More input about Dr. Gemoules's lens

[icycarol]

Hi, I've read some good news here about Dr. G's lens. But since I live in a place far away from America, I'd love to here more experience ( good or bad) about the lens before I decide to travel there. My condition is mainly lack of tears, I have a pair of scleral lens now, but my left eye is so dry and the lens do not have plasma coating so the wettability is not good. I constantly feel the dryness from the lens surface and it is uncomfortable.

Please share your experience. Thank you!

Carol

[grandsporta]

Just so you know, you'll still have to put drops in when you wear the lenses. Think of it as a dry windshield wiper on a windshield. His lenses do come plasma coated. The great thing about Dr. G is he takes a lot of time making sure the lens you get fits perfectly. He uses a lot of high technology to make sure it is a true fit. I have been wearing his lenses for over 2 years, every single day. You know when you go to him, you'll get a high quality pair of lenses that will fit your eyes perfectly.

[icycarol]

Grandspirta,
Can I ask how often do you need to put drop in ? Do you feel the friction between your eyelid and lens?
Thank you !

Carol

[grandsporta]

Grandspirta,
Can I ask how often do you need to put drop in ? Do you feel the friction between your eyelid and lens?
Thank you !

Carol

Carol, the first thing you have to understand is this is not a cure for dry eye symptoms. I still have to put drops in once every 20-30 minutes or so. What the lenses do is keep your eyes wet through the day so your corneas are being scratched and exposed to the daily elements. In other words, it keeps my eyes from getting worse, corrects my vision, and keeps my eyes from being red. My eyes don't burn like they used to, and I don't get double vision anymore. It allows me to go outside and not have to worry about my eyes getting worse.

[MGD30]

Can someone please compare scleral lenses to moisture chamber glasses? Do they attempt to do the same thing as the glasses? Also what type of dry eye condition do they usually work well for?

[DCRdryeye]

MGD30:

Nothing can really beat Moisture Chamber Glasses! They were the best things I bought when in the midst of my dry eye turmoil, I was able to order them quickly through Rebecca, and they worked. I always use my Moisture Chambers over my Scleral lenses unless I’m in a situation where I don’t want to where ‘glasses’, eg: At a restaurant socializing with friends, an interview etc.

Sclerals cost an abundant more than Moisture Chambers, can take a very long process to get a good fit and don’t work for everyone. However, if you obtain them, they differ obviously because they contain a fluid reservoir and keeps your cornea and part of your sclera moist all day. They are fitted according to your prescription and provide some protection for UV light.

I cannot survive more than about 30 minutes without Moisture Chamber Glasses without Scleral lenses (especially in the wind or air conditioned room). My eyes become irritated, requiring frequent drops, squinting is common and the pain becomes so unbearable my Moisture Chambers must go back on! However, whilst wearing Sceral lenses, I can go without Moisture Chamber Glasses for a few hours as long as I’m applying drops every 30 minutes to one hourly. I have managed several hours without applying drops whilst wearing Scleral lenses but that was a marathon and an experiment .

Generally Scleral lenses aren’t as effective for MGD. However, I have MGD and it simply means I must apply more drops with the lenses and wear moisture chambers over the top of them. But they have definitely been a blessing.

Do Scleral lenses do the same thing as glasses. Are you referring to normal prescription glasses from an optometrist? The answer is ‘partly’. They are like contact lenses and can correct vision problems, but unlike contact lenses they are therapeutic for conditions like Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Keratoconus and….Dry Eye.

[MGD30]

MGD30:

Nothing can really beat Moisture Chamber Glasses! They were the best things I bought when in the midst of my dry eye turmoil, I was able to order them quickly through Rebecca, and they worked. I always use my Moisture Chambers over my Scleral lenses unless I’m in a situation where I don’t want to where ‘glasses’, eg: At a restaurant socializing with friends, an interview etc.

Sclerals cost an abundant more than Moisture Chambers, can take a very long process to get a good fit and don’t work for everyone. However, if you obtain them, they differ obviously because they contain a fluid reservoir and keeps your cornea and part of your sclera moist all day. They are fitted according to your prescription and provide some protection for UV light.

I cannot survive more than about 30 minutes without Moisture Chamber Glasses without Scleral lenses (especially in the wind or air conditioned room). My eyes become irritated, requiring frequent drops, squinting is common and the pain becomes so unbearable my Moisture Chambers must go back on! However, whilst wearing Sceral lenses, I can go without Moisture Chamber Glasses for a few hours as long as I’m applying drops every 30 minutes to one hourly. I have managed several hours without applying drops whilst wearing Scleral lenses but that was a marathon and an experiment .

Generally Scleral lenses aren’t as effective for MGD. However, I have MGD and it simply means I must apply more drops with the lenses and wear moisture chambers over the top of them. But they have definitely been a blessing.

Do Scleral lenses do the same thing as glasses. Are you referring to normal prescription glasses from an optometrist? The answer is ‘partly’. They are like contact lenses and can correct vision problems, but unlike contact lenses they are therapeutic for conditions like Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Keratoconus and….Dry Eye.

Thanks for the response. My doctor said the same thing, that moisture chamber glasses are going to be a lot more effective than the sclerals. I just wanted to get another opinion. I'm the same way, I cant stay without my moisture glasses on, they were by far the treatment which has helped me the most. I might look to get sclerals later on if my eyes become any better. It sounds like they are not really an option now.

I have one more question. Do you feel better with both the scerals and the moisture chamber glasses on than just the glasses?

[DCRdryeye]

"Do you feel better with both the scerals and the moisture chamber glasses on than just the glasses?"

The answer to this question varies. It depends on the situation.

Firstly, scleral lenses can be felt in the eyes and be slightly uncomfortable or just a feeling that they are there, especially if you haven’t been applying lubrication over them. I think this is the same for all brands and it depends on the level of dryness one has. I have severe dry eyes, schirmer’s of 0-1, and when applying drops over the Sclerals they feel nice and comfortable again. For those who are ‘moderately’ dry they would not have the same level of discomfort and wouldn’t need to apply drops as often as I do. Those wearing sclerals with “normal” eyes, would feel comfortable most of the time.

Dry eyes makes EVERYTHING dry including the eyelids and all the conjunctiva/whites of the eyes. Those areas are very sore for me as well, thus Scleral lenses don’t help there…the moisture chambers do!!

Ideally, I prefer to wear my moisture chamber glasses without the scleral lenses. It’s more comfortable and easier. There’s no worry or time spent inserting or removing the scleral lenses and I don’t feel them at all. But that is not possible most of the time.
The following give a few examples of situations and activities where I’d wear either only moisture chamber glasses, only scleral lenses and both moisture chamber glasses and scleral lenses together….

MOISTURE CHAMBER GLASSES ONLY

a. Whilst at home with no air conditioning or heating
b. A nice sunny day without wind
c. In the morning upon first awakening

Unfortunately, there are not many situations where I can just survive with moisture chambers. In fact, when I had my lower punctum’s cauterized I was recommended not to pry the eyelids open to insert Scleral lenses for 2 months to allow proper healing of tissue. Well, those two months were very difficult and made me realize just how much the Scleral lenses were reducing the pain of dry eyes. I’m so glad I’m wearing them again.

SCLERAL LENSES ONLY

a. Walking along a city street at night (as long as it’s not too windy)
b. A social situation such as at a restaurant
c. A class situation where I’m looking at the tutor and a white board.

The above situations I prefer to be without moisture chamber glasses for social reasons. It’s embarrassing to be in these situations whilst wearing them. Eg: One night at 11pm I was walking along a city street in Melbourne, Australia with my moisture chamber glasses. A guy wacked me very hard across my head (I nearly blacked out) and he said, “It’s night time mate, you don’t need sunglasses!”.
In the situation of being in a restaurant, it’s just awkward talking to people through moisture chamber glasses and especially for those who don’t know why I have to wear them. In fact, at a restaurant I’ve been asked to remove my ‘glasses’ so they can see my eyes whilst speaking to me. At seminars, it’s a different scenario and it’s too difficult to explain…you could imagine that yourself

MOISTURE CHAMBER GLASSES AND SCLERAL LENSES TOGETHER

a. Whilst using computer for extended periods
b. Whilst driving (I’m short sighted)
c. Whilst walking against a heavy wind
d. Horse riding
e. Paragliding
f. Indoors with air conditioning or heating

You’ll notice I need BOTH moisture chambers AND Scleral lenses for many more reasons. The main reason being extremes of weather and computer use. Whilst cantering on a horse for example, the head wind sneaks into the sides of the moisture chamber glasses (no matter how well the foam fits), and so the Scleral lens provided extra protection. I also needed the Sclerals for my short sightedness during these adventure sports.

[DryInDenver]

I'm the opposite where the sclerals help me much more than moisture chambers. Particularly for working on the computer. It was still quite painful after a short period of time when wearing only moisture chambers. It's a big reason why sclerlas helped give me my life back.

DCR makes a good point too regarding social situations. Wearing moisture chamber glasses got easier with time, particularly around close friends and family. But I am a bit shy as it is, so it was tough on me when I was around people I didn't know and in business meetings.

I also concur that wearing both is the best. I've noticed that the effect of dry eye is cumulative. So wearing just one or the other might work for a while, but then eventually become uncomfortable. Once they become uncomfortable, depending on the severity, it takes anywhere from 20 minutes of closing my eyes to several days of babying my eyes whilst getting lots of sleep to for them to rebound. Things are better off if I address the dryness before it flares up. It's kind of like the advice given to distance athletes that if you wait to drink water until you are thirsty, it's too late, you are already dehydrated. So for me, the best way not to get thirsty and to stay hydrated is to wear both moisture chambers and sclerals. What I have been doing lately is wearing glasses over sclerals (my clear WileyX Echos without any foam padding) when at work on the computer but taking them off for meetings and such. Then when I get home I'll wear my cheap goggles with the elastic band over my lenses. But sometimes I take them off just cause they are annoying. Or, if a lens is getting tight or feeling a bit uncomfortable (most common in the winter I'm discovering) then I'll remove the lenses and just use the goggles.

For me, sclerals are one of the best things to ever happen to me and they make each and every day better than it otherwise would be. I couldn't go back. But sometimes, they can be a bit annoying and make me mad. It's like having another toddler in the house. Best thing ever despite the temper tantrums.

[MGD30]

Thanks for all the detail DCR. I cant believe you can go paragliding. Theres so no way I could do that, I struggle when there is a strong gust of wind and I am wearing my glasses. I agree that the moisture glasses will still let wind in, but if they protected better then they would fog up easier. Mine still fog up occasionally. Im surprised you have gotten so much attention from the glasses, especially the negative attention. I havent gotten any attention except for a few compliments, they were probably just trying to be nice though. Which kind do you wear? I have Wiley X and 7eye. The Wiley X, in my opinion, look a lot better; although the 7eye has other advantages.

Im on the fence about getting sclerals right now because of the fact that they might not help me and they cost such an enormous amount of money.

[MGD30]

DryInDenver, do you also suffer from MGD? Do your glasses not have any padding or do you just not use it? If you never use any padding, then they wouldnt be much more usefull than a regular pair of glasses.