Just a few scleral lens questions

[grandsporta]

Just to start, I had TENS back in 2003 and have been dealing with a lot of dry eye problems since then. I am considering getting the scleral lens' to help with the dry eye portion but how does it correct vision? Does it work like a soft permeable lens that corrects your vision or would I continue to have to wear glasses?

Also, my right eye is my worse eye when it comes to dry eye. Would wearing a scleral lens cause my eye not to be red anymore?

Also, are they comfortable to wear all day?

Last question, with the solution of drops in the lens while you wear them is it difficult to see through all that solution in front of your eye?

Any other tips or advice would be great, thanks!

[Rebecca Petris]

how does it correct vision? Does it work like a soft permeable lens that corrects your vision or would I continue to have to wear glasses?

All gas perm lenses including sclerals can accommodate your prescription

Also, my right eye is my worse eye when it comes to dry eye. Would wearing a scleral lens cause my eye not to be red anymore?

Depends what's causing the redness. Hopefully it would help.

Also, are they comfortable to wear all day?

For many people yes but certainly not all.

Last question, with the solution of drops in the lens while you wear them is it difficult to see through all that solution in front of your eye?

You can't see the solution you're looking through. Vision should be like it would be with any other kind of contact lens.

[grandsporta]

Thanks Rebecca for your feedback. This seems like it will help my dry eyes quite a bit. I head read that it restores your quality of life by almost 100%. Would you say this is true? If I was able to get these lenses, this would change my life completely. That is the honest truth.

Also, would you suggest I get info from Boston Foundation for Sight or another place that does scleral lenses?

[spmcc]

I don't really understand vision correction stuff... but I got sclerals and was told I still needed to wear glasses to read (just with less correction). I would get your prescription and then call/ask someone who makes sclerals if the sclerals will fix all of your prescription (I apologize if my jargon isn't correct on this).

[grandsporta]

I don't really understand vision correction stuff... but I got sclerals and was told I still needed to wear glasses to read (just with less correction). I would get your prescription and then call/ask someone who makes sclerals if the sclerals will fix all of your prescription (I apologize if my jargon isn't correct on this).

That is what I am wondering too. I am near sighted, so I am curious of the scleral lens actually has a vision prescription in the lens like a normal gas permeable lens does.

How do you like your lenses? Have they helped with your dry eye quite a bit?

[spmcc]

As I mentioned, I don't really understand vision-related stuff... but I need correction for driving and for reading. The sclerals fixed me for driving, but not completely for reading and that's why I needed glasses on top of my sclerals.

I wore my lenses once after I got them. They weren't for me

[Rebecca Petris]

That is what I am wondering too. I am near sighted, so I am curious of the scleral lens actually has a vision prescription in the lens like a normal gas permeable lens does.

Sclerals are similar to all other gas permeable contacts. There are two types of vision problem they can address:
1) Refractive error (i.e. your glasses prescription). Any vision prescription can be put in them and some people who get sclerals get them for extreme prescriptions that are not available in any other contact lens and aren't practical in glasses - for example people who have extreme astigmatism after a corneal transplant.
2) Irregular corneas (i.e. surface irregularities) that are not correctible with glasses or soft contact lenses. Many people who pursue sclerals, including myself, do so to correct an irregular cornea because they can't see with glasses. The irregularity may be due to complications from an eye surgery or it may be from disease such as keratoconus. I think keratoconus patients constitute a majority of scleral lens wearers.

The vision component which sclerals DO NOT address is presbyopia. People who are presbyopic (i.e. need readers, or normally wear bifocals or progressives) would either get their distance prescription put in the sclerals and then use reading glasses for near vision, or they would get monovision, where one lens has a distance prescription and one lens has a near prescription.

How do you like your lenses? Have they helped with your dry eye quite a bit?

I like mine fine. They're not perfect, and I have an issue with my left eyelid that causes trouble now and then, but by and large my eyes are good all day most of the time. I see well and I'm comfortable. It is the most sustainable solution I have ever had for vision and dry eye.