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Whether due to keratoconus, corneal scarring, or surgical complications, an irregular corneal surface can turn the world into a blurred jumble that standard glasses cannot correct. If you’ve spent years trying different glasses prescriptions with mediocre results, you may be an excellent candidate for specialty lenses, like scleral contact lenses. This blog explores the benefits of these unique lenses and how they can help patients with irregular corneas.
Why Do Irregular Corneas Make Contact Lens Wear More Challenging?
A healthy cornea is a smooth, dome-shaped surface that refracts light onto the retina, which sits at the back of the eye. When the cornea is irregularly shaped, light scatters in different directions and doesn’t land directly on the retina. The refractive error causes glare, halos, and a persistent blurriness that even the strongest glasses prescription cannot correct. Many patients endure visual fluctuations with soft lenses that are unreliable at best and often ineffective.
Traditional contact lenses often do not work well for patients with irregular corneas because they are designed to rest directly on the ocular surface. When the surface is uneven, a soft lens will conform to the valleys and hills of the eye, which only mirrors the existing irregularity. Specialty RGP contact lenses can provide improved clarity, but they can shift on irregular corneas, leading to discomfort and visual instability.
How Does the Scleral Lens Vault Help Irregular Cornea Patients?
When traditional lenses don’t work, we turn to advanced contact lens technology. Scleral lenses are designed to rest on the white part of the eye (the sclera) instead of the cornea. Due to their larger diameter, scleral lenses vault over the cornea, helping avoid many of the issues that can interfere with other lenses. The scleral lens vault replaces the distorted cornea with a custom, precise curve that fits each patient’s eyes perfectly.
Scleral lenses cover the entire irregular cornea, creating a smooth substitute ocular surface. The exact fit helps the lenses stay well centered because they are supported by a large, more stable part of the eye. The sclera is also significantly less sensitive than the cornea, providing improved comfort for those with easily irritated corneas. Scleral lenses offer crisp, consistent vision that stays sharp from insertion to removal.
What Does The Scleral Lens Fluid Reservoir Do?
One of the most significant benefits of scleral lenses comes from the fluid reservoir between the back of the lens and the surface of the cornea. Before inserting their scleral lenses, patients fill the reservoir with sterile saline, which is retained by the lens vault. The saline helps keep the cornea hydrated throughout the day. For many patients with irregular corneas and dry eye, scleral lenses are a dual-purpose solution.
We regularly prescribe scleral lenses for dry eye because they protect the eye from eyelid friction and provide consistent hydration to the ocular surface via the tear film reservoir. Many patients with irregular corneas also struggle with persistent dry eye. Scleral lenses are an important tool for individuals with complex eye conditions. As more people learn about the benefits of scleral lenses, we are seeing a considerable increase in the number of patients who request them.
The Long-Term Investment Into Improved Quality of Life
The main hurdle for patients who need scleral lenses is the higher upfront cost. The fitting process requires sophisticated topographical mapping and several lens iterations. It can take time to find the optimal fit because each lens is custom-made for the unique shape of individual eyes. Scleral lenses are also made of a high-quality rigid polymer that lasts significantly longer than traditional soft contact lenses. Many medical and vision insurance plans partially or fully cover the cost of scleral lenses.
Scleral lenses can provide comfort and, for many patients, be life-changing. The value of being able to drive at night without halos, comfortably working without painful eye strain, and freely engaging in hobbies is impossible to quantify. Many of our irregular cornea patients feel that the annual cost of new lenses is worthwhile. Scleral lenses are often a highly effective option and a wonderful investment toward long-term ocular health and vision.
Clear Vision for Patients With Irregular Corneas
With scleral lenses, patients with irregular corneas no longer have to settle for mediocre vision. These advanced specialty lenses provide highly effective irregular cornea vision correction, giving patients the support they need to enjoy life fully. Scleral lenses address the challenges posed by complex eye shapes by removing the limitations of other corrective methods, such as glasses and soft contact lenses.
If you’re interested in exploring custom scleral contact lenses for irregular corneas, contact Weston Contact Lens Institute. We are here to answer all your questions and guide you through the fitting process. While the process requires precision and patience, many patients experience a level of visual clarity and comfort they did not think was achievable with other options. Call us to schedule a consultation so we can help you maintain clearer, more stable vision over time.
