Scleral lenses are rigid gas permeable lenses that have a wider diameter. Compared to regular contact lenses that fit your eye, scleral lenses arch over the whole cornea and rest on the sclera. The sclera is the white part of your eye. This design allows scleral lenses to provide the comfort, healthy eyes, and sharp vision they are known for. 

Scleral lenses offer an excellent alternative for hard-to-fit eye conditions like irregular corneas and keratoconus. They are ideal for astigmatism when other contact lenses do not work. They give perfect and effective vision correction.

Why Scleral Lenses?

The common view is that scleral lenses are the lenses to go to when other lenses fail to work. Most eye care professionals use scleral lenses for patients with pellucid marginal degeneration, post-surgical trauma, ocular surface disease, post-trauma, or keratoconus. These patients benefit significantly from the use of scleral lens design. 

Why do scleral lenses work so well for these patients? The answer is that scleral lenses can stabilize on any eye type with an irregular surface. The scleral lenses completely arch over the uneven surface of the cornea and settle on the more normal sclera. 

At Green Eye Care, we offer a wide selection of scleral lenses, to match the needs of your eyes. We offer lenses such as SynergEyes and Zenlens scleral lenses which treat a variety of corneal conditions.

Here are some benefits of scleral lenses:

Comfort

Scleral lenses are very comfortable to wear. The wide diameter of the lenses ensures that it stays behind the lid and does not move as much. When wearing regular lenses, the wearer is aware of the edges of the lens. This can become very uncomfortable since you become aware of every lens's movement. The size of the lens has more to do with comfort than the rigidity of the material.

Stabilization

Scleral lenses offer consistent sturdy optics because they are very stable on the eye. It is improbable for the lens to fall out of the eye during an extraneous activity like sports. This is a significant benefit, especially for very active people throughout the day.

Harmonious Vision

When scleral lenses vault over the cornea, they allow a tear film to form between the arch of the lens and the cornea. The tear film that forms ensures consistent vision that does not deteriorate because of dryness. On the other hand, soft lenses depend on constant moisture to give good optics. The moisture level can vary depending on the medication, the environment, and poor-quality tear production. 

Scleral lenses provide harmonious vision and comfort for patients with good tear film and those without it. Soft and scleral lenses would have the same comfort level for those with good tear film.

Minimized Dryness

Scleral lenses form a consistent tear film between the lens and cornea throughout the day. The tear film ensures that you are comfortable with the lens all day. Patients with dry eyes find scleral lenses the most comfortable to wear. Optometrists also recommend these lenses if you are susceptible to dry eye syndrome.

For more on the benefits of scleral lenses, visit Green Eye Care at our office in New York, New York. You can also call (347) 757-5475 to book an appointment today.