What are Scleral Lenses?
Scleral lenses are custom designed contact lenses used to correct vision and/or restore the ocular surface, often when other treatment modalities have failed or been unsuccessful. Patients who were unsuccessful to obtain good vision or comfort with other conventional contact lenses can obtain great vision using scleral lenses.
Although Scleral lenses are considered custom/specialty contact lenses, they can become first choice lenses for patients with normal eyes because of the crisp acuity they provide and increased comfort.
Custom Made
Every scleral lens designed is a custom-made lens specifically for the patient’s eye. The lenses are fitted to vault over cornea and maintain a constant hydrated environment between the lens and the cornea. This constant hydrated environment allows for great comfort and also contributes to improved acuity. The fluid layer under the lens contributes to the improved vision because it allows for a compensation for any irregularities in the shape of the cornea, which improves vision.
Expert Fitting
At Staten Island Eye Doctors, we are fitting experts that specialize in fitting scleral lenses. The scleral lenses that we fit are highly permeable to oxygen and provide optimal comfort comparable to soft lenses while achieving a higher optical clarity. In the majority of cases observed, patients report no lens awareness or discomfort while wearing the scleral lenses. Patients are able to achieve all-day comfort and quality vision with scleral lenses which is one major reason for their increased popularity.
What eye conditions would benefit from the use of scleral lenses?
- Dry eye syndrome (Especially if there is a history of poor soft lens tolerance)
- Chemical and burn injuries involving the eye
- Keratoconus and other corneal ectasia
- Corneal Degenerations and other corneal dystrophy
- Eyelid Abnormalities or post-surgical eyelid complications
- Radial Keratotomy (RK)
- Steven-Johnson Syndrome
- Graft vs Host Disease
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Post-corneal transplant
- Complications following Lasik
If you are interested in a custom scleral contact lens fitting, feel free to contact the office at 718-524-9943 for a consultation with one of our doctors at Staten Island Eye Doctors!