Cataract Lens Implants
Cataract Lens Implants
A cataract lens implant is a tiny permanent plastic polymer intraocular lens (IOL) that is carefully placed and positioned inside the eye as part of your cataract surgery in order to help you see clearly.
At D’Ambrosio Eye Care, our cataract surgeons use many types of intraocular lens implants to correct vision after cataract surgery. Together, we work with patients to select the type of lens implant that will provide you with the best results to match your lifestyle and activities after cataract surgery. These different types of lens implants include monofocal lens implants, toric lens implants for patients with astigmatism, near vision presbyopia correcting lens implants, and Light Adjustable Lens implants. Monofocal lens implants are the most basic type of lens implant and only help correct distance vision and not arm’s length, or close reading vision so that patients will still need to wear glasses after their cataract surgery. Toric lens implants can benefit cataract patients with astigmatism who wants to minimize dependence on glasses for distance but are able to wear glasses for arm’s length or close reading vision. Presbyopia near vision correcting lens implants correct distance vision, arm’s length vision, and close reading vision-providing a range of vision for most patients who want to minimize their dependence on all glasses. Presbyopia near vision correcting lens implants include the Clareon® Vivity™ Extended Vision Intraocular Lens, the Clareon® PanOptix™ Trifocal Lens Implant, the TECNIS Symfony, the TECNIS Multifocal IOL and TECNIS Synergy™ Lens Implant (IOL). Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is the first and only customizable lens available in the US market. The LAL lens can be individually customized to your eyes to correct distance vision, arm’s length vision, and/or close reading vision. Both the presbyopia correcting multifocal lens implants and LAL lens implants are a good choice for those who wish to reduce their dependence on eyeglasses, bifocals and reading glasses after cataract surgery. We will take the time necessary to answer all of your questions so you can relax on the day of your surgery.
Light Adjustable Lens Implant (LAL)
The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is type of lens implant that provides your cataract surgeon with the ability to fine tune and customize your optical prescription to achieve the best possible results-even after the lens has been placed in the eye! This “adjustability” is achieved through a lens material being able to be “photopolymerized” after your surgery in order to adjust the lens implant shape and prescription.
The Light Adjustable Lens is placed into your eye during cataract surgery after your surgeon removes the natural lens in exactly the same way as traditional cataract surgery is performed. After lens placement, your eye will be given time to heal on its own. During the time that your eye heals, patients will need to wear protective glasses at all times to keep your eyes from getting any kind of exposure to UV light. Of course, you can only take them off when you’re showering, sleeping, washing your face, or applying eye drops but if you are exposed to any direct sunlight, you must wear the UV protecting glasses in order to prevent the lens from adjusting its shape before your eyes finish healing. After healing, your eye doctor will give you a visual acuity test to help determine what type of light adjustment will provide the best results and schedule you for in-office non-surgical treatment with a Light Delivery Device (LDD) to finalize the prescription.
Typically, to achieve the best possible vision, you’ll need to undergo several in-office non-surgical light treatment sessions. They require you to look into the Light Delivery Device for about 90 seconds. There’s no need for further surgery to achieve the final prescription or any other form of invasive treatment. The treatment sessions take place about three days to a week apart and most patients do their best with 2 or 3 sessions each. Undergoing several light treatment sessions ensures that your IOL is precisely shaped to your exact prescription. The LAL is helpful in achieving excellent results for patients with astigmatism or those who have complex prescriptions as a result of previous eye surgery, trauma or other situations making precise measurements and calculations of lens implant prescriptions challenging.