People who cannot wear conventional contact lenses can try larger lenses that continuously moisturize their eyes with saline. Scleral lenses are a type of gas permeable lens that is much larger than traditional small diameter contact lenses.
"Scleral lenses provide better vision and comfort than small diameter gas permeable contact lenses," says Melissa Barnett, vision correction specialist and research co-author. “In the past three years, we have been able to help patients who were previously unable to see or work with other types of contact lenses or glasses, especially those who have corneal disorders or a serious condition like dry eye syndrome.”
Researchers studied the medical history of 63 patients who used scleral lenses from October 2009 to March 2011. They evaluated a number of factors, including demographic data, diagnosis, previous experience with contact lenses, surgical procedures, experience with scleral lenses, and the reasons why patients stopped using them.
Most patients who took part in the study, including patients with scars on the cornea who usually cannot wear contact lenses, noted that scleral lenses are easy to use and improve visual acuity.
Scientists recommend scleral lenses for patients with a wide range of diseases, including dry eye syndrome, primary and secondary corneal ectasia, after corneal transplantation, with corneal scars, dystrophy or degeneration of the cornea.
