What are scleral lenses?
How scleral lenses differ from smaller contact lenses, why a fluid reservoir is used and what safe fitting and follow-up involve.
General patient information
A scleral lens is a larger rigid contact lens designed to vault the cornea and rest on the less sensitive white part of the eye, the sclera. The space beneath the lens is filled with the solution recommended by the clinician before insertion.
What the design is trying to do
By vaulting an irregular cornea, a scleral lens can create a more regular optical surface and may improve vision that spectacles or standard soft lenses do not fully correct. The fluid reservoir can also protect the corneal surface in selected ocular-surface conditions. These are possible benefits, not guaranteed outcomes.
Why fitting is detailed
Diameter, vault, landing alignment, fluid reservoir, optics and handling all need assessment. Diagnostic lenses and corneal measurements help start the process, but the final lens must be reviewed after it has settled on the eye. More than one order or modification may be needed for a complex eye.
Safe wear is an ongoing process
Users need individual training in filling, insertion, removal, cleaning, disinfection and replacement of lens-care items. Only the filling solution specified by the clinician should be used. Water exposure and poor hygiene increase infection risk, and scheduled reviews remain important even when the lens feels comfortable.
- Never top up or reuse solution.
- Keep tap, shower, swimming and spa water away from lenses.
- Remove the lens and seek advice for pain, redness, light sensitivity or sudden blur.