Next week I have the first of two procedures to remove the cataracts that have finally started affecting my vision. It’s a pretty simple “surgery” that takes about 15 minutes (don’t even have to take my shoes off!)

My ophthalmologist has recommended light adjustable lenses (LALs) which will require a series (three?) UV light adjustments a few weeks following the second surgery. More expensive and more visits but the best option for getting back to near 20-20 vision.

What the UV light is actually doing

• The light adjustable lens is made of a silicone material that contains light‑sensitive molecules called macromers distributed throughout the lens.
• When targeted UV light (around 365 nm) hits a specific region of the lens, those macromers in the light path chemically link together (polymerize) and become fixed in place.
• This creates a concentration difference between the treated and untreated areas, so the remaining free macromers slowly diffuse toward the treated area over several hours.
• That migration changes the thickness profile of the lens in a controlled way, which effectively alters its curvature and refractive power—this is how your prescription is fine‑tuned.

In other words, the UV light doesn’t “heat and bend” the lens like a physical object; it triggers a chemical rearrangement inside the lens that leads to a precise change in shape and focusing ability. After your surgeon is happy with the result, they do a final full‑lens UV exposure (“lock‑in”) so no further shape changes can occur.

• The light adjustable lens is made of a silicone material that contains light‑sensitive molecules called macromers distributed throughout the lens.
• When targeted UV light (around 365 nm) hits a specific region of the lens, those macromers in the light path chemically link together (polymerize) and become fixed in place.
• This creates a concentration difference between the treated and untreated areas, so the remaining free macromers slowly diffuse toward the treated area over several hours.
• That migration changes the thickness profile of the lens in a controlled way, which effectively alters its curvature and refractive power—this is how your prescription is fine‑tuned.

In other words, the UV light doesn’t “heat and bend” the lens like a physical object; it triggers a chemical rearrangement inside the lens that leads to a precise change in shape and focusing ability. After your surgeon is happy with the result, they do a final full‑lens UV exposure (“lock‑in”) so no further shape changes can occur.

Because the LALs are reactive to UV light I’ll have to wear special UV goggles in the presence of natural sunlight.