What You Should Know About The Light Adjustable Lens

When you hear the word, “lens,” you might imagine a camera lens, whether a professional one or the smaller one on the back (and front) of your phone. However, the lens of your eyes are what allow you to recognize these precisely tuned pieces of hardware and are even more complicated than those man-made glass imaging devices.

And although the human eye and its organic lens are immensely complex, technology like the modern smartphone camera has become advanced enough to provide highly intricate models of the eye’s lens. One of these marvels of technology is both highly customizable and satisfactory to those who need a little help seeing things clearly: the light-adjustable lens (LAL).

What is The Light-Adjustable Lens?

The LAL is an artificial lens designed to replace the natural lens in a person’s eye (or eyes) when the lens becomes cloudy due to conditions like cataracts. As an option for cataracts surgery, the LAL, produced by RxSight, has a few advantages over other options.

First, the LAL provides a synthetic intraocular lens (IOL) replacement for clouded lenses. These devices allow people to see more clearly for a long time following the procedure. The LAL has additional benefits over these static, but often effective, devices because it is responsive to a specific wavelength of light that can adjust the lens’s contours after the procedure takes place.

Benefits of the LAL

The light-adjustable lens is the only intraocular lens that can be adjusted following implantation. As accurately as the ophthalmologists at Boston Vision can predict an IOL will affect and benefit a person’s vision, there are still factors at play that can’t be anticipated, resulting in patients requiring corrective lenses even after their surgery.

The LAL allows our eye doctors to fine-tune the curvature of the lens even as it resides in your eye. For up to several weeks, the LAL is responsive to specific wavelengths and intensities of light that connects macromers into polymers and therefore affects its shape. When you leave after the initial implantation appointment, you’ll begin seeing clearer, but if you don’t see with 20/20 vision, there’s still plenty of time to adjust your lenses.

The Light-Adjustable Lens Process

Once the LAL is implanted in your eye(s), you will wear specialized UV-blocking glasses to protect the device from reacting with environmental light and causing unintended side effects. You’ll return to our office once every three days or so until our doctors are confident you’re seeing as clearly as you should following IOL implantation without the need for corrective lenses.

At each appointment, the ophthalmologists at Boston Vision will expose your eyes to highly precise beams of light that will change the contours of the lens in predictable ways. You will also receive an eye exam to confirm the results of the previous treatment and inform the procedure for the next one. This is a quick and painless process, although it does require you to come in several times during the course of a few weeks at most.

Once your lens has been totally fine-tuned and you’re seeing clearly, the entire eye will be exposed to UV light to “seal” the shape in place, effectively making the procedure permanent. You can then resume your normal activities as directed by your doctor.

Clear, Accurate Vision by Boston Vision’s Light-Adjustable Lens

You won’t find the LAL implant anywhere in New England; only trusted providers have the experience, expertise, and equipment necessary to provide satisfying and long-lasting results. To learn more about the LAL and whether it might be the right option for your vision needs, don’t hesitate to contact our team today.

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