Blog post by: Eye Physicians of Long Beach
Do you have cataracts and need cataract surgery? If your eye doctor has recommended cataract surgery and you want to get the most out of it, you should consider the Light Adjustable Lens.
The Light Adjustable Lens is the only intraocular lens that allows you to customize your vision after cataract surgery. Keep reading to learn more about the Light Adjustable Lens, how it offers tailored vision, and whether you’re a suitable candidate for it.
What is the Light Adjustable Lens?
The Light Adjustable Lens is an advanced technology IOL that uses light treatments to adjust vision and customize it for each patient. What makes this IOL one-of-a-kind is its ability to fine-tune your vision after cataract surgery.
With other IOLs, some guesswork is involved when your cataract surgeon determines the best intraocular lens for you. Your cataract surgeon at Eye Physicians of Long Beach takes measurements of your eye before cataract surgery to choose an IOL that can best meet your vision goals.
But with traditional IOLs, once cataract surgery is complete and the lens is implanted, your cataract surgeon doesn’t have a way to adjust the power of your IOL if necessary.
The Light Adjustable Lens offers unmatched precision because your cataract surgeon can adjust it after cataract surgery to provide superior visual outcomes. Most patients who choose the Light Adjustable Lens attain 20/20 vision or better without glasses or contact lenses.
This means you can recognize faces, drive, read, and play golf without visual aids after cataract surgery with the Light Adjustable Lens.
How the Light Adjustable Lens Works
During cataract surgery, your surgeon will remove your natural lens that’s turned cloudy and implant the Light Adjustable Lens to restore your ability to see clearly. Following your procedure, you’ll need to wear protective glasses.
You’ll only remove them when sleeping, taking a shower, applying eye drops, or washing your face to keep your Light Adjustable Lens from being altered by UV light before your vision is locked in. The protective glasses ensure you aren’t exposed to UV light, which can change the shape of the Light Adjustable Lens before your eye heals.
You’ll return to your cataract surgeon to begin the customization process once your eye has healed. Customization happens through repeated, non-invasive light treatments.
The Light Adjustable Lens is made from a unique photosensitive material that allows it to change shape and power when exposed to ultraviolet light. Its unique material gives your cataract surgeon total control over your vision correction.
You’ll preview and compare potential vision options with your cataract surgeon to determine the best prescription. The Light Adjustable Lens allows you to choose vision that’s just for you.
Once you’ve chosen your prescription, you’ll begin receiving light treatments with a light delivery device (LDD). The light delivery device uses UV light to alter the shape of the lens to match your desired visual outcomes.
Most patients only need 1-3 light treatments and two lock-in treatments to prevent their vision from changing further. These light treatments take about 90 seconds to complete and subtly adjust your vision each time to bring you closer to your visual goals.
Between light treatments, you’ll continue wearing your UV protection glasses. After achieving your desired visual outcome, your cataract surgeon will lock in your vision. These final treatments ensure you’ll enjoy your custom vision for many years.
Who is a Good Candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens?
You could be a good candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens if:
You Need Cataract Surgery
Poor vision from cataracts can rob you of the ability to read a book, cook for yourself, do errands, and enjoy your favorite activities. If cataracts prevent you from doing what you need and want to do, your eye doctor will recommend cataract surgery.
Before your cataract procedure, you’ll choose an intraocular lens to replace your natural, cloudy lens. By selecting the Light Adjustable Lens, you could have the best vision you’ve ever had while also significantly improving your quality of life.
The Light Adjustable Lens will allow you to easily perform routine, daily activities and help you regain independence.
You Have Healthy Eyes
A good candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens needs to have healthy eyes. Having healthy eyes means you shouldn’t have any macular disease or a history of herpes eye infections.
You also shouldn’t have any underlying eye conditions that will increase the risk of complications and interfere with your ability to heal and recover after cataract surgery.
You Want Freedom from Glasses or Contact Lenses
One of the advantages of the Light Adjustable Lens is that it can reduce your dependence on visual aids after cataract surgery. If you wear glasses, you know that they can be inconvenient.
It’s easy to damage, lose, or forget them, especially if you need reading glasses to read a menu when you’re out and about with friends. They can also be cumbersome to pull out while doing certain activities.
When it comes to contact lenses, they require constant maintenance to ensure they are clean and ready to put in your eyes. They can also fall out of your eyes or irritate them, causing frustration.
That doesn’t even cover the fact that contacts increase your risk of infection and may make your eyes feel dry. If you’re tired of the inconveniences of visual aids, liberate your vision with the Light Adjustable Lens.
The premium IOL can correct your vision so that you can see clearly up close, at a distance, and everything in between if you choose, without the need for glasses, because you’re customizing the Light Adjustable Lens to your visual needs. If you’re ready to see the world without the constraints of visual aids, the Light Adjustable Lens could be the perfect way to do it!
You Have at Least 0.75 Diopters of Astigmatism
Do you have astigmatism? You’re not alone because astigmatism is a common refractive error that occurs when the cornea is an irregular shape.
Without astigmatism, the cornea is closer to the shape of a baseball, but with the refractive error, the cornea is more football-shaped, affecting your ability to see clearly. Because the cornea is an irregular shape, patients with astigmatism have blurry, distorted vision at all distances.
The Light Adjustable Lens is especially well-suited for patients with astigmatism because it corrects at least 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. It can also correct other refractive errors like nearsightedness and farsightedness, ensuring you can see the world clearly after cataract surgery.
You Have Presbyopia
Presbyopia is an age-related eye condition that occurs when your natural lens loses its flexibility, making it more challenging to change focus when looking at things from up close to far away. As a result, it affects your ability to see things right before you.
Presbyopia is a normal part of aging and usually starts around age 40. The Light Adjustable Lens can correct presbyopia, enabling you to see better up close.
Customize Your Vision with the Light Adjustable Lens
Eye Physicians of Long Beach is thrilled to offer the Light Adjustable Lens. The premium IOL utilizes cutting-edge technology to give patients the vision of their dreams after cataract surgery.
Are you interested in the Light Adjustable Lens and all it can offer? Schedule your appointment today at Eye Physicians of Long Beach in Long Beach, CA, to learn if the Light Adjustable Lens could be suitable for you!