Do your eyes constantly feel gritty, burning, or overly watery? You may suffer from dry eye disease. This chronic condition impairs tear production and leaves eyes feeling uncomfortable.

People with dry eye often struggle with reading, driving, or using digital screens. Traditional eyedrops or warm compresses provide temporary relief at best. Scleral lenses offer an innovative solution for managing dry eye symptoms.

What Are Scleral Contact Lenses?

These are larger, thicker rigid gas-permeable contacts. They differ from standard soft contacts in two key ways. First, they extend beyond the cornea onto the whites of your eyes (sclera). Second, they vault over the entire corneal surface. This design creates a liquid reservoir between the back surface of the lens and the cornea.
 

This reservoir acts as a moat. It protects eyes from environmental factors like air, dust, or debris. The liquid also bathes the cornea in a constant layer of artificial tears. This consistent lubrication prevents dry spots from forming. It keeps eyes feeling comfortable throughout the day.
 

Who Can Benefit from Scleral Lenses?

Scleral contacts prove especially useful for people with:
 

• Severe dry eye not responding to conventional treatments.
• Corneal irregularities like keratoconus, corneal scarring, or transplants.
• Graft-versus-host disease.
• Sjogren’s syndrome.
• Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
• Eyes too sensitive for regular contacts.

They offer relief for chronic dry eye caused by medical conditions, injuries, surgeries, or medications. They also help manage discomfort from LASIK complications.

Why Are Scleral Lenses Better than Eyedrops?

People with dry eye frequently use artificial tears or eyedrops. Yet, these provide only brief, temporary symptom relief. As soon as the liquid evaporates from the eye’s surface, dryness and irritation return.
 

In contrast, scleral lenses create a reservoir continuously bathing eyes in preservative-free saline solution or artificial tears. This uninterrupted moisture supply hydrates eyes all day. The liquid environment protects the cornea’s sensitive cells. It prevents further irritation or disruption to the eye's tear film.
 

Advantages over Regular Contact Lenses

Regular soft contacts absorb eye moisture. As a result, they often worsen dry eye symptoms. Furthermore, dry, irritated eyes increase the risk of contact lens intolerance. The failure rate among dry eye sufferers wearing soft contacts is high.
 

Hard rigid gas-permeable lenses rest directly on the cornea’s surface. These lenses may cause discomfort or damage delicate, dry eye-prone corneas. In contrast, scleral lenses create a safe buffer zone by vaulting over the cornea without touching it.
 

Their large diameter design distributes the weight evenly across the sclera. This prevents pressure points or excessive bearing on any one spot. As a result, they maximize eye hydration and comfort while minimizing lid sensitivity or abrasion.
 

Finding the Right Fit

Not all scleral lenses are alike. They come in various diameters. An eye doctor uses specialized tools to measure and map the unique contours of each patient’s eye. This information guides the customized lens design and fabrication.

Creating the ideal scleral lens size and fit involves precise measurements and adjustments. This ensures the liquid reservoir depth provides enough clearance over the cornea. Also, a customized design prevents air bubbles or debris from entering the fluid reservoir. This allows constant hydration throughout wear.

Scleral lenses offer life-changing benefits for dry eye sufferers. However, they require consistent monitoring, follow-up visits, and adjustments as needed. With practice and medical supervision, people find they provide unparalleled relief from dry eye symptoms. They also restore comfort and improve vision quality.

For more on scleral lenses, visit Alamo Eye Care at our San Antonio or Austin, Texas, offices. Call (210) 403-9050 to schedule an appointment today.