Scerals make my eyelids sore

[grayt1]

Hi,

My 1st post here and looking for a bit of advise from long term scleral wearers if pos. About 4 weeks ago I had scleral lenses fitted (both eyes) at Moorfields as I had a terrible time with rgp lenses. My main issue seems to be with the outside of the lens getting dry and making it difficult to blink especially when on a pc (typical, I work in IT) and when playing video games (typical, one of my favourite past times). This is making my eyelids very sore. Am looking for some suggestions on any way to keep my sclerals from drying and also if it is normal for me to have what I would call good general vision with sclerals but not great vision with letters or numbers?

Any advise gratefully received.

[Andrew MacLean]

Welcome to the forum

When working at a pc vdu, make sure that you have a small humidifier next to your computer, and remember to blink.

You can also use artificial tears, or that new sort of eye moisturizer that you spray onto a closed eye. I use Clinitas Soothes, which has the merit of being preservative free.

Every good wish

Andrew

[grayt1]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the response will defo look into the humidifier. And the drops you use are fine with sclerals?

Thanks again

Grahame

[Andrew MacLean]

Clinitas Soothe can be used with lenses. The odd thing with sclerals is that you don't feel the drops going in.

You have to take time away from your vdu (easier said than done!)

all the best.

Andrew

[GarethB]

Grahame

As your employers to complete a Display Screen Equipment assessment as anyone using a display screen for more than 30% of their working day require under the Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992. Your employer has a legal obligation to ensure you have this done and if done correctly will assess more than just your posture, but the equipment you use, the work environment and so on.

The recomendation is to take regular short breaks and drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated is often cheeper and as effective as a dehumidifier.

Another eye drop to try is Systane by Alcon which I have used for the past 3 years with no problems. I recently tried Clinitas Soothe and they did very little for me as I had to use them every 3 - 4 hours. It took my Optom a couple weeks to get Systane back in stock, but when they did I went straight back to just needing the drops first thing in the morning and last thing at night. When I first started looking for eye drops it took six months to find some that worked, so if one type doesn't work there are plenty more to choose from, but you might have to give them a couple of weeks test before deciding if they work or not. Just goes to show how differently we not only react to lenses but to eye drops to.

[grayt1]

Cheers Gareth,

Had a much better day today. Instead of sorting out others computers and pc programs and stuff I spent a bit of time on my own pc this morning. Set some properties on my desktop up so the resolution is still high but everything is bigger. Also finally managed to get Google Chrome installed on my work pc. If any one reads this who is having issues with web site size writing Google Chrome allows you pick a font and font size from its options and as long as the website you are visiting doesn't have set text size it will display it in the font you wish without making you have top scroll sideways to view the whole page, it just makes the page a bit longer. Have set it to Arial (my fave KC font) and sized at 22 which makes it sooooooo much easier to work with definitely worth looking at. Also turned down the brightness on the monitor.

I also have ordered some of the drops suggested previously so will try them and if no good will try the ones you suggested, also have been making a specific effort to blink today while at the pc (it's weird to force something you usually do without thinking but it has been very good). We are due to be relocated to a new office within our building at the start of next week so will defo speak to my boss about getting the assessment you say about done.

Thanks for the advise

Grahame

[dazzabee]

Hi Grahame,

As a fellow Scleral wearer I can understand your problems as I too used to suffer. How long have you been fitted with them? It can take time for your eyes to get used to them, so that may also be a factor.

I have to take a break from the PC every 40 minutes or so, mainly because I forget to blink and just stare and that causees my eyes to get dry.

My two biggest tips though for more successful wear time - drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine tea/coffee. Since I have moved to decaf coffee my eyes feel far less dry.

Let me know how you get on and if you have any further questions feel free to PM me.

[rosemary johnson]

Hi and welcome. SOrry to hear of your problems.
I've been wearing sclerals since 1975, which I think counts as a long-time sclerals wearer.
How long after you put the lenses in do you start to get the dry eye/eyelid problems?
If it is not for several hours, then as you say you were only fitted with them 4 weeks ago, I think you may be trying to build up the wear time too ast.
1;2cIn

sorry, commputer gone funny...
Suggest you try building up wear time a bit more gently - and take the lenses out and give your eyes a rest a bit more.
If the problems start within the first hour or so:
Are you sure you are cleaning them - the lenses - thoroughly before each time you put them in?
(I am presuming that these sclerals are RGP ones, ie. made of Rigid Gas Permeable plastic, not the old-fashioned sort made of Perspex. AFAIK, the ones Moorfields supply are all RGP these days - any exceptions would be for very special cases.)
AN RGP scleral that is not totally clean does not wet very well, and the fluid on th srurface tens to pull away and leave dry patches.
This can be hidden if you put lots of saline on the lens just before you put it in, and as the excess saline gets run away down the tear ducts or whatever, then the dry patches where the wetting pulls away round any slightly unclean patches make themselves felt.
I had enormous problems with this a few years ago - well, 15, 18 something like that - when they switched from Perspex to RGP materials as the old Perspex ones weren't half that sensitive to being cleaned daily, and I just used to clean the Persopex ones every-so-ften.
If you think this might be the problem - first, make sure you clean the lenses well before you put them in, and check for any ry patches where the wetting solution in pulling away before you insert the lens. ANd if there are any, trying cleaning again.
YOu could try taking the lens out, cleaning, rewetting and re=inserting during the day, too.
The company who make the sclerals supplied to patients by Moorfields clean their lenses in ashing up liquid - as I've been doing for years with no problems (obviously!! you have to make sure it is all rinsed off well. But doubtless there will be some optometrist from somewhere else along shortly to tell you not to do this!
I also thoroughly endorse comments other people have made about keeping well hydratied with lots of water/juice to drink - your tear glands have to adapt to producing a lot more tears to keep sclerals well wetting - and also about taking breaks for the PC and remembering to blink.
GOod luck and hope you get them sorted out.
As regards the vision - i've heard it said that sclerals provide better confort but the vision is less sharp, compared with the small corneal lenses. I've never worn anything other than sclerals so can't comment from experience. If you are getting dry patches or air bubbles under the lenses, that could cause ghosting and affect the vision too.
Rosemary

[grayt1]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advise. The soreness seems to be getting better have been trying the Clinitas sooth eyedrops and they seem to make a difference although they don't seem to have improved the general dryness I seem to be getting on the outside of the lens. So the soreness is not there but I am still finding it near impossible to wear the lenses for more than 3 hours before they start to go blurry and the right eye fills with little bubbles even though there were none there when I applied them (I'm very picky about this coz even 1 bubble on insertion drives me crazy)

Obviously this is especially worse while at work on the pc in an air con office (think you guys great responses have covered this)

Any suggestions on the small bubbles forming under the right lens (my bad eye) or why I go blurry every couple of hours (both eyes) and have to take the lenses out rinse them and put them back (this gets very boring very quickly)?

Thanks
Grahame

[GarethB]

When I first started on the eye drops, to prevent what you describe I had to put the drops in every hour, but over a three month period the period between putting drops in became longer but I would still need to go through my lunch break with no lenses and would have a max of 8 hours comfortable lens wear, but always pushed to 12 and have the full weeeknd with no lenses. It was as if this was the healing time my eyes needed to overcome the sensation you describe.

Unfortunatly this was only a short term fix as it was the eraly signs of becoming sensitised to my RGP lenses, so eye drops, dietry change and breaks from the PC would only work to a point. Therefore it is probably woth a visit to your lens fitter to discuss further if things fail to improve further to ensure there is no lens fit issues.