2 weeks into sclerals...

[Amyfloor]

No, that is not me (:

[JoeB]

Replacement lenses at BFS are 700$ each!! I was recently fitted and this was one of my questions as well.

Thanks Amy! Are you by any chance the same Amy who posted on dryeyezone on April 12 2005? I'm just wondering because it helps to understand the history and possible solutions to the problem.

Amy09
Scleral Lenses

Hey everyone, it's Amy. A few people suggested the scleral lenses to me from the place in Boston. I talked to my eye specialist on the phone last week and he says he wants to try botox on my eyelids first...

[JoeB]

Thanks!

Thanks Rebecca and MMC for your responses. Very interesting information. It really sounds helpful. I not only have dry eye, but I am near sighted, and some people do not look as good with glasses. I've looked at pictures of people wearing sclerals, and there is an arch in the scleral that goes over the cornea, so it doesn't have to touch it. I'm pretty sensitive about people giving me looks due to my red eyes, because of the dry eye. The sclerals I saw in the picture, from a side view, it looked like it really stuck out from the eye. Have people noticed this in your experience, or not noticed it, the fact that the lens is really above the eye?

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.

[mmc51264]

Rebecca, I have the dry eyes, but I also have astigmatism in both eyes, so the lenses really help with distance vision and I have almost NO photosensitivity wearing them, which helps b/c i have an hour drive home at night (i am a nurse, 3-22 shift)

[mmc51264]

I have "just about the worst dry eyes, I have seen" this is a quote from doctor. LOL. I am still getting great relief. I could not imagine a bigger lens!! I can barely get the 13.5s in! I am still practicing. I really, really like them. My right was almost completely closed and now you can hardly tell the difference between my two eyes.
As an FYI, mine were $1300+ with the fitting.

[Rebecca Petris]

You have dry eye. If I may ask, how do you rate your experience with these lenses? And if there is such a thing as severe dry eye, would you rate your dry eye as worst case, or something different?

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.

[Amyfloor]

Replacement lenses at BFS are 700$ each!! I was recently fitted and this was one of my questions as well.

[JoeB]

Thank you Rebecca! Yes, it does help.

You have dry eye. If I may ask, how do you rate your experience with these lenses? And if there is such a thing as severe dry eye, would you rate your dry eye as worst case, or something different?

JoeB... totally depends on the provider. Prices are all over the map. But in general, I would expect a replacement lens to be much cheaper than the originals because the original fee would include all the fitting work that went into it which is probably the lion's share of the cost, while replacements are just duplicates (unless of course you have to be refitted). Sclerals are rigid gas permeable lenses so they can last a long time (years, ideally), however, sclerals for people with dry eye normally have a plasma treatment to make them more hydrophilic, and the treatment may need to be redone periodically. Hope this helps!

[Rebecca Petris]

JoeB... totally depends on the provider. Prices are all over the map. But in general, I would expect a replacement lens to be much cheaper than the originals because the original fee would include all the fitting work that went into it which is probably the lion's share of the cost, while replacements are just duplicates (unless of course you have to be refitted). Sclerals are rigid gas permeable lenses so they can last a long time (years, ideally), however, sclerals for people with dry eye normally have a plasma treatment to make them more hydrophilic, and the treatment may need to be redone periodically. Hope this helps!

[JoeB]

Hi Rebecca,

In regard to scleral lenses, the price for the first pair is high. With that in mind, how long do they last? And what would a second or third pair cost? Finally, is the cost of scleral lens upkeep similar to soft lenses, or it a whole different picnic basket?

Thanks!
JoeB

[JoeB]

Thanks Rebecca.

[Rebecca Petris]

mmc51264... so great to hear you are getting relief! Thanks for posting. I wore 14.5mm lenses for a couple of years before sclerals. I'm surprised any 13.5mm lens would be characterized as mini scleral, must be mostly or entirely corneal really? But if it works that's what counts! I know what you mean about the benefits extending into the time when you're not wearing them. - Just a word of advice, after some time goes by, make sure you pay close attention to sensations after removal. If you're wearing them basically all your waking hours like I did, it's easy to overlook discomfort that might start happening sometime later after removal that could indicate you need to start looking into lenses that vault more or all of the cornea.

JoeB... I don't think so, though possibly it might make it a little less obvious? Best to talk to someone who fits them.

[JoeB]

Hi, It sounds really good. Can these skleral lenses help in any way to camouflage, or cover up, a vein that goes from the inner corner of the eye to the iris? Thanks.

[DCRdryeye]

13.5mm is a very small diameter. I had a test trial of 14mm mini-sclerals for several hours and they did not help. A second test trial with 18mm definately helped and that's the size we went with. I guess your pain was more around the cornea, whereas many of us have pain in the sclera too, and the more of the sclera that is covered by the scleral lens...the more relief we feel.

[mmc51264]

Severe dry eye (?) Is there another type? The sclerals were recommended for the dry eyes by the opthamologist.