The First and Only Lens Adjusted Specifically For You After Cataract Surgery
What You Need to Know About Cataract Surgery
A cataract occurs when the natural, crystalline lens in your eye becomes cloudy and hard. This affects your eyesight, darkening and blurring your vision and making it difficult to see. Cataracts are one of the leading causes of vision impairment and are a natural part of the aging process.
The only treatment for cataracts is to remove the cloudy natural lens. The removed lens then must be replaced with a new artificial ‘intraocular lens’ or IOL. Cataract removal surgery is the most common procedure in the world. In addition, it is one of the most successful procedures performed today.
Cataract surgery can also offer the opportunity to correct other vision problems you may experience. These include myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (irregularly shaped lens), or presbyopia (diminishing ability to focus with age).
Selecting a Lens Implant for Cataract Surgery
Your eye doctor uses pre-surgery eye measurements to estimate the power and type of IOL he or she thinks will provide you with the best vision after surgery.
The doctor uses these measurements to select the IOL and predict the visual outcome for a patient. However, it is still just an estimate. And because every eye heals slightly differently after surgery, getting ‘close’ to the predicted outcome is often the best result a patient can expect. If the visual target is not achieved, there this can only be corrected by glasses, contacts, additional surgery, or lens removal and replacement.
Light Adjusting Lens Implant Option
The Light Adjustable Lens is the only IOL that allows you and your doctor to design, trial, and customize your vision after cataract surgery. Adjustability takes cataract surgery to the next level by giving you a lens customized specifically for your eyes.
The Cleveland Eye Clinic surgeons were the first in the United States to implant the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) since it became available in the US commercially.
In an FDA study of 600 subjects, those who received the LAL were twice as likely (as those who received a standard monofocal IOL) to achieve 20/20 vision without glasses.
The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) for Cataract Surgery
The Light Adjustable Lens is made of a special photo-sensitive material. This material changes the power of your implanted lens in response to UV light. This feature increases the likelihood that you will achieve your desired vision after cataract surgery.
If you select the Light Adjustable Lens, the first step is to have your cataract safely removed. Then, the adjustable IOL is implanted. The cataract removal and IOL implantation procedure are the same as if you selected a non-adjustable IOL.
What is unique about the Light Adjustable Lens is that, after your eye heals, you return to your eye doctor to have your vision tested during a routine eye exam. Based on this exam, you and your eye doctor will select a custom prescription for your adjustable lens based on your own eyes and unique lifestyle requirements.
Light Treatments for the Light Adjustable Lens
To receive the light treatment, you will be placed in front of the Light Delivery Device. This device will non-invasively deliver the UV light to your Light Adjustable Lens.
Between 2 and 4 total light treatments, each lasting approximately 90 seconds and separated by approximately 3 days are required. The total number of light treatments is based on the achievement of you and your doctor’s desired outcome. For the first time ever, you can have confidence that your result will be just how you want to see the world.
UV Light Sensitive Lenses after Cataract Surgery
The sun is the primary natural source of UV light. Artificial sources of UV light are safely used in many medical and ophthalmic treatments. However, exposure to indoor and outdoor sources of UV light can cause uncontrolled changes to the Light Adjustable Lens. You will be provided with UV protective glasses to wear during all waking hours (from the time of lens implantation until after the last light treatment is completed).
Glasses may be removed when sleeping and may be temporarily removed when showering, washing your face, or applying eye drops as long as you are not exposed to direct sunlight.
24 hours after the final light treatment, no further changes can be made to the implanted LAL. You can then remove the UV protective glasses and enjoy your custom vision.
