Scleral Lens
Many people have had unpleasant experiences in the past with soft contact lenses. Whether it is because of a lack of vision stability, dryness, or a cornea shape misfit, there is a group of people who may find soft contact lenses unsuitable.
Over the years, contact lens technology has advanced substantially. Almost everyone can now choose from a variety of specialty contact lens alternatives.
The modern scleral lenses are perhaps the most adaptable type of specialty contact lens for people who face issues with traditional contact lenses.
Wondering if scleral lenses are the right choice for you?
Let Eye Braces Clinic help you customise the best scleral lenses to suit your vision needs!
How Scleral Lenses Work
Scleral lenses are rigid gas-permeable contact lenses with a large diameter that vault over the entire corneal surface and rest on the white of the eye (sclera).
Despite the fact that scleral lenses cover the entire cornea, it allows for sufficient oxygen to enter the front surface of the eye to keep it healthy and comfortable.
Scleral lenses typically correct vision problems caused by corneal irregularities by effectively resurfacing irregular corneas to achieve a smooth optical surface, hence allowing patients to regain clear eyesight.
In addition, the space between the cornea and the rear side of a scleral lens acts as a fluid reservoir, allowing those with severe dry eyes to keep moist even with contact lenses.
Types of Scleral Lenses
Scleral contacts are notably larger than ordinary gas permeable lenses. Most standard GP contact lenses are 9.0 to 9.5 mm in diameter and cover just 75 to 80% of the cornea.
Meanwhile, the smallest scleral contact lenses are about 14.5 mm in diameter, while the largest can be up to 24 mm in diameter.
That means that even the smallest scleral lenses are designed to cover the full ocular surface because the average human cornea is 11.8 millimetres in diameter.
Mini Scleral Lenses
Mini scleral lenses vault over the cornea and rest on the anterior sclera.
Smaller scleral and mini-scleral contacts are easier to use, less expensive, and require fewer maintenance items.
Full Scleral Lenses
The largest scleral lenses are whole scleral lenses.
It provides the most coverage between the back surface of the lens and the cornea. In cases of advanced keratoconus, extremely dry eyes, or severe ocular surface disease, a complete scleral lens is prescribed.
Corneo-scleral Lenses and Semi–scleral Lenses
Corneo-scleral and semi-scleral lenses are larger than standard gas permeating lenses and sit near the cornea-sclera junction.
This type of scleral contact lens is a suitable option for people who find soft lenses uncomfortable. They’re also commonly used following LASIK or other corneal refractive surgery.
Let Eye Braces Clinic Customise the Perfect Scleral Contact Lens for You!
Your optometrist at Eye Braces Clinic will identify the appropriate scleral lens type and size for your unique vision needs during your contact lens assessment and fitting.
Scleral lenses require a more involved fitting process than conventional GP lenses so you can enjoy the best-corrected visual acuity possible:
- Initial evaluation of your prescription and eye health.
- Scanning of eye surface using our corneal topographer to analyse your eye shape, size and areas of corneal irregularity.
- Choose an appropriate scleral lens for you from our trial lenses and evaluate how it fits your eye.
- Finally, we use an advanced software to construct your unique set of fully customised scleral lenses based on all the information gathered.
It will take about 2 weeks to make your scleral lenses. When your lenses are ready, we’ll schedule a delivery consultation where we teach you how to care and use your scleral contact lenses.
Ready to get started on your scleral lenses journey?