Light Adjustable Lens

The Light Adjustable Lens: The First and Only Lens That Can Be Customized AFTER Cataract Surgery

The RxSight™ Light Adjustable Lens is the first and only intraocular lens (IOL) that can be customized after cataract surgery. The Light Adjustable Lens is made of a special photosensitive material, designed by a Nobel prize winning scientist, that can be adjusted to change shape and focusing power within the eye in response to ultraviolet (UV) light. This optimization is done by your eye doctor in the weeks following lens implantation through a series of non-invasive light treatments that take only a few minutes each. You will have the unique ability to adjust and preview your vision until it meets your personal desires and lifestyle requirements. The Light Adjustable Lens delivers superior vision outcomes that non-adjustable IOLs cannot match.

How Does the RxSight Light Adjustable Lens Work?

With traditional intraocular lenses (IOLs), your physician performs measurements before your surgery in order to select the best IOL to try to achieve your vision goals. Once your surgery is complete and the IOL has been implanted, your physician has limited options to adjust the lens power.

With the RxSight™ Light Adjustable Lens, you and your doctor can now customize your vision after your eye has healed from cataract surgery. You and your physician will have the unique ability to adjust and preview your vision until it meets your personal desires and lifestyle requirements. This is because the Light Adjustable Lens is made of a special photosensitive material that changes the shape and power of your implanted lens in response to ultraviolet (UV) light.

The cataract removal and IOL implantation procedure is the same as if you selected a non-adjustable IOL. Then, in the weeks that follow, your physician will customize your vision through a series of non-invasive light treatments that take only a few minutes each. You may need 2 to 4 total light treatments over a period of 1 to 2 weeks to reach your vision goals. Once your vision is adjusted, a final light treatment is used to lock in the results.

The Light Adjustable Lens delivers superior vision outcomes that non-adjustable IOLs cannot match. In a clinical study, the majority of patients who received the Light Adjustable Lens achieved 20/20 or better vision at 6 months without glasses.

Light Adjustable Lens Fast Facts

• The first and only adjustable intraocular lens (IOL) that allows your physician to customize your vision after your cataract surgery
• Patients who received the Light Adjustable Lens followed by adjustments were twice as likely to achieve 20/20 vision at 6 months without glasses as those who received a standard monofocal IOL
• The cataract removal and IOL implantation procedure is the same as if you selected a non-adjustable IOL
• The Light Adjustable Lens is made of a special photosensitive material that changes the shape and power of your implanted lens in response to ultraviolet (UV) light
• You will have the unique ability to preview and compare possible vision outcomes based on your preferences and lifestyle requirements
• Light treatments that precisely reshape your implanted lens are delivered in your doctor’s office to adjust your vision to the desired target
• Light treatments are painless, non-invasive, and last approximately 90 seconds
• You may need 2 to 4 total light treatments over a period of 1 to 2 weeks to reach your vision goals
• You will need to wear special UV protective glasses during all waking hours (from time of lens implantation until after the last light treatment is completed) to prevent exposure to indoor and outdoor sources of UV light that can cause uncontrolled changes to the Light Adjustable Lens

UV Protective Glasses

Exposure to indoor and outdoor sources of UV light can cause uncontrolled changes to the Light Adjustable Lens until all light treatments are completed. To prevent this, your doctor will provide you with special UV protective glasses to be worn during all waking hours (from time of lens implantation until 24 hours after the final lock-in light treatment is completed). 

The clear pair of protective glasses must be worn indoors, and the tinted pair must be worn in all bright sunlight conditions. The glasses may be removed when sleeping, and may be temporarily removed when showering, washing the face, or applying eye drops as long as the patient is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Unprotected exposure to UV light during this period can result in unpredictable changes to the Light Adjustable Lens, which might necessitate removal of the lens.

What Are The Light Treatments For The Light Adjustable Lens Like?

Depending on healing time, light treatments will begin 17-24 days after your eye doctor implants the Light Adjustable Lens. How many treatments you’ll need varies, but it is usually one to three.

They last anywhere from 40 seconds to 2 and a half minutes. How long your treatments depend on the amount of correction that’s necessary after cataract surgery.

After each treatment, lock-in light treatment will be performed. This is to ensure that the correction is permanent.

Lock-in light treatment will last 90 seconds. Patients will need to wear special UV protective eyewear to protect the eye from UV light, as it could affect how the Light Adjustable Lens performs.

You’ll need to wear the protective eyewear from the time of your cataract surgery until the end of your light treatments.

Who Is A Good Candidate For The Light Adjustable Lens?

The only way to know for sure if you’re a good candidate for the Light Adjustable Lens is to schedule a cataract screening at Pepose Vision. But good candidates for the Light Adjustable Lens usually include the following:

• Patients that have a cataract and need surgery to remove it
• Patients that have a moderate to larger amounts of astigmatism (at least 0.75 diopters) before cataract surgery
• Patients that do not have pre-existing macular disease
• Patients with astigmatism and other refractive errors looking to reduce their dependence on glasses after cataract surgery

Wondering if the Light Adjustable Lens may be right for you? Schedule a cataract screening at Pepose Vision in St. Louis to find out more information about this lens!