With most cataract lenses, the prescription is chosen before surgery and stays fixed for life. The Light Adjustable Lens works differently. It is implanted during cataract surgery, and then, once your eye has healed, its power is fine-tuned with a few short light treatments until your vision is where you want it. For Greenville residents, Eye Consultants offers the lens at its office on Limestone Road in Wilmington, where Dr. Sean Considine and Dr. Heather Dealy perform cataract surgery. Here is how the process works, who it suits and what to plan for between surgery and the final treatment.
A Lens You Adjust After the Operation
The Light Adjustable Lens, made by RxSight, is an intraocular lens built from a light-sensitive material. During cataract surgery, the cloudy natural lens is removed and the adjustable lens is placed in its position, just as a standard lens would be. The difference comes later. Targeted ultraviolet light changes the curvature of the lens, which changes how light focuses on the retina. It is the first and only intraocular lens designed to be adjusted after cataract surgery.
That matters because measurements taken before surgery are an estimate. Once the eye has healed, your doctor can see how you actually see and correct what is left, including near or distance focus and astigmatism. Some patients choose to set one eye for distance and the other for near.
From Surgery Day to the Lock-In Treatment
Cataract surgery at Eye Consultants is a brief procedure performed at an outpatient surgery center, usually under mild IV sedation. Most patients return to normal activities the day after surgery, and full healing takes about four weeks.
- Right after surgery: you wear UV-protective glasses from the day of surgery until your light treatments are complete. They shield the lens from unintended light while it can still change.
- About three to four weeks later: once the eye is stable, you return to the Wilmington office to start the light treatments.
- The adjustments: most patients need two to four treatments, each lasting only a few minutes and typically spaced a few days to a week apart.
- The final treatment: a last light session locks in the result permanently, and you no longer need the UV-protective glasses.
Plan around these visits when you schedule surgery. Each one is short, but they are what makes the lens adjustable.
Who Tends to Be a Good Fit
The lens is designed for people having cataract surgery who want a more tailored result. Good candidates generally:
- Need cataract surgery and have otherwise healthy eyes
- Want to correct near vision, distance vision, astigmatism or a combination
- Can attend the follow-up light treatments in Wilmington
- Are willing to wear the UV-protective glasses and follow aftercare instructions
Certain eye conditions, including glaucoma or retinal disease, can affect which lens is appropriate. Your ophthalmologist will review your eye health at a consultation before recommending the adjustable lens or another option.
What Happens at Your Cataract Consultation
The first visit is a full eye examination. Your doctor will measure your eyes, check the health of the retina and optic nerve, and talk with you about how you use your vision day to day: reading, screens, driving at night, hobbies and work. Those answers shape the lens recommendation as much as the measurements do.
If the adjustable lens is a good match, your doctor will explain the light treatment schedule so you can plan the visits around work and travel. If another lens would suit you better, for example because of a retinal condition, you will hear why. Bring a list of your medications and any questions about recovery, and let the team know if you already wear glasses or contact lenses for a particular task, since that helps set realistic goals for life after surgery.
The Weeks After Surgery
After cataract surgery, mild blurriness, a gritty feeling, redness and light sensitivity are common for a short time. You will use prescription eye drops and a protective shield, and avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for about a week. Discomfort is typically minimal. Avoid swimming for four to six weeks.
Because the lens can still change until the final treatment, wearing the UV-protective glasses exactly as instructed is the one part of recovery that is specific to this lens. Your care team will tell you when you can stop.
How It Compares With Other Premium Lenses
Eye Consultants also offers premium lenses whose power is set before surgery, including the PanOptix Pro trifocal and the Vivity extended-vision lens, both available in toric versions for astigmatism. Those lenses broaden your range of vision but cannot be changed afterwards. The adjustable lens trades a few extra visits for the ability to refine the result once your eye has healed. The premium lens options page explains the main lens categories.
Cost and Insurance
Insurance may cover cataract surgery once a cataract is affecting your vision, and standard monofocal lenses are generally covered, including by Medicare. Premium lenses, including the adjustable lens, are usually not covered, though this depends on your plan. The team can explain what your plan includes before you decide. See the practice’s insurance information for accepted plans.
The Surgeons at Eye Consultants
Eye Consultants was founded in Wilmington in 2009 by Dr. Heather Dealy, a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist. She and Dr. Sean Considine, a board-certified comprehensive ophthalmologist, perform the practice’s cataract surgery, and the practice’s surgeons have performed thousands of cataract procedures. Patients with glaucoma as well as cataracts can have both conditions considered by the same team when choosing a lens.
Light Treatment Questions
Do the light treatments hurt?
No. They are brief and painless, and each session lasts only a few minutes.
Why do I have to wear UV-protective glasses?
The lens is made of light-sensitive material, so it needs protection from ultraviolet light until the final treatment locks in your prescription.
Is the adjustment permanent?
Yes. Once the final lock-in treatment is done, the lens power no longer changes.
How soon do the treatments start?
Usually about three to four weeks after surgery, once your eye has healed and your vision has stabilized enough to measure accurately.
Can I still need glasses afterwards?
Some patients still use glasses for certain tasks after any cataract surgery. Your goals and your eye health determine how the lens is set, and your surgeon will talk through realistic expectations at your consultation.
Plan Your Treatment Visits From Greenville
If cataracts are starting to affect your vision and you want a lens that can be fine-tuned after surgery, start with a cataract evaluation. Request an exam online, check directions to the Limestone Road office, or call the Wilmington office to book.