Up to 3 million Americans undergo cataract surgery each year to improve their vision. Despite the success of the procedure, many patients end up wearing contact lenses or glasses afterward to help sharpen their vision. Light adjustable lenses (LAL) provide the first and only customizable alternative to traditional intraocular lenses, resulting in the best possible quality of vision after cataract surgery.
At Orange County Cataract and Glaucoma, our expert cataract and glaucoma surgeon Anand Bhatt, MD, offers light adjustable lenses. Here, we explain how these lenses work and explore their benefits.
Light adjustable lenses are artificial lenses that replace the natural lens in your eye. Although similar to traditional intraocular lenses, the lens power of LALs can be adjusted and customized after surgery to your eye’s unique anatomy, improving your eyesight without glasses or contact lenses.
After your cataract surgery, Dr. Bhatt uses a series of ultraviolet light treatments to adjust the new lens. This allows him to fine-tune your vision for far, medium, and near distances, sharpening your eyesight permanently.
LALs provide several benefits compared to traditional intraocular lenses, including:
Traditional intraocular lenses correct vision at a single focal point. So, if you’re nearsighted, they can make it easier to see objects in the distance. However, they can’t change focus if you’re also farsighted. That means you might need to wear glasses while reading or doing other work that’s up close.
LALs, on the other hand, can be adjusted for several focal points, including near, medium, and far distances. This customizability makes them superior and can keep your vision crystal clear, regardless of what you’re doing. LALs are also able to be customized to improve distortion from corneal astigmatism and can alleviate any vision loss from astigmatism in addition to other types of refractive errors.
After cataract surgery, it’s normal for your eyesight to vary during the healing process. For example, you might experience increased light sensitivity or hazy vision. These problems typically resolve over time, but for some people they may require the use of glasses or contacts to achieve the best possible vision in each eye. Regular intraocular lenses can’t be adjusted to address these issues, but LALs can be. This lets you “test drive” different vision prescriptions until you settle on one that meets your needs. What makes the LAL so exciting is that after surgery you will be able to preview and test different visual outcomes before we lock in your final vision. This has never been an option in cataract surgery before this lens.
Many people who opt to get traditional intraocular lenses experience glare and halos, especially when driving at night and looking at lights. These side effects occur because of the way light scatters when it comes in contact with the intraocular lens.
LALs are made of different materials that create a smooth surface for light entering the eye to bounce off of. Although some people with LALs still experience halos and other vision aberrations, these instances are rare.
Dr. Bhatt and his team at Orange County Cataract and Glaucoma are proud to offer light adjustable lenses to patients with cataracts. If you’re interested in exploring the benefits of LALs, schedule a consultation today by calling our office in Santa Ana, California, at 714-541-4185 or by using the online booking feature. Clearer, crisper vision awaits.
