Scleral Lenses 101: What You Need to Know About This Revolutionary Contact Lens

Many patients with corneal irregularities opt for soft contact lenses. However, these lenses often leave their eyes irritated, red and scratchy. So, you will be happy to hear that an alternative predating the soft contact lens now offers a custom fit to your eyes to minimize discomfort and promote healing. Here is everything that you need to know about a revolutionary form of contact lenses: scleral lenses.
Why Scleral Lenses Work?
It is said that Leonardo da Vinci first came up with the idea of creating a dome over the eye to improve vision and eye condition. Yet, it wasn’t until 1888 that a German ophthalmologist created the first scleral contact lens. Today soft contact lenses have taken over the market. Many patients who have irregular corneas or have undergone surgery may not be comfortable in soft contact lenses.
The scleral lens does not touch the cornea but creates a dome over it while resting on the sclera or the white part of the eye, neutralizing the corneal irregularities while promoting healing and hydration of the ocular surface. A preservative-free saline solution inside the bowl of the lens keeps the eye lubricated without obstructing vision. It gives your eye a comfortable space to heal while providing clear vision and protection from environmental influences. At the same time, the custom fit over your eye means comfortable wear for you which means that scleral lenses can improve the quality of your life.
Why Opt for Scleral Lenses?
Why do you wear contact lenses? Usually, the first reason is to improve refractive error or astigmatism and improve eyesight. People also opt for soft lenses for aesthetic and practical reasons, such as avoiding glasses for sports or events. Being comfortable in contact lenses is just as important, if not more important than the vision. To us, comfort means a personalized fit of oxygen-permeable lenses over the cornea that keep your eye hydrated while letting oxygen through to either heal your eye or provide everyday comfort.
We highly recommend scleral lenses for the following conditions:
- Irregular Corneas
- Dry eyes
- Corneal abrasions and erosions
- Recovery from corneal surgery
If you currently wear soft contacts and don’t have any of the above-mentioned conditions, you can still opt for scleral lenses for superior vision. The prevailing condition most people struggle with is exposure to electronic screens for extended periods. This prolonged screen time causes strain on the eyes due to excessive tear evaporation creating dry eyes – a problem that scleral lenses address splendidly.
Scleral lenses reduce light sensitivity and keep the eyes from drying out thanks to the dome of moisture. As a final side note, you will also find the bigger size of these lenses means they are not as easy to lose, and that’s yet another benefit in addition to providing comfort, healing and protection for your eyes.
Book Your Appointment to Learn More About Scleral Lenses
To make your scleral lenses, we make use of the sMap 3D profilometer and/or EyePrintPRO impression technology. The secret behind the scleral lens is the perfect placement over the cornea, which we can create thanks to 3D imagery and printing and scanning technology, respectively. So, why not book an appointment at Weston Contact Lens Institute so that our eye doctors can discuss whether scleral lenses would be a good fit for you?