About one-half of all Americans will develop cataracts by age 75, and cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure. “Everyone who lives past the age of 40, that normally clear lens starts to get dirty,” said Dr. John Whitehead, Evergreen Eye Center. “That’s the reason everyone needs reading glasses or bifocals. It’s actually the first sign of a cataract.” Cataract surgery to replace cloudy lenses is needed to effectively treat cataracts. New advances have made that surgery customizable, allowing for the best possible vision outcome for patients. “When we put a lens in the eye, we utilize different equations in order to guess the lens power that goes inside of your eye,” Dr. Whitehead said. “Unfortunately, not all human beings fit the math equations that we use. That’s why sometimes, even after cataract surgery, some people still need glasses after surgery.” The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is made of a special photosensitive material that changes the shape and power of a patient’s implanted lens in response to UV light after surgery. The Light Delivery Device (LDD) non-invasively delivers this UV light to precisely reshape your lens based on the visual correction that is needed to target your custom prescription. “We’re going to measure you just like we do with glasses,” Dr. Whitehead said. “Which is better - 1,2,3,4? We then take that prescription and take you back in the clinic, and we change the shape of the lens while it’s sitting inside of your eye with ultraviolet light, thus customizing the lens to you.” The surgery to implant the LAL is the same as typical cataract surgery, but the post-operative period is different. Patients are required to wear special UV light protecting glasses until the new lenses are “locked in.” “This lens represents a paradigm shift in ophthalmology,” Dr. Whitehead said. Evergreen Eye Center offers this innovative procedure and has five locations in Seattle, Federal Way, Auburn, Tacoma and Burien. To learn more, visit the Evergreen Eye Center website. Sponsored by Evergreen Eye Center. Segment Producer Rebecca Perry. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.