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Core Insights:
- For many people with dry eye disease, scleral lenses can be life-changing.
- Unlike traditional contact lenses, scleral lenses create a protective cushion of fluid over the surface of the eye. This constant reservoir of moisture helps keep the eyes hydrated throughout the day, reducing irritation, dryness, and discomfort.
- Dry eye can develop for many reasons, including poor tear quality, reduced tear production, meibomian gland dysfunction, environmental factors, and certain medical conditions. While conventional contact lenses may worsen symptoms in some patients, scleral lenses are designed to protect the eye's surface and provide a more comfortable wearing experience.
- In addition to improving comfort, scleral lenses can also enhance vision by creating a smooth optical surface over the eye. Many patients with dry eye report seeing more clearly and comfortably than with glasses or traditional contact lenses.
- Because every case of dry eye is unique, a comprehensive evaluation is important. An eye care professional can determine the underlying causes of your symptoms and recommend a personalized treatment plan to help you achieve healthier, more comfortable eyes.
Scleral lenses are considered the gold standard for patients with dry eye. Due to a specialized liquid reservoir, scleral lenses keep dry eyes hydrated throughout the day, reducing irritation and preventing corneal scarring. While standard contact lenses correct vision, they fall short for those with dry eye because they can exacerbate dryness and increase friction. Long-term dry eye relief requires a dedicated solution that addresses the root cause of the condition.
What Causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye disease is a common condition that occurs when the eyes are unable to maintain a healthy, stable tear film. This can happen because the eyes do not produce enough tears, because tears evaporate too quickly, or because the quality of the tears is poor.
Many factors can contribute to dry eye, including meibomian gland dysfunction, aging, hormonal changes, certain medications, autoimmune conditions, contact lens wear, and extended time spent on digital devices. Environmental factors such as air conditioning, fans, wind, and low humidity can also make symptoms worse.
Common symptoms include dryness, burning, stinging, redness, blurry vision, excessive tearing, light sensitivity, and a gritty sensation. While these symptoms may seem minor at first, untreated dry eye can have a significant impact on comfort, vision, and overall eye health and quality of life.
Two important structures help keep your eyes comfortable and properly lubricated: the meibomian glands and the lacrimal glands.
The meibomian glands are located along the edges of the eyelids and produce the oil layer of the tear film. This oil helps prevent tears from evaporating too quickly. When these glands become blocked or do not function properly, a condition known as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), the tear film becomes unstable, often leading to dry eye symptoms such as burning, irritation, fluctuating vision, and discomfort.
The lacrimal glands are responsible for producing the watery portion of tears. If these glands do not produce enough tears, the eyes may become dry and irritated. Certain medical conditions, medications, hormonal changes, aging, and autoimmune diseases can affect tear production and contribute to dry eye disease.
A healthy tear film depends on the right balance of oil, water, and mucus. When any part of this system is disrupted, the surface of the eye can become inflamed and uncomfortable. Over time, chronic dryness may affect both visual quality and ocular surface health, making proper diagnosis and treatment essential.
How Does Dry Eye Affect Contact Lens Wear?
Traditional contact lenses are designed to correct vision, but they don’t treat any ailments or reduce symptoms. Soft contact lenses can actually make dry eye worse by drawing moisture from the eyes. Low lubrication can cause intense itchiness and a grainy sensation, which standard lenses can worsen. Also, as lenses dry throughout the day, they can become warped, disrupting vision and causing further irritation.
If you suffer from dry, irritated eyes, you've probably reached for artificial tears at some point. While eye drops can provide temporary relief, many people find that their symptoms return shortly after the effects wear off.
That's because dry eye is often more complicated than simply not having enough tears. Problems with tear quality, inflammation, meibomian gland dysfunction, and other underlying conditions can all contribute to ongoing symptoms.
If you find yourself using eye drops several times a day without lasting relief, it may be time for a more comprehensive evaluation. Identifying the root cause of your dry eye symptoms is the key to finding a treatment plan that provides meaningful, long-term improvement rather than temporary relief.
What Are Scleral Lenses?
Scleral lenses are an advanced solution that have been used to treat and manage a variety of ocular conditions, including keratoconus, corneal ectasia, graft-versus-host disease, and dry eye. Every scleral lens is custom-made to fit the unique shape of the patient’s eye. The lenses are made of a rigid polymer that holds its shape, providing stability and protection. Scleral lenses correct vision and actively reduce dry eye symptoms.
Scleral lenses also have a larger diameter than other lenses. Hence, the edges rest on the sclera, which is less sensitive than the cornea, making them far more comfortable for patients with dry eye. The larger size means the lenses “vault” over the cornea, creating a small reservoir behind the lens. Before insertion, the reservoir is filled with a saline solution that keeps the eye moist all day and prevents excessive moisture evaporation.
Scleral lenses are considered the best option for patients with dry eye because they eliminate blurry vision and reduce dry eye symptoms. For patients with advanced dry eye and corneal scarring, scleral lenses are also far more comfortable than soft lenses. They provide a protective environment that facilitates protection and restoration of the ocular surface. We understand how challenging dry eye can be, so we only offer solutions that we know will make a difference.
Do I Need to Visit an Eye Specialist for My Dry Eye?
At Miami Contact Lens Institute, we believe that successful dry eye treatment begins with understanding why your symptoms are occurring. Our comprehensive evaluations assess the health of the ocular surface, tear film quality, meibomian gland function, and other factors that can contribute to dryness and discomfort.
By identifying the underlying causes of your symptoms, we can develop a personalized treatment plan designed to improve comfort, support ocular surface health, and help you achieve lasting relief.
Using advanced imaging technology, we create detailed 3D maps of your eyes that help guide the design of highly customized scleral lenses tailored to your unique ocular shape and needs. This individualized approach allows us to optimize lens fit, comfort, and visual performance while supporting long-term ocular surface health.
If you are struggling with persistent dry eye, redness, irritation, fluctuating vision, or discomfort with traditional contact lenses, we encourage you to schedule an evaluation. Our team is dedicated to helping patients with complex corneal and ocular surface conditions find solutions that improve both comfort and quality of vision. With the right treatment plan, many patients experience significant improvements in their daily comfort, visual clarity, and overall quality of life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Have to Stop Wearing Contact Lenses if I Have Dry Eye?
Most people don’t have to give up contact lenses entirely, but changing lens type is usually necessary to improve comfort. Traditional soft lenses may become unbearable as dryness progresses. Yet, specialty options like scleral lenses are specifically designed to treat dry eye symptoms while correcting vision.
Are Scleral Lenses Hard to Insert and Remove?
Inserting and removing scleral lenses requires a different technique than soft lenses, but most patients master the process quickly. We provide one-on-one training to make sure you feel confident using your lenses. The most important part of scleral lens care is the precise hygiene routine that patients must follow.
