2 weeks into sclerals...

[JoeB]

Thank you Rebecca. That's no exageration. Those images looked, eh, out of this world...

Nope. Common misconception because of some ghastly old images on Google including some that make the eyes look protuberant. I wear 18.5mm lenses. Even eye doctors I meet at industry events don't notice I'm wearing sclerals unless I tell them. Amongst all the scleral lens wearers I've talked to over the years the only cosmetic complaint I remember hearing is some people can have a slightly glassy-eyed look. (To be fair though have to keep in mind that frankly, most people who NEED sclerals need them so badly they couldn't care less about what the lenses look like.) All that is visible to most folks is the edge of the lens way out on the scleral which frankly isn't that much different from soft lenses.

[JoeB]

Hi Max, Thank you so much for your answer. I appreciate it. I hope the problems you're having with them will soon all be ironed out. Keep us informed with how it goes.

Hi Joe:
I have poor vision but I have to say I don't notice the lenses when I look in the mirror. I do notice that my eyes seem wider - I'm not squinting due to the pain of the dry eye which is otherwise a constant problem.

After reading your question, I asked my husband if he notices the lenses. He has excellent eyesight and said "If he he didn't know they were there, he would never notice them."

When I'm wearing my Jupiter lenses at palates class, my instructor has commented that I must be having a much better day because my eyes look so much better - less red and again, my eyes are open and actually more natural looking.

I don't think you'd have anything to worry about, but the Jupiter folks are changing the depth of the area that holds the fluid next to my cornea in order to address the cloudiness I've experienced with the last set of lenses. My optometrist did not mention anything about the changes making the lenses more noticeable.

You probably read in my last post that my lenses were initially a very pale green. This was so that I could see them more easily to handle them. The new ones came back clear. My optometrist explained that they had to make the lenses larger, and if the new ones were the pale green, they would have been visible on the white of the eye. So that was explained to my satisfaction. Again, even with the larger lenses, my husband does not notice I'm wearing contacts.

My right lens in pretty much as good as I'm going to get and I literally forget I'm wearing it. It's like someone put bandages on my corneas. The pain is gone. I can wear it without problems for about ten hours. I choose not to take them out to watch TV or go to the movies because the acute dry eye is so so so much worse and I can't concentrate on the film. Bright bright light can sometimes be annoying, but outdoors I wear sunglasses anyway and when watching a film its a minor inconvenience that I feel I will ultimately adjust to completely.

[JoeB]

Hi Max,

You said at the palates class your instructor commented on how your eyes were less red. Before you had these contacts, did you have specific prominent veins on the sclera that were noticeable? How would you describe the veins when wearing these lenses? Slightly irritated looking, or much less so? Did people look at you funny because of the veins before you had the contacts, and do people look at you funny when you are wearing them due to still irritated eye veins, or do the veins with the lenses on now look really almost normal, perhaps just slightly irritated, which isn't too uncommon even for people with very healthy eyes? Thanks!

Hi Joe:
I have poor vision but I have to say I don't notice the lenses when I look in the mirror. I do notice that my eyes seem wider - I'm not squinting due to the pain of the dry eye which is otherwise a constant problem.

After reading your question, I asked my husband if he notices the lenses. He has excellent eyesight and said "If he he didn't know they were there, he would never notice them."

When I'm wearing my Jupiter lenses at palates class, my instructor has commented that I must be having a much better day because my eyes look so much better - less red and again, my eyes are open and actually more natural looking.

I don't think you'd have anything to worry about, but the Jupiter folks are changing the depth of the area that holds the fluid next to my cornea in order to address the cloudiness I've experienced with the last set of lenses. My optometrist did not mention anything about the changes making the lenses more noticeable.

You probably read in my last post that my lenses were initially a very pale green. This was so that I could see them more easily to handle them. The new ones came back clear. My optometrist explained that they had to make the lenses larger, and if the new ones were the pale green, they would have been visible on the white of the eye. So that was explained to my satisfaction. Again, even with the larger lenses, my husband does not notice I'm wearing contacts.

My right lens in pretty much as good as I'm going to get and I literally forget I'm wearing it. It's like someone put bandages on my corneas. The pain is gone. I can wear it without problems for about ten hours. I choose not to take them out to watch TV or go to the movies because the acute dry eye is so so so much worse and I can't concentrate on the film. Bright bright light can sometimes be annoying, but outdoors I wear sunglasses anyway and when watching a film its a minor inconvenience that I feel I will ultimately adjust to completely.

[JoeB]

Hi Max, For each fitting, have you had to purchase new lenses?

Hi I'm on my fifth try with Jupiter sclerals and seems like we're getting close. I have had a problem with the last lenses which build up debris and cloud my vision after only two hours wear. My first pairs were often clear and had to cleaned only every other day. Now I have two problems with the current set, the cloudy buildup and bubbles appearing under the lenses after they've been thoroughly checked and look clean. My husband uses a bright flashlight and carefully checks for bubbles.

My first Jupiters were a very pale green tint. I had a choice between a blue and a green for ease of seeing the lenses. No color appears on the eyes. These last lenses are clear; no tint. The right is worse than the left when it comes to building up a cloudy residue. I asked if they were Plasma and I was told they were. I can't figure this out. And, while I don't want to sound like I'm a complainer, the optometrist just doesn't seem to be interested in anything I have to say. It's like she's bored and seems unwilling to tell me if she has any previous experience with Jupiter lenses. She just wants me to point out how they feel and then shut the heck up.

[JoeB]

That's interesting. When I wear soft contacts, after a few hours my eye gets irritated, and I know this due to red veins. Is the irritation coming to the eye due to something with the contact touching the cornea? I assumed that the contacts were absorbing the tears, removing the moisture,and drying the eye out, but maybe there is another reason. A second question is, even when you wear your sclerals, do you practise good computer hygiene as in wearing goggles, etc.? I assume yes due to things you've said before.

I've been wearing them for 6.5 years. Overall quite good experience. However bear in mind I am primarily a vision case, secondarily dry eye. I wear sclerals because I have to wear rigid lenses to see but can't tolerate lenses that touch my corneas. I'm definitely not a worst-case type dry eye - I am not severely aqueous deficient for example, but very, very uncomfortable without my lenses.

[JoeB]

May I ask, what size are these new sclerals?

Hi I'm on my fifth try with Jupiter sclerals and seems like we're getting close. I have had a problem with the last lenses which build up debris and cloud my vision after only two hours wear. My first pairs were often clear and had to cleaned only every other day. Now I have two problems with the current set, the cloudy buildup and bubbles appearing under the lenses after they've been thoroughly checked and look clean. My husband uses a bright flashlight and carefully checks for bubbles.

My first Jupiters were a very pale green tint. I had a choice between a blue and a green for ease of seeing the lenses. No color appears on the eyes. These last lenses are clear; no tint. The right is worse than the left when it comes to building up a cloudy residue. I asked if they were Plasma and I was told they were. I can't figure this out. And, while I don't want to sound like I'm a complainer, the optometrist just doesn't seem to be interested in anything I have to say. It's like she's bored and seems unwilling to tell me if she has any previous experience with Jupiter lenses. She just wants me to point out how they feel and then shut the heck up.

[Betsy]

Oh boy lot's of info, will have to read it all, may end up with even more questions now, thanks Max. Wish I could get notification when someone responds to a message I send.

[Max]

I was just called and told they are going to fit me for much larger sclerals but its going to take time to get the test lenses because the Jupiters are loaned out by the manufacturer to opticians and I have to wait until one set is returned and then sent to my optician.

I'm just hoping this can happen before Christmas.

[Rebecca Petris]

Oh boy lot's of info, will have to read it all, may end up with even more questions now, thanks Max. Wish I could get notification when someone responds to a message I send.

Betsy, you can.

1) Click on "Private Messages" in the blue bar towards the top left of the screen.

2) Scroll down under "My Settings" till you see "General Settings", and click on that.

3) If you want to be emailed when someone replies to a post of yours (or in a thread of yours), look under Messaging and Notification where it says "Default Thread Subscription Mode". Switch it to one of the email options.

4) If you want to be emailed when someone PMs you, click "Receive Email Notification of new Private Messages" further down that same page.

5) Don't forget to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of that page.

[Betsy]

Thanks Rebecca! Will changing it now also work for older messages I did in which I didn't have the instant setting or just for future messages?

[Dog2012]

i found these using Google and there are more links. I used the Keyword Jupiter scleral lenses for dry eye


Jupiter Scleral | Visionary Optics | Innovative Contact Lens ...
http://www.visionary-optics.com/jupiter-scleral
Product information about Jupiter Scleral, the ultimate contact lens for ... and asymmetric corneas as well as provide a large tears for severe dry eye cases.

Fitting Techniques for a Scleral Lens Design - Contact Lens Spectrum
http://www.clspectrum.com/articlevie...ticleid=102474
Jan 1, 2009 – The Jupiter scleral contact lens (Medlens Innovations, Inc./Essilor) is ... secondary to severe dry eye syndrome, Stevens Johnson syndrome, ...

Today's Scleral Lens - Review of Optometry
http://www.revoptom.com/continuing_e...st/.../108308/
The recent resurgence of scleral contact lenses has significantly improved our ... more is important with scleral lenses, because they semi-seal to the eye, making tear .... Jupiter scleral lenses in the management of chronic graft versus host disease. ... P. Boston scleral lens prosthetic device for treatment of severe dry eye in ...

Jupiter Fit Guide.indd - ABBA Optical, Inc.
http://www.abbaoptical.com/images/jupiter_fit_guide.pdf
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
The Jupiter Scleral Lens falls into multiple overall diameters: 15.0mm, ... and asymmetric corneas as well as provide a large tear volume for severe dry eye cases. .... To successfully fit the Jupiter contact lens, you must meet three objectives: ...

New scleral contact lens offers hope for patients with severe corneal ...
http://www.mayoclinic.org/.../sclera...isease-opu0102...
Scleral contact lenses allow cornea subspecialists to deal more effectively ... "The patient with dry eye worries about a lens abrading the compromised ... At Mayo, Dr. Schornack began fitting scleral lenses using the Jupiter design scleral lens, ...

Hope these help

Max

I am wondering how difficult to put them on and take them off.?

[Betsy]

If a person couldn't wear hard or gas permeable contacts, is it safe to assume they won't be able to handle sclerals either? I use to wear soft contact lenses and only one type worked well at the time. I worry I won't be a candidate though my eyes need it. How comfortable are they really?

[Rebecca Petris]

If a person couldn't wear hard or gas permeable contacts, is it safe to assume they won't be able to handle sclerals either? I use to wear soft contact lenses and only one type worked well at the time. I worry I won't be a candidate though my eyes need it. How comfortable are they really?

Generally, no, but it depends on the reason for not being able to wear other lenses. Normally the problem with any contact lens is related to the cornea. Normal contacts sit right on the cornea. The whole point of sclerals is that they don't, they vault over it. So issues related to corneal sensation aren't normally an issue with sclerals.

[Max]

Betsy: Rebecca said it all: "The whole point of sclerals is that they don't, they vault over it. So issues related to corneal sensation aren't normally an issue with sclerals."

They use saline to cover your corneas and I failed with every contact lens option in the past (hard lenses and soft lenses) due to intense sensitivity of my corneas and an inability for the contacts to sit in position on my irregular corneas. They always slid down and I saw a half moon at the top..

Now I feel nothing on my corneas. If we can fit them properly, I know these are going to work for me. I can't wait to put them on in the morning. My eyes go from painful to a sense of deep relief!

Hope that is help to you.

[Betsy]

Thank you both, it's good to know that comfort may not be an issue with these. I need to find someone in my area that does them if I can avoid having to travel. Nothing came up when I did a search in my area but I will make some calls and see what I can find out. I know I asked my doctor about it years ago and he said they didn't do them or know anyone that does in the area.

I wonder how the lens can produce just the right amount of lubrication without overdoing it. 4 plugs can make you blurry but 2 is not enough. Would I remove my plugs if I tried scleral lenses?