Scleral lens problems

[Andrew MacLean]

Hello Matt

Welcome to the forum! Did I read your post correctly; a hospital contact lens specialist dispensed toric lenses for your keratoconus?

Have you ever tried Scleral lenses? They are great for people who work in a dusty environment, and come out each evening.

All the best, and so keep us all up to date with how things are with your toric lenses.

Andrew

[rosemary johnson]

Hi Matt and welcome
Do I read yo aright - the day after you've had the lens in, the vision is worse, then better again the next day?
Is it always that regular? - one day on and one day off? - or do you just mean it varies a lot and annoyingly?
I think many of us have good eye and bad eye days - but it is rare to be quite so regular and predictable, I think.
What is bad about the bad days? - sore eye, can't get contact lens in, vision looks misty, or vision just not quite so good as it might be, or....?
Rosemary

[mattjbelfield]

Hi Rosemary,

Sorry for not responding sooner, I've only just picked up your message. Good timing actually as I've just had an eye appointment today and my optitian has explained the reason for the problems. It appears that Bausch & Lomb, the company that supply the PureVision Toric lenses, changed the material they use to make the lenses about a year ago. The problem seemed to be that I'd have good vision one day and not the next. I never had any iritation or sore eyes until the lenses were due to be replaced, which they used to last up to six months - at a push. The lenses I've had within the past year or so have been a bit of a problem. My optician has just given me a new pair of lenses temporarily (Bausch & Lomb) and is ordering some new Toric lenses from a different company - CIBA Vision I think - that use the material that is ok - silicon hydra-gel?

I wear the Toric lenses all the time. I sleep with them in as well and just take them out once a week to soak/clean them in an all-in-one solution. I only suffer mildly with KC in my right eye and my left eye is astigmatic. That's why I used to have a rigid gas permeable lens in my right eye and a pair of specs for the left eye and to help fine tune the right eye as well - the contact lens didn't correct it 100%. Interestingly, my right eye is treated on the NHS and the left one private - in theory anyway.

I'm not sure Toric lenses would be suitable for severe cases of KC. I mentioned Scleral lenses to my optitian today and he isn't a great fan of them and said they wouldn't be any good for me, apart from the fact they're a lot of hassle to get right, etc. I find Torics to be extremely comfortable most of the time - a little dry first thing for a few minutes after I wake up, and I don't get any problems with dust that I used to.

How are you getting on with yours, did your optitian sort the problem out? Is it Ken you see at Moorfields? My optitian used to work in the same place as Ken.

Regards,

Matt.

[rosemary johnson]

Hi, and glad to hear your problem has been diagnosed and you're on the way to an answer.
I've been wearing sclerals for, ahem! getting on 33 years (and here I am, only 24 yet again...!)
Fitted first by Keith Nelson in Birkenhead (Merseyside), now by Ken. Never had any other sort.
Much as ever in the eye that is still my own - struggles on with vision that isn't what it was when I was 24 the first time round (!!) and goes up and down with the hay fever season, colds, etc etc. NOt that I get hangovers, you understand.
The grafted eye is now on the regulars list at the glaucoma clinic as well as the corneal clinic, and is regularly so red and sore and gritty feeling I haven't wanted to risk putting the lens back in since the day A&E first found the high eye pressure problem. It came up 6/5 vision the first time I put it in - albeit I had to rush out to Asda for some reading glasses! Can't see the otp letter without a pinholes without, and markedly astigmatic reading the paper at about 5". Very ironical to think one of the factors in deciding to go or the graft was the chance of good vision without the confusing multiple ghost images on the side nearest the traffic when I took the horse out on the road. Ha.
Unfortunately, many opticians think sclerals are "old hat" an dunfashionable - unfairly as they are great for some of us.
SOunds like, in the right material, your torics are just fine for you, so hope you can stick with them.
Rosemary