Living with chronic dry eye can affect more than how your eyes feel. Burning, irritation, light sensitivity, fluctuating vision, and difficulty wearing traditional contact lenses can interfere with work, driving, reading, and everyday activities. When standard eye drops or soft contacts do not provide enough relief, scleral lenses for dry eye may offer another option.

At Clarity Eyecare, we evaluate the full condition of the ocular surface to determine whether specialty contact lenses may support clearer, more comfortable vision.

How Scleral Lenses Work

Scleral lenses are larger than traditional contact lenses. Instead of resting directly on the cornea, they vault over it and rest on the sclera, which is the white portion of the eye.

Before insertion, the space between the lens and cornea is filled with preservative-free saline. This creates a fluid reservoir that remains over the corneal surface while the lens is worn. For patients with dry eye, this design can provide consistent hydration while also protecting the sensitive cornea from outside irritants.

More Than Vision Correction

Scleral lenses can provide sharp, stable vision, especially when dry eye causes fluctuating clarity. However, their value extends beyond correcting a prescription.

Potential benefits may include:

•          Maintaining moisture over the cornea

•          Reducing exposure to wind, dust, and airborne irritants

•          Supporting more stable vision throughout the day

•          Improving comfort for certain patients who cannot tolerate soft lenses

•          Creating a smoother optical surface over an irregular cornea

Because the lenses remain stable on the eye, they may also reduce the shifting or inconsistent vision some patients experience with traditional contacts.

Who May Benefit From Scleral Lenses?

Scleral lenses may be considered for patients with moderate to severe dry eye, ocular surface disease, irregular corneas, keratoconus, corneal scarring, or difficulty wearing standard contact lenses. They may also help people whose dry eye symptoms continue despite using artificial tears or other treatments.

Not every patient with dry eye needs scleral lenses. A detailed evaluation allows us to identify the causes of your symptoms and determine whether scleral lenses should be used alone or as part of a broader dry eye treatment plan.

Why Customized Fitting Matters

Scleral lenses are not one-size-fits-all contacts. Each lens must be selected and adjusted based on the shape of the eye, corneal clearance, tear reservoir, prescription, and overall ocular health.

During the fitting process, we evaluate how the lens rests on the sclera and how well it protects the cornea. Follow-up visits help us refine the fit, monitor eye health, and teach proper insertion, removal, cleaning, and storage.

Experience More Comfortable Vision

Persistent dryness does not have to keep you from wearing contact lenses or enjoying consistent vision. A specialty lens evaluation can help determine whether scleral lenses may provide the hydration, protection, and visual stability your eyes need.

Schedule a comprehensive eye exam with Clarity Eyecare to learn whether scleral lenses are right for your dry eye symptoms. Visit any of our offices in Birmingham, Waterford, Sylvan Lake, South Lyon, Walled Lake, and Commerce Twp., Michigan. Call (248) 369-3300, (248) 698-2000, (248) 682-6448, (248) 437-3351, (248) 624-1707, or (248) 366-8600 to book an appointment.