Scleral Lenses....advice and wisdoms required please!

[MisterKevster]

OK....so I'm not a KC sufferer.....but looks like Scleral Lenses might be an option for me.

I was a long term wearer of Rigid Lenses from 1973 till around 2002 when I opted for Laser Surgery. This was a great success, correcting my vision from around -10/-10.

Now 67, and prescription has crept up to -1.5/-2.0
Have tried both Soft and RGP lenses, but it seems that the surgery of 2002 resulted in a flattening of my corneas....and lenses won't settle on the eye!

So...Scleral Lenses are the next option for me.

Finding a Scleral lens specialist is a bit of a challenge....
I live in Leeds, and wondered if any forum members might have advice on who to go to,
....and also give me some ballpark ideas on the price that I can expect to pay...Please!!

Hope I've posted in the right place??

Thanks
Kev

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello Kev and welcome!
Yes you have posted in the right place. Can I ask what probably sounds like a silly question? Is there a reason that spectacles won't correct your vision, or do you just prefer to wear contact lenses? If you have a clinical need for contact lenses, then you might be able to get scleral lenses in a hospital eye clinic (St James in Leeds). You would then pay the NHS price for lenses which is around £60 per lens. Of course, you'd need your GP or optician to refer you to the hospital. But if you just prefer contact lenses, or need them for professional reasons (I can remember an actor on the forum a while ago who needed contact lenses for his work) then you'd have to go down the private route. We have a list on our website of optometrists who fit KC lenses https://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/in ... ometrists/ and there's one listed in Leeds though you'd need to check if they do sclerals. As for price, sclerals are the most expensive lenses. Others may know better than me, but I suspect you're talking about something like £300 per lens, maybe more. Plus paying for 'chair time' as fitting sclerals will take several visits.
I hope that helps.
Anne

[Anne Klepacz]

I should have googled before posting - looks like it's now more like £600 per lens!

[MisterKevster]

Thanks for your input Anne!
Having generally been spectacle free since 1973 ... I just have the desire to keep it that way really. I don't have a clinical need, and while this is a good thing, I'm aware that it's going to get expensive
Currently, I'm using Bayfield, which is an independent here in Leeds. They are about to send me to their Scleral 'specialist' in Wakefield....should I be concerned that Bayfield/Wakefield isn't on the list that you pointed me towards??

Kev

[Anne Klepacz]

Our list isn't at all comprehensive, so no, you don't need to be concerned Wakefield isn't there.

[MisterKevster]

Many thanks......I'll update when I get some current pricing!

I, too, had found that £600 per eye figure....didn't realise that 90% of that might account for 'chair time'....

[RedOnion]

Just a quick welcome to the forum Kev, and to wish you all the best in getting the lenses sorted! It will be good to see how you get on.

[CazziB]

Hello,

Do please keep us updated Kev on how you get on. I am near Leeds too and there seems to be a distinct lack of scleral lens providers in the north of the UK. I don't mind travelling to Manchester or similar, but I may end up going to a London place to get the proper expertise.

I went to an opticians in Starbeck/Harrogate, which does do scleral lenses, but in the early appointments they seemed to be really clueless and untrained so I freaked out and panicked it'd all go horribly wrong and didn't continue with it. I don't want to mess up my eyes, given I can see ok with glasses it's just vanity wanting lenses.

Very best wishes,
Caz

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello Caz and welcome. I've edited your post to take out the name of the optician you went to. We do ask users of the forum not to criticise named health professionals. We usually get posts from people with KC who need help adjusting to scleral lenses, so it's quite novel to get two people who choose sclerals over glasses. But lots of people then do say they're the most comfortable lenses they've tried. So good luck!