Lens Options

How Many Light Adjustable Lens Adjustments Do You Get?

By Todd Driver, MD · Board-Certified Cataract Surgeon, Irvine, CA

Medically reviewed by Todd Driver, MD · August 2026

The timeline in my practice

We do cataract surgery and implant the LAL on the first eye, then do the second eye about two weeks later. Four weeks after the second eye, once things have healed and the refraction is stable, we start adjusting. Each adjustment is a separate visit: we check your prescription, you tell us how you're actually using your eyes day to day, and the light treatment nudges the lens toward the target. Then two lock-in visits, one week apart, make it permanent.

Why "up to three" and not more

The lens contains a finite amount of light-reactive material, and each treatment uses some of it. Three adjustments plus two lock-ins is the designed budget. In practice this is plenty: most of my patients are where they want to be after one or two.

The part patients don't expect

The adjustments aren't just error correction. They're a chance to change your mind. You can try your planned target for a week, decide you'd rather have a bit more near vision, and we adjust for that instead. In the published registry, 55% of patients across both lens versions changed their target prescription during the adjustment period. That flexibility, not just accuracy, is what you're paying for.

What can slow the process down

Occasionally we need an extra visit before adjusting. The most common reason in my practice is dry eye: if the ocular surface is irritated, we can't get a reliable enough refraction to aim the treatment, so we treat the dryness first. It adds time, but it protects the accuracy of the adjustment.

Sources: FDA premarket approval P160055, summary of safety and effectiveness · Doane et al., clinical data registry of two light adjustable lenses (J Cataract Refract Surg 2025)

Related reading: The Light Adjustable Lens, explained · What lock-in is · LAL and near vision · or book a cataract consultation in Irvine.

This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for a medical examination or personalized medical advice. Timelines describe my own practice and can differ between surgeons.