What are Scleral Lenses?
Scleral lenses are rigid lenses designed to rest on the white of the eye or sclera, providing remarkable comfort. Sclerals are a great alternative to other rigid lenses. They are ideal for a variety of eye conditions, high prescriptions, and some forms of dry eye disease. Like rigid lenses, they provide the highest quality of vision with lower rates of infection as compared to soft contact lenses.
Why should I use a Scleral lens?
Scleral lenses were the first type of contact lenses invented, originally as glass molds of a person’s eye. Today we utilize advanced technologies and materials to offer scleral lenses to a range of patients
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EYE DISEASE
Many eye diseases are best managed with RGP (rigid gas permeable) and particularly scleral RGP contact lenses. These include keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, corneal grafts, corneal dystrophies, corneal scarring from injury, dry eye disease, and altered eye surfaces following corneal refractive surgery.
The most common condition fitted with scleral lenses is keratoconus. The irregular distortion of the cornea limits the quality of vision possible with spectacles or soft contact lenses.
Wearing a smooth rigid contact lens over the cornea allows tears to fill in the space between the rigid lens surface and the corneal irregularity, neutralising most of the corneal distortion.
This gives wearers better definition and contrast, which improves vision and decreases ghosting. Similar benefits are achieved for the irregular corneal surfaces present in all the corneal diseases mentioned above.
DRY EYE DISEASE
Scleral lenses are beneficial for patients with debilitating dry eye conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome. A scleral lens has a reservoir of tears retained between the lens and eye during wear, providing significant relief from corneal dryness.
HIGH PRESCRIPTIONS
Patients with high refractive errors such as astigmatism, myopia or hyperopia may not achieve satisfactory vision or comfort in spectacles, soft contact lenses or smaller diameter corneal RGP lenses. The improved quality of vision and comfort offered with a scleral lens make them an excellent alternative.
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STABILITY AND COMFORT
Active persons such as sports players can benefit from the stability and quality of vision scleral lenses offer. They are also an excellent option for persons who have stopped wearing small diameter rigid lenses due to discomfort from environmental factors. As the lenses seal on the sclera and cannot dislodge easily, they are ideal for most sports and people working in dusty environments. If you are a current contact lens wearer and experience difficulties with your lenses, make sure to ask your optometrist if scleral lenses would be ideal for you.