Implications of long term scleral lens wear

[Milo007]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4383242/

[ebi1368]

I know you are trying to inform people about using scleral lens and inflammation etc.

If we are using Scleral lens it is bc we have to. I come to this forum to get help and feel better. The posts like this just add more stress.

[Milo007]

I know you are trying to inform people about using scleral lens and inflammation etc.

If we are using Scleral lens it is bc we have to. I come to this forum to get help and feel better. The posts like this just add more stress.

Sorry but you would perhaps regret more if you incurred permanent damage to your tissues without being aware of the potential dangers of "extended" scleral lens wear.

I am just trying to inform people that wearing sclerals for extended hours at a time could be harmful in the long run. There should be shorts breaks after every 3-4 hours of scleral wear to keep the lacrimal apparatus functional.

I don't intend to stress you out but perhaps you should wear sclerals in short spans of a few hours with intermediate breaks of 30 minutes or an hour. You would certainly want to sustain the option of wearing them on a longer basis.

[Milo007]

I know you are trying to inform people about using scleral lens and inflammation etc.

Wait a minute!

Where did you get the possible connection of inflammation due to scleral lens wear in that article?

It's the other way round for people with OSD using scleral lenses. Perhaps you are assuming I am advocating against the use of scleral lenses which I am not. The only major concern with scleral lenses seems to be a decrease in the basal tear production (a sign of down regulation of the lacrimal functional unit). This must be managed to prevent possible atrophy of the lacrimal glands.

[ebi1368]

maybe did not read that throughly. Sorry I am just having bad days with no light at the end of tunnels.

[Alix]

In summary according to this article, most people wear sclerals because they have OSD like us rather than Keratoconus will not run into problems.

Only scleral wearers who have Keratoconus are likely to have face issues with basal tear production.

It is not very practical to take breaks from wearing sclerals during the day no doctor is going to advise you to do that.

[Milo007]

maybe did not read that throughly. Sorry I am just having bad days with no light at the end of tunnels.

Same here. I am having a horrible time after some good memories of some good days a few weeks ago when I was on doxycycline. Things got really screwed up in the last 3-4 days dramatically. I am terribly upset today.

[Alix]

Same here. I am having a horrible time after some good memories of some good days a few weeks ago when I was on doxycycline. Things got really screwed up in the last 3-4 days dramatically. I am terribly upset today.

I am pretty fed up as well. Let’s all try and hang in there.

[Milo007]

In summary according to this article, most people wear sclerals because they have OSD like us rather than Keratoconus will not run into problems.

Only scleral wearers who have Keratoconus are likely to have face issues with basal tear production.

It is not very practical to take breaks from wearing sclerals during the day no doctor is going to advise you to do that.

Well the bad news is not only people with distorted corneas are going to have reduced basal tear production but people who have MGD but not true aqueous deficiency with normal corneal nerve density and structure are also going to face the same problem. Any individual with a normally functioning lacrimal gland and healthy corneal nerves is going to pose risk to the lacrimal glands due to scleral lens wear.

I was contemplating sclerals for managing those bad days when my lipid secretions go really low. Also I was counting on them as a backup to manage work hours in air conditioned spaces. But it seems the option is not without risk.

I agree that taking break from wearing sclerals is not a practical solution to the problem. But the results and hypotheses of the study is giving me scary thoughts. I don't want my lacrimal glands to get affected trying to address my MGD. This disease continues to be the most insane thing that can ever happen to anybody.

[Milo007]

I am pretty fed up as well. Let’s all try and hang in there.

Thanks for making us optimistic.

I was wondering that if we wear sclerals for say 8 hours a day and remain without sclerals for around another 6 hours a day the normal lacrimal functioning should not be adversely hampered.

I think the results of the study would largely depend on whether the basal tear production was measured immediately after removing the sclerals on the test subjects or a few hours after it.

[Alix]

Well the bad news is not only people with distorted corneas are going to have reduced basal tear production but people who have MGD but not true aqueous deficiency with normal corneal nerve density and structure are also going to face the same problem. Any individual with a normally functioning lacrimal gland and healthy corneal nerves is going to pose risk to the lacrimal glands due to scleral lens wear.

I was contemplating sclerals for managing those bad days when my lipid secretions go really low. Also I was counting on them as a backup to manage work hours in air conditioned spaces. But it seems the option is not without risk.

I agree that taking break from wearing sclerals is not a practical solution to the problem. But the results and hypotheses of the study is giving me scary thoughts. I don't want my lacrimal glands to get affected trying to address my MGD. This disease continues to be the most insane thing that can ever happen to anybody.

Whilst I cannot speak for everyone who wears sclerals for OSD, we wear them because we don't have any other choice. They are the only option to get our life back, to be able to function, to be pain free.

Of course they are not without risk but you can't tell people who are in constant pain that they should not wear sclerals as they may cause further damage, because people do not spend $$$$ or ££££ etc and hours getting fitted if they had not exhausted all other options.

Personally I am willing to wear sclerals because they are the only thing that stop the pain, albeit only during the time I have them in.

This buys me time to look for solutions which may enable me to one day stop wearing them, whether this be PRP, xiidra or something else which hasn't even been invented yet.

[Milo007]

Whilst I cannot speak for everyone who wears sclerals for OSD, we wear them because we don't have any other choice. They are the only option to get our life back, to be able to function, to be pain free.

Of course they are not without risk but you can't tell people who are in constant pain that they should not wear sclerals as they may cause further damage, because people do not spend $$$$ or ££££ etc and hours getting fitted if they had not exhausted all other options.

Personally I am willing to wear sclerals because they are the only thing that stop the pain, albeit only during the time I have them in.

This buys me time to look for solutions which may enable me to one day stop wearing them, whether this be PRP, xiidra or something else which hasn't even been invented yet.

Agreed. This is probably the last thing that might save us regardless of the risks.

[WillowTree]

I'm glad you brought this up, Milo007 . Better to be aware of this possibility