Scleral contact lenses are large diameter Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses. They are custom-designed to fit the unique shape of your eye. Unlike all other contact lenses, Scleral lenses do not touch your cornea. Instead, they rest on the conjunctiva, which overlies the white part of your eye and they vault over the cornea. The space between the lens and the cornea is filled with a saline solution, which virtually eliminates poor vision from distorted or irregular corneas. In essence, the Scleral lens almost acts as an “artificial” cornea.

We recommend Scleral lenses in many situations: Irregular corneas from Keratoconus or other corneal conditions, post LASIK/PRK/RK corneas, those with chronic dry eyes, high prescriptions, or poor vision with traditional soft contact lenses.

Because Scleral lenses vault over the cornea, they eliminate refractive issues caused by irregular corneas. By doing this, we can provide clearer vision to those who would otherwise have poor vision with traditional contact lenses or glasses. They are also more comfortable than soft contact lenses because the cornea is completely coated with a special saline solution during wear.

In our office, we provide a free consultation for all established patients. During your consultation, we will use an instrument called a corneal topographer to create a detailed computerized image of the shape of the front of your eye. Then, Dr. Montgomery will place a Scleral lens on your eye from a fitting set and assess various aspects of the fit. A custom lens will then be designed and ordered based on this information. This process takes 10-14 days.

When your custom lenses arrive, you will return and put them on your eye for evaluation. If the lenses fit well, you will be taught how to insert and remove the lenses as well as clean and store them and you will be sent home with them and return for a one week follow up. If the lenses need modifications, Dr. Montgomery will reorder the lenses with appropriate changes. Most initial Scleral fits require several modifications as we see how each subsequent lens fits your eye.

Follow up schedules are 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months during the initial fit.

Scleral lenses are very comfortable on the eye. Most people find them more comfortable than soft contact lenses. Vision is generally expected to be as good or, in most cases much better, than vision in glasses or soft contact lenses. This is because the lens does not touch or interact with the cornea, allowing us to manipulate the optics of your eye by creating an “artificial surface” with the Scleral lens.

First, schedule a comprehensive exam with one of our doctors. At that visit, ask if you’re a candidate. If you are, we will set up a contact lens fitting on another day so that we can spend the needed time with you to properly fit the lens. All patients of our office receive risk-free fits, meaning that there is no charge if you decide not to proceed with scleral lenses after trying them on during the initial fitting.