Hello,
This is the first time I am posting and I am glad to have found this site because I have many questions.
I received scleral lenses for both eyes about a year ago. I am 7 years post allogeneic stem cell transplant because of having chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. I am happy to be above the terra firma, but my eyes are the worst part of my life these days. The dry eye syndrome is part of the myriad of side effects caused by graft versus host disease.
I did not go to Boston to receive scleral lenses; I was told that a local optometrist could do as good a job. I live in Charleston, SC so I wanted to save the cost of transportation etc. The $5000 for the pair of lenses was significant. Of course, the lenses themselves were "only" around $400. The fee for the measurements etc was the bulk of the cost.
Scleral lenses have been a tremendous help. I had difficulty going outside in the bright sun as well as driving at night before I received them. My biggest problem is it is necessary to clean them many times a day (often as many as 30 times or more).
Sometimes I will put them in and they become cloudy almost instantly. I have noticed if I refrain from blinking sometimes the lenses will clear, but as soon as I do blink they become cloudy again. When I take them out, I can see a definite waterline that remains visible on the inside of the lenses.
I have been using Unisol 4 saline solution (mfg by Alcon) to fill the lenses. I store them at night in Boston Conditioning Solution (mfg Bausch & Lomb), and I use Boston Cleaner (mfg Bausch & Lomb) to clean the lenses.
After experimenting by adding a drop or two of the conditioning solution to the saline when I fill them up, I've noticed that sometimes I can delay some of the clouding, sometimes not.
Bill Rosenthal gave me the name of this website and told me "the fact that debris is clouding the lenses means it is entering from the edges. Whether or not a better fit can solve or mitigate this would be impossible to know without seeing you."
Has anyone else had a similar experience? It is just not convenient to carry a backpack with all the paraphernalia necessary to take the lenses out, clean them, and put them back in again. I do this in my car, in restaurant restrooms etc. I could care less about the looks I get, it’s just a pain. It is also psychologically frustrating to view the world through a cloud most of the time. Mentally speaking, it wears you down; especially since as soon as I clean them there is a brief glimpse of what the world used to look like and it is wonderful. I hope I am not complaining too much, but if a trip to Boston would fix this, I am ready and willing.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
This is the first time I am posting and I am glad to have found this site because I have many questions.
I received scleral lenses for both eyes about a year ago. I am 7 years post allogeneic stem cell transplant because of having chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. I am happy to be above the terra firma, but my eyes are the worst part of my life these days. The dry eye syndrome is part of the myriad of side effects caused by graft versus host disease.
I did not go to Boston to receive scleral lenses; I was told that a local optometrist could do as good a job. I live in Charleston, SC so I wanted to save the cost of transportation etc. The $5000 for the pair of lenses was significant. Of course, the lenses themselves were "only" around $400. The fee for the measurements etc was the bulk of the cost.
Scleral lenses have been a tremendous help. I had difficulty going outside in the bright sun as well as driving at night before I received them. My biggest problem is it is necessary to clean them many times a day (often as many as 30 times or more).
Sometimes I will put them in and they become cloudy almost instantly. I have noticed if I refrain from blinking sometimes the lenses will clear, but as soon as I do blink they become cloudy again. When I take them out, I can see a definite waterline that remains visible on the inside of the lenses.
I have been using Unisol 4 saline solution (mfg by Alcon) to fill the lenses. I store them at night in Boston Conditioning Solution (mfg Bausch & Lomb), and I use Boston Cleaner (mfg Bausch & Lomb) to clean the lenses.
After experimenting by adding a drop or two of the conditioning solution to the saline when I fill them up, I've noticed that sometimes I can delay some of the clouding, sometimes not.
Bill Rosenthal gave me the name of this website and told me "the fact that debris is clouding the lenses means it is entering from the edges. Whether or not a better fit can solve or mitigate this would be impossible to know without seeing you."
Has anyone else had a similar experience? It is just not convenient to carry a backpack with all the paraphernalia necessary to take the lenses out, clean them, and put them back in again. I do this in my car, in restaurant restrooms etc. I could care less about the looks I get, it’s just a pain. It is also psychologically frustrating to view the world through a cloud most of the time. Mentally speaking, it wears you down; especially since as soon as I clean them there is a brief glimpse of what the world used to look like and it is wonderful. I hope I am not complaining too much, but if a trip to Boston would fix this, I am ready and willing.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
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