Clear lens extraction for axial myopia. An appraisal.

Optional surgery requires a higher degree of safety than that performed for medical necessity. This ethical principle is particularly applicable to axial myopes, who have higher-than-normal rates of operative and postoperative complications if they undergo lens extraction. Moreover, several noninvasive, extraocular, and reversible techniques now exist for the correction of myopia. Currently, it would appear that the possible optical benefits of clear lens extraction in axial myopia are usually outweighed by the severity of the risks and by the availability of safer alternatives.