Scleral lens issue

[fella]

I'm having an interesting issue with my scleral lenses.

I can wear my lens for 12+ hours & for the most part they feel great. The problem is when I take out the lens my eyes feel nice and moist but after about 15 minutes my right eye (in which I've had a graft due to Keratoconus) starts feeling dry I.e. gritty +f oreign body sensation

During the night I wake up with dry eye symptoms and in the morning my eye is sore. When I put in the lens the following day things feel better again.

The interesting thing is that if I stop wearing the lens, the majority of the dry eye symptoms go away after a couple of days. The left eye doesn't exhibit these symptoms. My doc has checked both lenses & the fit is good.

Anyone else experiencing anything similar or have any theories on what night be causing this?

[DCRdryeye]

Hi fella, great you are able to wear your sclerals for 12+ hours. Because your eye is bathed in fluid for that long it does feel good when you take them off. That's what I found, but I can only wear them for 6 hours before my conjunctiva is very red, bad fitting process. I am not sure why one of your eye seems to be worse than the other. I also have the same problem. Have you had the differences in corneal, punctal, conjunctival, etc all checked out?
I must ask you, what diameter sclerals are you wearing eg: 18mm or more? did you get them done at BFS?....

[Amyfloor]

Hi Fella!

How fabulous that you can wear your lenses for 12+ hour with no discomfort!! I can wear mine for about 10 and then I must take them out since they are sooooooo uncomfortable. And yes, I was fitted at BFS. My eyes feel fabulous for a couple of hours after removal as well since they are being bathed in the saline. Even after the dryness kicks back in they are nice and clear but burn like heck. At that point I usually try and go to sleep. Recently, I have tried a bit of oinment when the burnig starts and that has helped (who knows for how long tho...). Have your tried a bit of celluvisc?

[fella]

Hi fella, great you are able to wear your sclerals for 12+ hours. Because your eye is bathed in fluid for that long it does feel good when you take them off. That's what I found, but I can only wear them for 6 hours before my conjunctiva is very red, bad fitting process. I am not sure why one of your eye seems to be worse than the other. I also have the same problem. Have you had the differences in corneal, punctal, conjunctival, etc all checked out?
I must ask you, what diameter sclerals are you wearing eg: 18mm or more? did you get them done at BFS?....

The lens is 18mm in the right & smaller in the left. Due to the host/donor junction I needed more clearance in my right eye. The lens were fitted by my doctor. He has a state of the art operation eg instruments to measure the number of microns of tear film between lens & cornea etc etc.

I have had specialists at UCSF tell me I don't have dry eye, but other doctors have told me I do. It sure feels like I do in my transplant eye, though it fluctuates ie there are cycles of what feels like dryness, and at other times it feels fine. I think it's just the fact that I've had a transplant and that messes up all the nerves that signal tear production

[fella]

Hi Fella!

How fabulous that you can wear your lenses for 12+ hour with no discomfort!! I can wear mine for about 10 and then I must take them out since they are sooooooo uncomfortable. And yes, I was fitted at BFS. My eyes feel fabulous for a couple of hours after removal as well since they are being bathed in the saline. Even after the dryness kicks back in they are nice and clear but burn like heck. At that point I usually try and go to sleep. Recently, I have tried a bit of oinment when the burnig starts and that has helped (who knows for how long tho...). Have your tried a bit of celluvisc?

I actually use a drop of celluvisc plus a drop of refresh optiv preservative free right before I go to sleep. I add the refresh Optiv because the thickness of celluvisc actually bothers my right eye. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with my eye feeling dry/sore. Blinking is actually uncomfortable. Adding more lubrication help smooth the blinking, but doesn't really help the discomfort. Other times I wake up with my eye feeling ok, but then it feels dry (or I should say sore) about 10-15 minutes after I get up, and on some days I feel fine. Basically really annoying.

Again the issues are for the most part in my right (transplant) eye. I do sometimes get foreign body sensations in my left eye, but thankfully it's been rare so far.

[bakunin]

Hi Fella!

How fabulous that you can wear your lenses for 12+ hour with no discomfort!! I can wear mine for about 10 and then I must take them out since they are sooooooo uncomfortable. And yes, I was fitted at BFS. My eyes feel fabulous for a couple of hours after removal as well since they are being bathed in the saline. Even after the dryness kicks back in they are nice and clear but burn like heck. At that point I usually try and go to sleep. Recently, I have tried a bit of oinment when the burnig starts and that has helped (who knows for how long tho...). Have your tried a bit of celluvisc?

Amyfloor,

I'm thinking about trying sclerals. I had a trial for two hours with discomfort (including hurt feeling - pain n the eyelid).

Did you notice if your symptoms are better or worse when you are not wearing them after months of use?

I'm a little bit afraid that my symptons get worse when not wearing them so I become dependent on them.

[Amyfloor]

Honestly, I have good days and bad days with the lenses. I think with any chronic condition, you just don't know what to expect.

However, to answer you question, after removal my eyes usually feel pretty good for a couple of hours because they have been bathed in saline for many hours. Today, one eye is really red and I have no idea why. I am just hoping it is gone by tomorrow.

I wouldn't worry about becoming "dependent" on the lenses because if you are able to wear them without discomfort you will be fine.

Please let me know how your fittings go!