Therapeutic or Preventive Procedure
phacoemulsification
[ fak-oh-i-muhl-suh-fi-key-shuhn ]
Subclass of:
Ultrasonic Surgical Procedures; Cataract Extraction
Definitions related to phacoemulsification:
  • A method of cataract removal. It uses ultrasound waves to break up the clouded lens of the eye so it can be suctioned out with a needle.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A procedure for removal of the crystalline lens in cataract surgery in which an anterior capsulectomy is performed by means of a needle inserted through a small incision at the temporal limbus, allowing the lens contents to fall through the dilated pupil into the anterior chamber where they are broken up by the use of ultrasound and aspirated out of the eye through the incision. (Cline, et al., Dictionary of Visual Science, 4th ed & In Focus 1993;1(1):1)
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
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