WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A new vision treatment will allow patients to "test drive" versions of their vision after cataract surgery.

What You Need To Know

  • Light-adjustable lenses are FDA approved

  • Only 3.5% of eye surgeons have access to the lens

  • That includes an eye center in our state

The FDA-approved, artificial light-adjustable lens is the first of its kind to allow for implant adjustments after the surgery.

“Unlike traditional cataract surgery, which relies on estimations of your vision and how your eye will heal, the light-adjustable lens allows you to have customized vision results after the surgery," said Dr. Jiaxi Ding, an eye surgeon and founder of Ascend Eye Center in Winston-Salem.

She said the treatment is the technology of the future.

“Patients often experience a lot of anxiety about what they want from cataract surgery," Ding said. "There's so many different options, and it's like buying a wedding gown off the rack based on your usual size measurements. When we take measurements and examine the eye ahead of time, it's simply measurements. Of course, there will be variations. Now, the light-adjustable lens is like the ultimate customized gown.”

She said only 3.5% of eye surgeons in the U.S. and Canada have access to the light-adjustable lens.

The lens has been used for thousands of patients around the world and the adjustments are noninvasive.