One unfortunate side effect of wearing scleral contact lenses that are larger than 18mm is the accumulation of debris underneath the lens after 4-5 hours of wear that causes a patient’s vision to become cloudy. This does not affect everyone, but according to a study done by Visser, et al. about 50% of patients will have to remove their len(s) midday to rinse and refill them. The picture on the left is a cross-section of the liquid reservoir on a patient’s eye that has a significant build up of debris. The picture on the right shows the lens after being rinsed and reapplied with fresh solution. For most patients who…

Dr. Don Sanders of Medlens Innovations and I had the opportunity this month to visit the Laser Center of Santo Domingo (http://www.centrolaser.net) and teach a workshop on scleral contact lens fitting. We were able to successfully fit many patients. They have excellent doctors and staff who are now trained and equipped to help patients with scleral contact lenses.

Dr. Christine Sindt and I are starting The Scleral Lens Education Foundation for the purpose of educating both practitioners and the public about the benefits and the availability of scleral contact lenses. We are currently working on funding and set up. The foundation should be established within the next few months. Mission Statement: The Scleral Lens Foundation is committed to teaching contact lens practitioners the science and art of scleral contact lens fitting for the purpose of managing corneal irregularity and ocular surface disease.  The foundation will also support public education that highlights the benefits and availability of scleral contact lenses. Objectives –          The foundation will host scleral lens fitting…