A scleral lens, also known as a scleral contact lens, is a large

contact lens Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic ...

that rests on the

sclera The sclera, also known as the white of the eye or, in older literature, as the tunica albuginea oculi, is the opaque, fibrous, protective, outer layer of the human eye containing mainly collagen and some crucial elastic fiber. In humans, and s ...

and creates a tear-filled vault over the

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical ...

. Scleral lenses are designed to treat a variety of eye conditions, many of which do not respond to other forms of treatment.

Uses

Medical uses

Scleral lenses may be used to improve vision and reduce pain and light sensitivity for people with a growing number of disorders or injuries to the eye, such as severe dry eye syndrome, microphthalmia,

keratoconus Keratoconus (KC) is a disorder of the eye that results in progressive thinning of the cornea. This may result in blurry vision, double vision, nearsightedness, irregular astigmatism, and light sensitivity leading to poor quality-of-life. U ...

corneal ectasia Corneal ectatic disorders or corneal ectasia are a group of uncommon, noninflammatory, eye disorders characterised by bilateral thinning of the central, paracentral, or peripheral cornea. Types * Keratoconus, a progressive, noninflammatory, bilater ...

Stevens–Johnson syndrome Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a type of severe skin reaction. Together with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens–Johnson/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN), it forms a spectrum of disease, with SJS being less severe. Eryth ...

, Sjögren's syndrome,

aniridia Aniridia is the absence of the iris, a muscular structure that opens and closes the pupil to allow light into the eye. It is also responsible f