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Light Adjustable Lens™ from RXSight®—A Revolutionary Intraocular Lens To Improve Vision For Patients Having Cataract Surgery
Cataracts are a common eye condition in which the natural lens of the eye becomes cloudy. The only effective treatment for cataracts is cataract removal surgery to replace the clouded lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). A standard monofocal IOL only corrects at one distance. At Praxis Vision, the corrective power of the Light Adjustable Lens allows our team to help you achieve the most accurate surgical vision correction possible across all distances after cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange.
What is The Light Adjustable Lens?
The light adjustable lens (LAL) is the only FDA-approved IOL that can be adjusted after lens implantation. This advanced lens offers superior vision correction—allowing up to twice as many patients to achieve 20/20 visual acuity after surgery and reduce or eliminate their need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.1
How Does The Light Adjustable Lens Work?
Other intraocular lenses have a pre-set IOL power, or prescription, that your ophthalmologist chooses prior to your refractive surgery. The LAL is different because your vision correction can be customized after surgery.
LALs are made from a special photosensitive material. After your initial recovery period, your eye doctor will use a special light delivery device to expose the LAL to precise patterns of UV light. The UV exposure changes the curvature of the lens. The ability to customize the lens power after surgery leads to improved refractive outcomes with more accurate vision correction.2
Benefits of the Light Adjustable Lens
The Light Adjustable Lens offers many potential benefits to RLE and cataract patients, including:
- The only lens that can be adjusted after surgery
- Offers accurate and precise vision correction
- Can reduce or eliminate the need for glasses after cataract surgery
- Post-procedure light adjustment treatments are quick, painless, and non-surgical
Recovery After Receiving Your LAL
Your cataract surgeon will review all post-op instructions and recovery expectations with you prior to your IOL implantation procedure. The important way in which recovery with an LAL is different from recovery with other IOLs is that you will be provided with UV protective glasses to wear during your recovery and in between light adjustment sessions. It is very important that you wear these UV protective glasses during all waking hours, as unfiltered UV light prior to your last LAL treatment could affect your vision.
Post Procedure LAL Light Treatments
Once your eyes are healed, your eye doctor will use a light delivery device (LDD) to customize your adjustable IOL with specialized ultraviolet light. These non-invasive treatments last less than two minutes and are painless. It typically takes 2 to 4 LAL light treatments, spaced about 3 days apart, to reach optimal vision correction. At your final light treatment, your eye doctor will lock in your prescription and you can enjoy significantly improved vision with no further maintenance of your lens.
Who is a Candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens?
If you are seeking cataract treatment and you would also like accurate vision improvement, you may be a good candidate for the LAL. The LAL may not be right for you if you have a history of eye infections or uncontrollable eye movements, or if you take medication that is known to cause retina damage or UV light sensitivity.
Are you ready for life-changing vision improvement? We are here to answer any questions about LAL or other lens options. Contact us to learn more or schedule your consultation appointment.
1 US Food and Drug Administration. Summary of Safety and Effectiveness (SSED) of Light Adjustable Lens and Light Delivery Device system. Available: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf16/P160055B.pdf. Accessed October 19, 2021
2 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Adjustable IOL Could Help Some Ditch Their Glasses After Cataract Surgery. Available: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/new-iol-adjustable-after-cataract-surgery?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8NHr27nw6AIVSx-tBh0pRg6kEAMYASAAEgIzE_D_BwE. Accessed October 19, 2021