Living with Keratoconus? How Scleral Lenses Can Improve Your Vision

Living with keratoconus can make clear, comfortable vision difficult to achieve. Because the condition changes the shape of the cornea, standard glasses or traditional contact lenses may not provide the clarity you need. For patients in Redmond dealing with irregular vision from keratoconus, scleral lenses can offer another option.

At High Desert Vision Source, our eye doctors have experience with specialty contact lenses, including scleral lenses, and work to find solutions based on each patient's individual vision needs.

How Keratoconus Affects Your Vision

Keratoconus occurs when the normally rounded cornea gradually becomes thinner and develops a cone-like shape. Since the cornea helps focus light as it enters the eye, an irregular shape can cause distorted or blurry vision.

Patients with keratoconus may experience changing prescriptions, increased sensitivity to light, glare, halos, or difficulty seeing clearly at night. As the condition progresses, glasses may become less effective because they cannot compensate for the increasingly irregular surface of the cornea.

What Makes Scleral Lenses Different?

Scleral lenses are larger-diameter specialty contact lenses. Instead of resting directly on the cornea, they vault over it and rest on the white portion of the eye, known as the sclera.

The space between the lens and the cornea is filled with sterile saline solution. This creates a smooth optical surface over the irregular cornea, which can significantly improve the way light is focused on the retina. For many keratoconus patients, this design can provide clearer and more consistent vision than glasses or traditional soft contact lenses.

Benefits of Scleral Lenses for Keratoconus

When properly fitted, scleral lenses may provide several advantages for patients with irregular corneas, including:

•          Sharper and more stable vision

•          Reduced distortion caused by an irregular corneal surface

•          Improved comfort compared with some smaller rigid lenses

•          Greater lens stability throughout the day

•          A fluid reservoir that keeps the cornea continuously covered while the lens is worn

Every patient's eyes are different, so a detailed evaluation is needed to determine whether scleral lenses are appropriate for your keratoconus.

Getting the Right Scleral Lens Fit in Redmond

Successful scleral lens wear depends heavily on proper fitting. During a specialty contact lens evaluation, we assess the shape and health of your eyes and determine how a scleral lens should sit over the cornea.

Because keratoconus can vary significantly from one person to another, scleral lenses are customized to provide the appropriate clearance, comfort, and visual correction. Follow-up appointments allow us to evaluate your vision, check the lens fit, and make adjustments when needed.

Our Redmond eye care team includes doctors with a focus on specialty contact lenses and scleral lens fitting, helping patients pursue better vision when glasses or standard contacts are not meeting their needs.

Take the Next Step Toward Clearer Vision

If keratoconus is making everyday vision more difficult, schedule an eye exam with High Desert Vision Source to learn whether scleral lenses may be right for you. Contact our office in Redmond, OR by calling (541) 923-2221 to book an appointment today.