Optometrist Dr. David Spivey
From Blurry to Brilliant
Fort Worth Optometrist Dr. David Spivey Trusts Dr. Taylor Strange With His Own Cataract Surgery
Dr. David Spivey is an optometrist at Fossil Creek Vision Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, where he spends his days measuring vision and helping patients prepare for eye surgery.
When cataracts began to cloud his own sight, he faced two decisions: which lens, and which surgeon. He chose the Light Adjustable Lens™ (LAL), and he chose Dr. Taylor Strange at Alliance Vision Institute in Fort Worth.
Both choices came from watching his own patients return seeing better than ever.
What Cataracts Did to an Eye Doctor’s Workday
Cataracts made two parts of Dr. Spivey’s life harder: driving after dark and doing his job.
“I’m an optometrist in Fort Worth, Texas. Life before cataract surgery was very challenging,” he says. “It was difficult to drive at night due to glare.”
The workday brought its own struggle. A refraction is the “which is better, one or two?” test patients know from every eye exam.
Dr. Spivey needed to see the chart up close and his patient across the room.
“It was also challenging because I couldn’t see up close when I was doing refractions,” he says. “I had to put on reading glasses to see the chart and then take them off when talking with the patient.”
Glare around headlights is a common cataract complaint. A cataract clouds the eye’s natural lens and scatters incoming light.
Cataract surgery replaces that clouded lens with a clear artificial one, called an intraocular lens (IOL).
Why Did an Eye Doctor Rule Out Multifocal Lenses?
Dr. Spivey had an insider’s view of the lens options. He had watched lens replacement technology change over decades.
That experience shaped what he did not want for his own eyes.
“One of the reasons I didn’t want to go with conventional multifocal lenses is because I knew those patients often had a lot of glare at night,” he says.
Multifocal lenses split incoming light into more than one focal point. That design helps many patients see near and far without glasses.
Some patients also notice glare or halos around lights at night. For someone who already struggled to drive after dark, that tradeoff mattered.
That is why lens choice is personal. Alongside Multifocal IOLs, AVI offers Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) lenses, Toric IOLs, and the Light Adjustable Lens. Your eye care team helps you weigh these advanced IOL options against your daily needs.
Why Dr. Strange Recommends the Light Adjustable Lens
Dr. Strange recommends the LAL for one main reason. Patients fine-tune their vision after surgery instead of locking in a prescription beforehand.
“The reason I recommend the LAL to my patients is because it allows them to really dial in what they want to see after cataract surgery,” Dr. Strange says. “The LAL is truly unique in that it offers the best of both worlds for day and night vision.”
Day and night vision was exactly what Dr. Spivey needed. It answered the glare concern that ruled out multifocal lenses for him.
Dr. Strange places many premium lenses, and he sees a clear pattern in his patients.
“I do a lot of premium IOLs in my practice, and I can confidently say that Light Adjustable Lens patients are by far the happiest compared to all the other lens options available,” he says. “By far, the LAL has been the best addition to our portfolio of IOLs here at Alliance Vision Institute.”
How Does the Light Adjustable Lens Work?
The LAL is the only intraocular lens your surgeon can customize after implantation. Every other lens carries a fixed prescription from the day of surgery.
A focused UV light reshapes the LAL and shifts its focusing power. In the weeks after surgery, the process follows three steps:
- Light treatments: You return for quick, painless UV light sessions that fine-tune the lens prescription.
- Adjustments: Many patients have 2 to 4 treatments within about 3 weeks.
- Lock-in: Once your vision is right, a final treatment locks the prescription in place.
Until lock-in, you wear UV-blocking glasses. They protect the lens from sunlight while it can still change.
Dr. Strange values how involved patients are in that process.
“It’s truly rewarding to see a patient go through the process where they are actively involved in determining their outcome,” he says.
How Dr. Spivey Came to Trust Dr. Strange
Dr. Spivey’s path to Dr. Strange started with the Light Adjustable Lens itself. The results Dr. Strange was getting with it caught Dr. Spivey’s attention.
“Some of the first patients I treated with the Light Adjustable Lens had fantastic results,” Dr. Strange says.
Dr. Spivey noticed. He picked up the phone.
“Dr. Spivey called me and asked, ‘Hey, what is this Light Adjustable Lens technology you’re using?’” Dr. Strange says. “We had a long conversation about how the technology worked.”
“I’ve seen the results Dr. Strange gets with LAL surgery,” Dr. Spivey says. “The patients were extremely satisfied with the results.”
As an eye doctor, Dr. Spivey recognized these results firsthand.
Those results made his own decision simple.
“After seeing those results, I knew it was time for me to have the procedure as well,” he says. “It was an easy choice for me to go with the Light Adjustable Lens replacement because it was the best option on the market.”
Why Would an Eye Doctor Trust Dr. Strange With His Own Eyes?
An eye doctor knows what to look for in a surgeon. He can measure the results in his own exam chair.
For Dr. Spivey, those results pointed to Dr. Taylor Strange, a board-certified ophthalmologist and founder of Alliance Vision Institute. Dr. Strange has performed 25,000+ vision correction procedures.
Society Life Magazine named him one of DFW’s “Top Doctors.” He also holds recognition as a “Top Ophthalmologist” in DFW.
Dr. Strange knows the patient side of the chair, too. He has had laser vision correction himself.
Surgeons recommend the LAL for their own family members and for vision-critical professionals, such as pilots and surgeons. Dr. Spivey chose it for himself.
Back to Work at a Higher Level
For Dr. Spivey, the change came fast.
“I was very impressed with the LAL because, at a very early stage, I was able to go back to functioning at a much higher level,” he says.
“My own experience with the Light Adjustable Lens has been nothing short of amazing,” he says.
“Better Than It Was When I Was Younger”
Dr. Spivey has guided many patients through cataract surgery. Going through it himself still moved him.
“Of all the things I’ve experienced in my life, this is one of the most amazing,” he says. “Vision is one of the most precious gifts we have, and having my vision restored, better than it was when I was younger, is a true blessing.”
Is the Light Adjustable Lens Right for You?
Dr. Spivey could have chosen any lens and any surgeon. He chose the LAL and Dr. Strange.
If you are planning cataract surgery, a full evaluation is the first step. Alliance Vision Institute offers cataract surgery in Fort Worth serving Dallas and DFW, with offices in Southlake, Northlake, and Decatur.
Thank you, Dr. Spivey, for trusting Dr. Strange and Alliance Vision Institute with your own vision. Few endorsements carry more weight than an eye doctor choosing the same surgeon and lens for himself.
Questions Patients Ask After Reading Dr. Spivey’s Story
Often, yes. LASIK and PRK reshape the cornea, which makes lens measurements before cataract surgery harder to perfect.
Your surgeon can adjust the LAL after surgery to fine-tune your vision. Your evaluation confirms whether you are a candidate.
Until lock-in, the lens can still respond to UV light. Unprotected sun exposure is the main risk specific to the LAL.
That is why you wear UV-blocking glasses at all times until your final treatment. Your eye care team walks you through every step.
Ready to see what the Light Adjustable Lens can do for you?
Schedule your Light Adjustable Lens consultation with Dr. Taylor Strange at Alliance Vision Institute today.