scleral question for wearers & those who tried re: preservative solution

[jenny2008]

I am very allergic to anything w/ preservatives.. even the preservative in lotemax bothers me. when i tried on the sclerals this past thursday the doc filled them w/ the unisol-which he said the preservative made my eyes red, raw and irritated-and i had to keep them in for a good 10 minutes so he could check them and my vision w/ them. By the time I got to try on sclerals w/o preservatives and him just putting in Theratears (which i love!) I felt better but my eyes and lids were already so irritated by that time.

My family had encouraged me to give it one more shot. To go and try the sclerals again when hopefully my eyes are doing better (in a few weeks or so) and to try them first w/ just Theratears. Is is possible that my eyes got so irritated from the darn preservative that any scleral fitting afterward that day was going to aggravate my eyes? Is is possible that I could still be able to possibly wear the sclerals if i just use regular drops? I know in the past when I have tried drops-even some non-preservative drops -my eyes would flame up and stay that way all day and my lids would just feel so irritated.

Any advise from all the scleral wearers or those who have tried them would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you everyone !!!!

Jen

[rubyslippers]

I am surprised he is using the Unisol with preservatvives. They make some that is preservative free. I also have preservative trouble and there are several preservative free products out there.

[Lucy]

I have Unisol that is preservative-free saline. It is kind of hard to find as not all pharmacies carry it. I can find it at Walgreens. Look for the plain Unisol. I've not heard of it with preservatives, but I guess there is a kind for every imaginable use. Lucy

[jenny2008]

he said there were preservatives in it .. Is is possible that i am just allergic to the unisol? i am hyper sensitive to a lot of products out there that most people can tolerate. I can't even tolerate refresh or celluvic (however you spell it).. I can use theratears and systane..that is pretty much it as for as oct drops...

[Philipp_from_Germany]

Liquid Reservoir in Scleral lenses

Hi:

The only thing you should fill your sclerals with is unpreserved physiological sodium chloride. In other words: Plain, sterile water at 0,9% sodium levels so that it is compatible with the human cell osmotic pressure...(The stuff they plug you on in hospital when they need to stabilize your circulation). Ask your pharmacist where you can get a hold of that in the US.

Forget about all those "posh" drops like Thera Tears (I tried them, they just glued my eye lashes). That's just chemistry bullsh....and a lot of nice marketing effort. All you need is to keep your cornea comfortably wet without adding anything. All required nutrients will be provided for by your mucin output from corneal cells and your own tear film.

I use unpreserved celluvisc sometimes as it does not really consist of anything else but sodium chlorde and a gel substance.

You would NOT want cornea cell damaging preservatives in your scleral lens as your cornea will be exposed to it all the time you're wearing it.

Where did you get your sclerals from anyway??? No reasonable health care professional should allow you to wear sclerals with a preservative in them..

[jenny2008]

I only tried sclerals on. They used unisol and the doc thought i had a reaction to it so then he tried theratears.. my eyes were so red and raw after wearing them for 10 minutes filled with unisol i was wondering if i perphaps a reaction to it and if i should try sclerals again using a differerent solution????

[Philipp_from_Germany]

I only tried sclerals on. They used unisol and the doc thought i had a reaction to it so then he tried theratears.. my eyes were so red and raw after wearing them for 10 minutes filled with unisol i was wondering if i perphaps a reaction to it and if i should try sclerals again using a differerent solution????

Suggest to your doctor to use something like this:

http://www.shop.com/MEDLINE_INDUSTRI...41264-p!.shtml

This is pure sterile water at 0,9% sodium levels. I have been using this with my sclerals for nearly four years. It is the best thing to do.

But, that is of course only my opinion

[jenny2008]

paying for sclerals to be made after a lousy fitting?

Do most doctors require that you pay up front before getting sclerals made? I had no luck with the 3 pairs I tried. The doctor saidl they could tweak them to make them larger over my cornea and flatter on the sclera part of the eye but I would have to pay $2200 up front for them. He said that I would have to pay for the cost of each lens ($300 a piece) plus fittings, etc. He said that the lens is called "jupiter lens".

Has anyone else had to pay upfront for their sclerals when they weren't sure if they would work?

[dianat]

Jenny, where are you going to get your sclerals? Your treatment seems a bit unreasonable to me.

Phillip from Germany is giving you good advice. He's also a scleral user, and has been successful. He is a long-time DEZ poster who is well-known for his resourcefulness and ability to dig up interesting research.

Good to see you Phillip!

Diana

[Philipp_from_Germany]

Thanks for the flowers, Diana It is always good to see you too!

I know that fitting sclerals can be a challenging and frustrating thing but imo if you're lucky enough to be under the care of a skilled technician (I stress that I do not write "physician" beacause it's really a bit more about handcraft than medicine) and do not give up easily there's a great chance that one might get a huge benefit...

Jenny: I spent nearly two full weeks at the practice of the optometrist who fitted mine. It took us 4 different versions (regular ones, mini ones, enlarged ones, tailormade ones) and he even took an impression of my cornea (which was quite unpleasant I can tell you).

Do not give up. If necessary switch the doc. Choose an EXPERIENCED (with fitting sclerals) one! PM me with questions if you'd like more detailed info about my experience in those last four years wearing sclerals...

[jenny2008]

Thank you both for your responses. I too think it's a bit unreasonable. I went to Dr. LeClear in Louisville. I head that there may be a doctor in Bloomington, IN who fits them. I have to call and try to find out her name. I am also going to call Dr. Foulks and tell him about my experience with Dr. LeClear.

Thanks again so much.

[dianat]

I have an email address for Dr. Foulks if you need it. I know Boston is really far, but I would expect them to get high marks from Rebecca...

[jenny2008]

Diana,
thank you ! that would be great-i guess private message me the email address. I called him but he wasn't in the office Friday-I am hoping to get ahold of him on Monday but I know he is extremely busy.

Thank you again in advance. I had high hopes with the sclerals but it was painful and I am kind of down now because of it. I guess I didn't click with the doctor. I feel like he is pressuring me to make $. That makes me sad.

[kurt]

Janis Cotter, O.D.

The Jupiter lens is made by Medlens Innovations, which used to be Innovations in Sight.

Janis Cotter, O.D., used to fit (and maybe still does) this lens. You might see her or contact her and get her opinion before deciding what to do next. It would cost a lot less than buying lenses you are unsure about.

This is taken from www.parkwaysclerals.comand describes her experience with scleral lenses.

Janis M. Cotter, O.D. received her doctorate in optometry in 1985 from the New England College of Optometry. She completed a residency in hospital based optometry at the VA Medical Center in West Roxbury and Brockton, Massachusetts. From 1986 to 1992 she was manager of the Contact Lens Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston , Massachusetts. It was here that she developed her interest and commitment to the use of contact lenses as medical devices for eye diseases. In 1992 she became executive director of a non-profit foundation that specialized in the use of corneal and gas permeable scleral contact lenses for diseased eyes. Doctor Cotter was a member of the team that developed the Boston Scleral Lens. She was responsible for the clinical care of more than 500 patients fitted with the Boston? Scleral lens during her 11 year association with the foundation. Doctor Cotter has been published nationally and internationally as well as lectured nationally and internationally on the use of gas permeable scleral contact lenses. Patients she has fitted with gas permeable scleral contact lenses were featured on Good Morning America, Oprah, and in multiple articles over the years.