Calhoun Vision LAL Light Adjustable Lens for customized cataract surgery

Dec 7 2010

Vision Rejuvenation^TM Victoria, a Canadian leader in advanced cataract and refractive lens exchange surgery has become the first centre in Canada to implant the world's first Light Adjustable Intraocular Lens.

The Calhoun Vision LAL® Light Adjustable Lens is the long awaited answer for customized cataract surgery. This ground breaking technology allows the intraocular lens to be adjusted to a patient's ideal individual visual requirements after implantation through the safe, fast and non-invasive application of light. The surgery was performed by Dr. Lawrence Brierley, Surgeon and Medical Director at Vision Rejuvenation, who is involved in an investigation testing application through Health Canada to perform a clinical study to determine the safety and effectiveness of the Calhoun Vision LAL and light delivery device.

Cataracts are a condition in which the natural crystalline lens of the eye begins to grow cloudy, gradually causing vision to deteriorate. The clouded lens must be surgically removed and replaced with a permanent intraocular lens implant. However, due to the difficulty in precisely determining the best power of the lens, the variability in matching the lens to the ideal shape of the eye and the effect of the healing process, surgery could potentially result in a negative outcome that a patient would previously have to live with forever or undertake further invasive surgical procedures.

Dr. Brierley states: "This breakthrough technology is one of the greatest advances in cataract surgery in years. I have been waiting all my life for the sort of precision that this lens allows me. For patients who are looking for superior visual quality and a way to reduce or eliminate dependence on glasses, the LAL is ideal. It is like having an insurance policy that ensures accurate and precise outcomes based on specific patient requirements."

The Calhoun Vision LAL is implanted using standard cataract surgery techniques. When the eye has healed after surgery, the patient's ability to see near and far is assessed to determine what type of adjustment must be made to the LAL to provide the desired visual outcome. With a specially designed light delivery device, a safe non-invasive light source is applied through the eye and onto the lens, changing its shape and hence its optical performance to the precise correction needed for the patient. Minor adjustments can be performed to further fine tune the patient's vision if required, until the desired accuracy is achieved. The lens is then locked in by a similar application of light leaving the patient with the quality of vision customized to their unique needs.