How do you clean your plunger...?

[fatar760]

Hiya,

I've been given a scleral lens to try by my optometrist. Previously, I've worn RGP lenses (for 25 years), so this is quite a shift and, to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about the change.

Anyway, I've been trying to find some advice on how to clean the two plungers that are used to apply and remove the lens, but I'm struggling to find any definite information. At my fitting I was told to use soap and water and leave it to air dry - but I'm not convinced that information is correct at this current time.

Just for context - I had a partial corneal graft in that eye (left) in 2011. A year ago I developed a chalazion on that eyelid, which was surgically removed in September 2022.

Can anyone offer any advice on how they clean, and store, their plungers?

Many thanks.

[brian-ire]

I'm actually going the opposite direction, after nearly 20 years of wearing sclerals I'm going back to RGPs but piggy backing this time. I loved my time with sclerals once I got over my initial hesitation but I've been having tolerance issues the past few years.

As for cleaning my plunger, I often used my lens cleaner (ote clean) and some cooled down boiling water to rinse and soak then air dry.

I'm sure others will have other approaches.

[gsward]

I think most of us who have been prescribed sclerals from Moorfields are taught to insert and remove them without using a plunger. Pardon the pun, when I swapped I didn't look back, and drove a 200 mile round trip without all the ghosting and flashes I had before, let alone the fear of the RGPs falling out.
There are a few videos around showing you how to use the 'three finger' technique.

[gsward]

I think most of us who have been prescribed sclerals from Moorfields are taught to insert and remove them without using a plunger. Pardon the pun, when I swapped I didn't look back, and drove a 200 mile round trip without all the ghosting and flashes I had before, let alone the fear of the RGPs falling out.
There are a few videos around showing you how to use the 'three finger' technique.

[fatar760]

I'm actually going the opposite direction, after nearly 20 years of wearing sclerals I'm going back to RGPs but piggy backing this time. I loved my time with sclerals once I got over my initial hesitation but I've been having tolerance issues the past few years.

As for cleaning my plunger, I often used my lens cleaner (ote clean) and some cooled down boiling water to rinse and soak then air dry.

I'm sure others will have other approaches.

Hi Brian,

Thanks for replying.

Did you use boiled water and ote clean to clean both plungers every night, or was it less frequent than that?

I think most of us who have been prescribed sclerals from Moorfields are taught to insert and remove them without using a plunger. Pardon the pun, when I swapped I didn't look back, and drove a 200 mile round trip without all the ghosting and flashes I had before, let alone the fear of the RGPs falling out.
There are a few videos around showing you how to use the 'three finger' technique.

Hiya,

Yes, I did watch a video on this yesterday (think it was on the schleral society site) and felt that would be easier than using the plunger. I didn't get mine from Moorfields though, so this wasn't explained to me on collection.

I assume you had no experience with the plungers?

[brian-ire]

I'm actually going the opposite direction, after nearly 20 years of wearing sclerals I'm going back to RGPs but piggy backing this time. I loved my time with sclerals once I got over my initial hesitation but I've been having tolerance issues the past few years.

As for cleaning my plunger, I often used my lens cleaner (ote clean) and some cooled down boiling water to rinse and soak then air dry.

I'm sure others will have other approaches.

Hi Brian,

Thanks for replying.

Did you use boiled water and ote clean to clean both plungers every night, or was it less frequent than that?

I think most of us who have been prescribed sclerals from Moorfields are taught to insert and remove them without using a plunger. Pardon the pun, when I swapped I didn't look back, and drove a 200 mile round trip without all the ghosting and flashes I had before, let alone the fear of the RGPs falling out.
There are a few videos around showing you how to use the 'three finger' technique.

Hiya,

Yes, I did watch a video on this yesterday (think it was on the schleral society site) and felt that would be easier than using the plunger. I didn't get mine from Moorfields though, so this wasn't explained to me on collection.

I assume you had no experience with the plungers?

I have worn various different sizes of sclerals over the years and it's only the mini - sclerals which I've worn in recent years that I started using the support to put it in and the plunger to take it out.

I definitely didn't clean those every day. Was every few months. Not sure what the recommended frequency is.