Do you get FOGGING with your scleral lenses? Read below to see our tips for getting rid of the fog!
Scleral lenses are an amazing tool for better vision but can come with their own set of complications during the fitting process including fogging.
Fogging is when vision over the course of the day becomes blurry due to our own natural tears replacing the solution under the lens.
When these “dirtier” tears replace the clear fluid, this foggy tear film goes under the lens and over our vision. This results in foggy vision aka “fogging”.
The main reason this happens is because the edges of the scleral lens are not well aligned with your eye (either too loose which is more common, or too tight, which aggravates the mucous cells).
I tell my patients that certain eye conditions (dry eye, radial keratotomy, corneal transplants, post-LASIK) may ALWAYS have a little fogging over the course of a day but we try to minimize this as Doctors by aligning the edges of the lens with your eye as well as possible.
To minimize fogging:
1.) Allow your Doctor time during the fitting process to assess the alignment of the edges with your eye. These edges can be tightened or loosened by our design. This is an extremely common change that I make to almost all of my patients’ designs.
2.) Treat your underlying dry eye and eye allergies as well as possible so your tear film can be as clear as possible.
3.) Rinse out your eyes with artificial tears when you wake up in the morning and don’t put in your lenses right away. The debris from overnight sleep can cause quick fogging of the lenses. Remember about the “dirtier tears?” It is better to wait until the eyes have cleared before insertion.
4.) Put a few (2-3) drops of a preservative-free artificial tear (such as Refresh Celluvisc or Refresh Relieva) into the bowl of the scleral lens prior to filling it with your saline solution. This higher viscosity drop creates a barrier so even when the tears come under the lens, they don’t go in front of the vision.
5.) If you only have fogging in the middle of the day, just remove lenses midday, rinse them with saline, refill with saline, and re-insert.
6.) Remember that a little bit of fogging should be expected after extended use, especially if wearing scleral's for more than 10 consecutive hours. Carry an extra set of plungers and insertion fluid with you in case you need to remove, rinse, and re-insert your lens later in the day while you are wearing them. Purchase extra supplies here.
Try these tips every day to minimize fogging with scleral lenses. Questions? Send us your inquiries here.
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