Contact lenses might be some of the most helpful advancements in prescriptive eyewear. They are a welcome alternative to glasses. They provide the freedom of not having eyewear while giving much-needed vision correction.

Soft contact lenses are the most popular type of lenses on the market. However, they cannot correct all conditions and sometimes have unwanted side effects. When your eye condition cannot be improved using regular contact lenses, you may be a candidate for scleral contact lenses. 

What Are Scleral Lenses?

Unlike their soft counterparts, scleral lenses are rigid gas permeable, which means they are hard. It also means they let more oxygen permeate through them. They also differ from other rigid gas-permeable lenses in their wider diameter. Instead of resting on the cornea, they rest on the eye's sclera.

Because of their design, they give the wearer better vision than other lenses. You can also use them for extended periods because they allow the eyes to breathe better. 

Their design makes them an optimal fit for people with irregular corneas. When they vault over the cornea, they create a dam of tears that keeps the ocular surface lubricated. This feature makes them great for a patient dealing with dry eye.

What Conditions Do Scleral Contact Lenses Correct?

As mentioned above, scleral lenses are ideal for patients with irregular corneas and dry eyes. They correct refractive errors caused by these conditions. Major conditions that scleral lenses can correct are:

 

Mild to Severe Astigmatism

Astigmatism refers to the corneal abnormality of having an irregular surface. The cornea is responsible for focusing the light getting into the eye. When the cornea is irregularly shaped, the light fails to focus correctly, creating blurry vision.

Scleral lenses create a regular surface for the light to focus through. Doing this provides a clear, crisp vision to the patient. Regardless of the level of astigmatism you may have, scleral lenses can provide the necessary vision correction.

 

Keratoconus

Keratoconus is where the cornea thins and bulges simultaneously to form a cone-like shape. The odd shape distorts the vision by affecting how the light enters the eye. Sometimes, you may develop keratoconus after laser eye surgery. In these situations, it is called postsurgical ectasia. 

As in astigmatism, scleral contact lenses substitute for the cornea's irregular curvature. Light can focus more effectively on the retina.

Dry Eye From Contact Lens Wear

Dry eye occurs either because the eyes have an imbalanced tear structure or inadequate tears. Tears are vital in keeping the ocular surface lubricated. With insufficient lubrication, the ocular surface may experience excess friction from the eyelids or contacts. 

Scleral lenses form an arch over the cornea, which collects a reservoir of tears. The lens keeps this reservoir from evaporating, thus keeping the cornea well-lubricated.

Complications With Corneal Transplants

The failure rate of corneal transplants is quite high. Twenty percent of full-thickness corneal transplants show symptoms of rejection. It happens because of factors like:

 

• Irritation of the new tissues
   

• Excess strain on the new corneas
   

• Infection of the cornea

Standard contact lenses may cause more damage during this period. On the other hand, scleral lenses form a protective cover over the corneal tissue. 

For more on what scleral lenses do, visit our Clarity Vision office in Apex, North Carolina. Call (919) 367-2832 to book an appointment today.