5 Facts You Should Know About Scleral Lenses

Scleral contacts are gas permeable contact lenses that are designed to vault over the entire cornea area and rest on the sclera (the white) of your eye. They are meant to replace an irregular cornea with a smooth one to help correct vision. Dry eye scleral lenses remain a great vision correction option for those who haven’t had success with other types of visual correction such as prescription glasses or other contact lenses.

 

At Miami Contact Lens Institute, our team designs custom lenses for each patient with a specific fitting process that ensures they fit your eyes stably and comfortably. Learn more about scleral lenses to see if they’re a great vision correction option for you.

 

Related post: Scleral Lenses: 10 Questions to Ask Your Optometrist

 

Important Facts About Scleral Lenses

When considering whether scleral lenses are best for you, it’s important to consider these benefits and facts about using this type of specialty lens.

1. 1. Scleral lenses help with dry eyes
      Scleral lenses offer a tear film reservoir between the cornea and the back surface of the lens. This layer helps keep your cornea hydrated and can help address symptoms and signs in dry eye disease.
   2. Scleral lenses are great for people with irregular corneal shape
      Patients that have irregular astigmatism, including but not limited to keratoconus, usually cannot be treated with prescription glasses or soft contact lenses especially in advanced cases. However, scleral lenses are more rigid, unlike soft lenses, and don’t move when placed in the eye making them a secure and comfortable fit. The tear film reservoir neutralizes the irregular cornea.
   3. Scleral lenses are custom made for each patient
      At Miami Contact Lens Institute, we use the sMap3D™ created by Visionary Optics. This technology offers a non-invasive way of mapping out the eye and fitting a patient for scleral lenses. The scan takes just a few minutes. The patient must look up, down, and straight ahead for this customization process to be completed. After this mapping, the machine will make lens suggestions to wear for an over-refract test. After both tests, our eye doctors can order custom-fitted scleral lenses for you. We also use technology in which we do a mold-impression of the eye to design a lens known as the EyePrintPRO. This is the highest available technology in scleral lenses.
   4. Scleral lenses help heal the eyes
      Scleral lenses specifically help to promote healing of the cornea, conjunctiva, and prevent friction from the eyelids. Due to the unique way the lens fits over the eye, it gives eyes the hydration the entire time it is worn. This also helps keep any irritants out of the eyes.
   5. Scleral lenses are long-lasting
      Scleral lenses are made of high-quality materials, which means they can last a long time. This means that while the cost of these lenses initially, they can last much longer. Follow-up visits with our optometrist allow you to determine when it’s time to get a new pair.

 

EyePrintPro™: A Scleral Lenses Alternative

While scleral lenses can be incredibly beneficial for a patient that has certain eye conditions, there are also other alternatives such as the EyePrintPro™. The EyePrintPro™ is similar to scleral lenses in many ways such as the weight of the lens and the material that is used. To design the EyePrintPRO^TM, an impression of the eye is done. Utilizing EyePrintPro™ has been shown to be particularly advantageous for clients that have irregular astigmatism and keratoconus. When you meet with one of our eye doctors, we will speak with you more about EyePrintPro™ and whether this is the best option for you.

 

 

 

Book an Appointment Today to Learn More About Our Scleral Lenses

At Miami Contact Lens Institute, we offer scleral lenses to patients with corneal damage, irregularly shaped corneas, dry eyes, and other eye conditions. Our specialty lens fitting technology offers the best possible fit and experience. Our cutting-edge practice helps restore vision to patients. Get in touch with us today to learn more about scleral lenses and to schedule an appointment.