Do you have cataracts? If you do, you may have already started thinking about what kind of intraocular lens you’ll have implanted during cataract surgery.
It’s an incredibly crucial part of cataract surgery, as it’s the reason why you can see clearly after the procedure. But since there are so many IOLs to choose from, it can be overwhelming if you’re trying to make the right choice.
Williamson Eye Center is the only eye care practice in Louisiana offering the Light Adjustable Lens to patients! In fact, we were one of the first to implant this revolutionary lens in the nation, and now we’re thrilled to be able to offer it to our cataract surgery patients.
With the Light Adjustable Lens, you’re able to test drive and create a custom lens prescription after cataract surgery. For patients, this means you end up with the best possible vision, long after having your cataracts removed!
Keep reading to learn more about the Light Adjustable Lens and to find out if it could be right for you!
What is the Light Adjustable Lens?
Many IOLs promise great vision, but the Light Adjustable Lens is the first IOL to provide patients with customized vision. Customized vision is possible because the lens is made of photosensitive material.
The photosensitive material can change both the shape and the lens’s power due to how it responds to ultraviolet light. During cataract surgery, you’ll have the natural lens removed from your eye, and the Light Adjustable Lens implanted in your eye to replace it.
How the Light Adjustable Lens Works After Cataract Surgery
After cataract surgery, you’ll wear ultraviolet protective glasses whenever you’re inside, as well as tinted glasses that you must wear when you’re outside. If you’re in or near direct sunlight, you must wear your UV protective glasses!
You can only remove your protective glasses for short periods when you’re sleeping, showering, washing your face, or putting in eye drops.
You’ll then go back to your eye doctor for light treatments. The light treatments are delivered using something called the Light Delivery Device (LDD).
The LDD is non-invasive and won’t cause you any pain. The Light Adjustable Lens and the Light Delivery Device work together to provide you with the customized vision you’ve always dreamed of.
UV light is seamlessly delivered to the Light Adjustable Lens, allowing your eye doctor to adjust your vision. You and your eye doctor will decide together what you want your sight to be like after your eye has healed from cataract surgery.
The system has enough flexibility that your eye doctor can make necessary adjustments and refinements during your light treatments.
How Many Light Treatments Will I Need to Achieve Customized Vision?
The exact number of light treatments each patient needs with the Light Adjustable Lens can vary. The number is usually between 2 and 4 total treatments.
These are about 90 seconds in length. You’ll have your first initial light treatment 2-3 weeks after cataract surgery. This will give your eye plenty of time to heal after your procedure.
After your first light treatment, your treatments will be around three days after the first one. If you need more light treatments, these will be approximately three days after each previous light treatment.
The number of light treatments you undergo will depend on how long it takes to achieve your custom vision. Once you get to this point and your sight is where you want it, the Light Adjustable Lens’ lens power is permanently locked using a final light treatment.
This prevents your eyes from changing and ensures that your vision is exactly how you want it!
Who is a Good Candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens?
Although the Light Adjustable Lens is an incredible intraocular lens, it’s not right for everyone. The only way to know for sure if it’s right for you is to schedule a cataract screening with your ophthalmologist at Williamson Eye Center in Baton Rouge!
You may not be a good candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens if any of the following applies to you:
● You take a medication that makes you more sensitive to ultraviolet light
● You should not have a preexisting macular disease
● You take a medication considered harmful to your retina
● You have a history of nystagmus, known as uncontrollable eye movements
● You have a history of herpes eye infections
● You refuse to wear the ultraviolet protection glasses as prescribed by your eye doctor after having cataract surgery
● You will not comply with your eye doctor’s schedule of LDD light treatments after having the Light Adjustable Lens implanted
If these things don’t apply to you, the Light Adjustable Lens is approved for patients with cataracts that need to have cataract surgery, as well as those with astigmatism. Your eye doctor will ultimately determine if the Light Adjustable Lens is right for you at your cataract screening.
If, for some reason, it’s not, Williamson Eye Center offers our patients plenty of other premium IOLs to choose from as well.
Is the Light Adjustable Lens Permanent?
Yes, the Light Adjustable Lens is permanent. One of the things that makes this lens so unique is that you’ll work with your eye doctor to create your perfect vision after cataract surgery.
Every adjustment you make brings you one step closer to the clear and beautiful vision you’ve always wanted! With every other intraocular lens that’s available, once you have it implanted, that’s how your vision stays unless you have another procedure.
That’s the case even with premium lenses like the PanOptix trifocal lens. But with the Light Adjustable Lens, adjusting your vision and customizing it is precisely what you’re meant to do.
If you’re tired of blurry vision, reading glasses, or feeling like cataracts hold you back, there’s a better solution. If it’s right for you, the Light Adjustable Lens can be life-changing!
Clear vision is something that everyone deserves, regardless of age. Having clearer vision is so much better when you can see things at any distance.
Having cataract surgery to remove your cataracts is fantastic, but what’s even better is having the best vision of your life. Why not find out if you can customize your vision with the Light Adjustable Lens?
Ready to find out if the Light Adjustable Lens is the right IOL for you? Schedule your cataract screening at Williamson Eye Center in Baton Rouge, LA, today!
Say goodbye to your blurry vision and hello to a new outlook on life!
