Dry Eye Scleral Lenses

Which liquid for scleral lenses?

Scleral lenses are used for very special eye shapes and irregular eye surfaces. For example, if the cornea is severely deformed or damaged, there are often no options for improving visual acuity with traditional contact lenses and glasses. In that case, a scleral lens may be the solution. But scleral lenses can also be a solution for extremely dry eyes, such as with Sjogren’s syndrome. Then a scleral lens provides excellent protection against drying out of the cornea surface. Scleral lenses are large, rigid rigid lenses of 16 to 25 mm. The lenses fall well over the cornea (the cornea) and land on the white part of the eye, the sclera. There is space between the top of the eye and the back of the lens. This space is filled with liquid.

Scleral lens fluid

Scleral lenses are similar in material to hard contact lenses. Of course you also need contact lens solution for the maintenance of your lenses and for optimal wearing comfort. Below you can read more about the maintenance products that are available.

Chemical disinfection with all in one liquid for scleral lenses

An all-in-one contact lens solution is well suited to disinfect scleral lenses. These liquids contain a preservative that kills bacteria. You may have an allergic reaction to an all-in-one preservative. When you use a scleral lens, the liquid should not feel burning. If you have problems with the lens for the first 10 minutes, it is possible that you cannot stand the preservative. Each brand uses different preservatives. You are not always allergic to all types of preservatives. If it goes well with a certain liquid, keep using it.

Mechanical cleaning

When you take off a scleral lens, there are all kinds of contaminants on the lens material. Proteins and fats are the main component of the attack. A scleral lens is only pleasant to wear without this attack. Moreover, protein deposits in particular can cause an allergic reaction on the inside of the eyelids or the mucous membrane of the eye. By hand polishing the lens material with a cleaner, you can remove deposits more easily. A cleaner is a special soap for contact lenses. Often there is polishing powder in the liquid that can sink to the bottom. This is why you have to shake the liquid before use. A polishing powder is not for sanding, but for smoothing. Small scratches are finished smoother by polishing.

Oxidative disinfection (hydrogen peroxide)

This system is very suitable for scleral lenses. A special lens holder has been developed for the scleral lenses, which fits a lens with a diameter of up to 25 mm. You put the lenses in the lens holder filled with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the evening and the lenses are disinfected at night. On some systems, the color of the liquid changes once the cleaning process is complete. Usually a hydrogen peroxide contact lens is neutralized to a saline solution after 4 hours. You can then reinsert your scleral lenses from the liquid in the morning. The advantage of this liquid is that it contains no preservatives that could cause an allergic reaction.

Scleral lens fluid on the go

Most maintenance and cleaning agents are also readily available abroad. And surfing around on the internet gives you the necessary information about the availability at your holiday address. In addition, many maintenance products are also available in convenient travel packaging.

More information

Of course, there are other maintenance and cleaning agents for scleral lenses available. For more information, please contact the Keratoconus Center in the Netherlands.