Corneal refractive surgeries can be quite challenging. Accurate and predictable outcomes are critical to ensuring good results after surgery. Until recently, no intraocular lens consistently delivered the desired outcome. Today, technology with the potential to meet patient expectations exists.

Light Adjustable Lenses

These are intraocular lenses with adjustable power. They aim to improve how well patients see without eyeglasses. Light adjustable lenses allow postoperative titrations in IOL power. This happens after the eyes heal and secure refractive stability. They allow for the optimization and customization of the lens. It is possible to adjust the light adjustable lens for cylindrical and spherical power changes.

The Background of LAL

The idea behind the light adjustable lens is to address unsatisfactory outcomes following refractive surgery. Some of these issues include an unpredictable effective lens position, inaccurate biometry, and wound healing.

Back in 1997, Dr. Daniel Schwartz from the University of California, San Francisco, and Robert Grubbs, a chemistry professor at the California Institute of Technology, spearheaded a revolutionary project. They developed a special kind of lens with a three-dimensional structure. The use of light energy alters the lens non-invasively.

How Light Adjustable Lenses Work

The LAL is the only type of lens that allows for the design, trial, and customization of the patient’s vision. This adjustability takes corneal refractive surgery to the next level. Eye doctors can customize the LAL for each patient’s eyes.

The principles behind the adjustability of the LAL are diffusion and photochemistry. An eye surgeon implants the LAL using standard cataract surgical techniques. When the eye heals, the patient undergoes a routine vision exam.

During the examination, the surgeon customizes the power of the lens. This involves directing low-intensity UV light onto the LAL from outside the eye. The photosensitive lens material reacts to the light beam and changes shape.

The aim is to match the patient’s prescription determined during the eye exam. Patients can undergo multiple adjustments to achieve the desired results. The eye doctor will then make the changes permanent.

Who Is Most Likely to Benefit?

This technology can benefit any cataract patient looking to improve visual acuity. It is also ideal for patients who want a reduction of astigmatism. Do you want a reduced likelihood of hyperopia or myopia after cataract surgery?

If so, this technology could be your best option. These special lenses allow for a correction of up to 2D of the postoperative sphere. They also allow for 0.75 to 2D of the residual postoperative refractive cylinder.

Benefits of LAL

These lenses provide a new level of accuracy that most other types of lenses do not. They allow patients to have their vision adjusted to their precise prescription. This provides more accuracy compared to the prescriptions eye doctors measure before patients have their cataracts removed.

Furthermore, when the doctor adjusts the lens to the desired level, he/she will lock in the changes. This will prevent the lens from changing shape in the future. This is an important factor when you consider that living tissue can change. Long-term results show that LAL lenses tend to remain stable.

For more on light adjustable lenses, visit Coastal Vision Medical Group at our offices in Chino, Irvine, Long Beach, Norco, or Orange, California. You can call (888) 501-4496 today to schedule an appointment.