy in any type of anterior segment eye surgery.