Your Guide to Scleral Lenses
Many people find everyday tasks like reading, driving, and working difficult due to vision problems. While glasses and regular contacts help most, not everyone can wear traditional contacts comfortably because of the shape of their cornea. At EyeCare Associates, we understand that each person needs a vision solution that suits their lifestyle. Glasses can be bulky, and regular contacts might not fit right, but scleral lenses offer an effective alternative.
In this article, the experts at EyeCare Associates will explore what scleral lenses are, their benefits, and who can get the most from them.
Understanding Contact Lenses
In order to understand scleral lenses more clearly. It’s important to know a little about what sorts of options there are for contact lenses and how they work. There are two main types of contacts eye doctors prescribe:
Soft Contacts
Rigid Gas Permeable
Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are the most common type. They're made from a flexible silicone that fits closely to your cornea. They are cheaper and come in daily, weekly, or monthly options. However, they might dry out your eyes since they're not very breathable. Also, their vision correction might not be the sharpest because they're mass-produced.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses
RGP lenses are made from a harder silicone and sit on top of your cornea. They let more oxygen reach your cornea, which can prevent dry eyes and make them more comfortable to wear. They're more expensive but offer sharper vision and last longer than soft contacts. In fact, if you take care of them properly, they can even last over a year. The downside is they can fall out more easily because they don't fit as tightly.
How Scleral Lenses Work
Scleral lenses are a special type of RGP lens but are bigger and designed differently. Instead of sitting on the cornea, they vault over it and rest on the white part of your eye, called the sclera. This design avoids any irregularities on the cornea that could affect vision. Each pair of scleral lenses is custom-made to fit your eyes perfectly and provide the best vision correction possible for your refractive errors. They're durable and made to last a long time with some patients even reporting they’ve been able to keep them for up to five years.
The Benefits of Scleral Lenses
Scleral lenses offer several advantages, especially for those who can't wear regular contacts. They're very comfortable because they distribute pressure on the thicker sclera, not on the sensitive cornea. This allows patients to experience less experience from constant usage of contacts. They're breathable, allowing oxygen to reach your cornea, and they have a special reservoir that holds saline solution. This keeps your eyes moist all day, which is great for people with dry eyes or those recovering from eye surgery.
Things to Consider
While scleral lenses have many benefits over traditional contact lenses, they also have some drawbacks worth considering before deciding if they’re right for you.
Scleral lenses are usually more expensive due to their custom design and the detailed fitting process. In some cases, they can be up to five times more expensive than traditional contacts. They also need regular cleaning to prevent buildup under the lens, which can block your vision. Some patients may need to remove them for cleaning multiple times a day, which some may find inconvenient. Finally, getting used to the feel of scleral lenses might take some time for new users. They’re very different from soft contact lenses and can feel especially strange if you’re switching to scleral lenses from them.
Who Can Wear Scleral Lenses?
Scleral lenses are perfect for people who can't wear standard contacts. The patients who will see the most benefit from scleral lenses are usually those with corneal conditions that make it either impossible or extremely uncomfortable to use standard contact lenses. This includes those with:
Astigmatism
Keratoconus
Dry Eye Disease
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
Sjogren’s Syndrome
They are also helpful for people recovering from surgeries that have sensitive corneas.
Visit EyeCare Associates for Scleral Lenses
EyeCare Associates makes it easy to get scleral lenses. We have 31 locations across the state of Alabama that are staffed with eye doctors specifically trained to fit and treat patients with scleral lenses. Our skilled contact lens specialists use the latest tools to measure your eyes and fit you with lenses that are perfect for the needs of your unique eyes. These lenses provide sharp vision correction tailored just for you.
Visit us for a contact lens eye exam to see if scleral lenses are right for you. We're just a call or click away!