Aphakia
/əˈfeɪkiə/noun
A medical condition in which the eye lacks its natural crystalline lens.
Did you know?The Greek root phakos meant both “lentil” and “lens,” because early observers recognized the eye’s natural lens as resembling the small, curved seed.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
φακός (phakos)
“Lentil; also a lens-shaped object or optical lens”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀ- (a-)
“Without; lacking”
19th Century
Medical Greek
ἀφακία (aphakia)
“Absence of the lens”
19th Century
Medical English
aphakia
“Absence of the crystalline lens of the eye”
Modern English
English
aphakia
“A condition in which the eye has no natural lens, commonly following cataract surgery, trauma, or congenital absence”
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