We offer the latest keratoconus treatment for patients with less-than-optimal eyesight.
Scleral lenses are specialty, custom-molded lenses that bring clear and comfortable vision to patients with corneal issues such as keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, or post-LASIK complications. If your vision and comfort are lacking because of these complications, don’t settle. Sclerals represent the gold standard keratoconus treatment that is non-surgical. Dr. Eric To is the only practice-owning optometrist in Los Angeles County that is recognized as a Fellow of the Scleral Lens Society. We’d love for you to experience effortless vision, so reach out and let Lumen Optometric restore clarity and comfort to your vision.
Scleral FAQs
As a leading scleral optometrist, Lumen Optometric has the information you need. To give our valued patients more detailed insight about scleral lenses, we’ve compiled a convenient list of FAQs.
What are scleral lenses?
Scleral lenses are large-diameter lenses that create a moisture chamber over the cornea (the clear window of the eye) and gently rest on the sclera (the white, outer layer of the eye). The rigid nature of the lenses makes your vision extremely crisp. Scleral lenses should not be confused with traditional gas permeable (GP) lenses. Traditional GP lenses are small lenses made of durable plastic that sit on the extremely sensitive cornea. Conversely, scleral lenses tend to be much more comfortable because they settle on the less-sensitive sclera.
Who is a candidate for scleral lenses?
Many patients can benefit from scleral lenses, especially those suffering from:
- Keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration
- Higher prescriptions & visual needs that aren’t met by glasses or soft contacts
- Dry eyes, with or without soft contacts
- Glare/distortion after LASIK, PRK or corneal transplants
- Exacting visual demands from things like sports, videography & photography
Will I see a difference between scleral lenses and soft contact lenses?
Scleral lens prescriptions offer greater vision and comfort than soft contact lenses because:
- Scleral lenses are built from highly customizable materials that offer the clearest, most stable vision correction.
- Scleral lenses sit on the less-sensitive part of the eye and are inherently more stable.
- Scleral lenses offer options that make them more customizable for full distance clarity or for improved reading vision.
Do all eye doctors fit scleral lenses?
Not all eye doctors fit scleral lenses, but Lumen Optometric specializes in advanced scleral fitting! Our talented scleral optometrist uses an sMap3D instrument to capture a full 3D representation of your frontal eye. That custom scan helps us build a Scleral 2.0 lens that accurately fits your eye. Lumen Optometric is the only provider in the San Gabriel Valley to offer this state-of-the-art technology, and we liken the process to creating a 100% custom-made suit. Like a tailor designing a suit based on every measurement of your body, Lumen Optometric creates a scleral lens that is more accurate and a healthier fit for your eyes.
What is a Scleral 2.0 lens?
Traditional sclerals, or scleral 1.0 lenses, have been used for roughly a decade. The newer, more technologically advanced Scleral 2.0 lenses are customized specifically for your eye. So while creating a Scleral 2.0 lens is comparable to designing a custom-made suit, fitting scleral 1.0 lenses is similar to modifying an off-the-rack suit: you select a suit size that approximates your body shape and make a limited number of adjustments to help the suit drape over your body’s contours.
Our mission at Lumen Optometric is to aim for a flawless fit with your scleral lenses, not a best-guess approximation. Check out these videos to see what a difference customized scleral lenses can make!
What’s it like to be fit with Scleral 2.0 lenses?
An advanced scleral lens fitting starts with both corneal and scleral topography. A corneal topographer maps the cornea, the clear window of the eye. Scleral topography is a separate, dedicated instrument that can scan the elevation changes of your eye’s white surface. This painless procedure does not require dilation drops, but it does require the use of a temporary dye that enhances our scans. We then place a calibrated “test” scleral lens on your eye. That test lens gives you an opportunity to try out a scleral lens and gives us time to fine-tune your prescription. Once your prescription data is obtained, it’s combined with the shape data to create your fully customized scleral lens.
Please note that during a scleral lens consultation, we take all necessary measurements of your eye. Be prepared to set aside 60 minutes of eye doctor time to ensure that the measurements are correct.
What is the best keratoconus treatment for me? Or if I have pellucid marginal degeneration or any other condition where the cornea is no longer consistent in its shape (post-LASIK/RK/corneal transplant), how will sclerals help me?
Sclerals are the best keratoconus treatment available, they’re the gold standard! They will give you clear, distortion-free vision. Think of an irregular cornea as the warped windshield of a car. That warping distorts what you see through the windshield, leading to extreme glare in addition to distorted vision. When you fill a custom scleral lens with conditioning solution and apply it to your eye, the solution “mates” the scleral with your cornea to give you a new, smooth, regular surface to see through. This perfectly contoured surface cancels out your distortion and blur, leaving you with clear and comfortable vision. The outcomes are the same for keratoconus, pellucid, or any other type of corneal irregularity.
If I’m already wearing glasses or contacts and I see acceptably, will scleral lenses make a difference?
That depends on how you define acceptable. Most people are fairly adaptable to the options they’re given, so until you’re shown a difference, you may not be aware that the potential for improvement exists. For example, if you’ve been wearing the same set of contacts for nearly a decade, there’s a good chance you’re missing out on clearer, healthier and more comfortable technology. Lumen Optometric can keep you up-to-date on the best and healthiest options for your only set of eyes.
The impact of scleral lenses also depends on your prescription. If you have an extremely minimal prescription, scleral lenses will be more helpful in correcting dry eyes or performance-based vision. If you have a moderate or high prescription with astigmatism, the benefit of sclerals will be vision that’s clearer and more stable. Visual stability is something many of us take for granted until we are shown what true stability looks like. For example, consider the fluidity of the newer 120hz televisions relative to their older 60hz counterparts. 60hz televisions looked normal to us until the 120hz upgrades were released. When patients have high levels of astigmatism, scleral lenses provide results similar to that of seeing an image on a brand new, high-definition television for the first time!
Corneal health is another factor to consider. If you have any corneal issues, scleral lenses will significantly impact your vision and improve your quality of life.
If my eyes are dry, how can sclerals help me?
When you apply a scleral lens to your eye, the “bowl” of the lens is filled with sterile conditioning solution. This conditioning solution is held against your eye for as long as you wear the lens, creating a moisture chamber that helps alleviate your dry eye. Of course, scleral lenses represent only one treatment modality within a greater dry eye treatment system. Severely chronic dry eye patients may need additional treatments to overcome their dryness symptoms, and Lumen Optometric has several dry eye treatment plans available.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Lumen Optometric combines the latest technology with advanced training to provide the clearest and healthiest vision for our patients. To learn more about the best keratoconus treatment available (scleral lenses) give us a call at (626) 921-0199 or contact us online. We look forward to giving you clear and comfortable vision without compromise!