Posted by: Baymeadows Vision Center in Corneal Conditions, Keratoconus, Patient Spotlights, Scleral Contact Lenses on December 7, 2010
After 16 years of wearing contact lenses, Jorge is finally living life like he wants.
Gone are the red, dry eyes; sensitivity to light and poor vision that kept him from driving at night. After less than a year of wearing scleral contact lenses he lives a normal life.
He drives when he wants, enjoys the beach without worrying about sand or wind bothering his eyes and plays sports without fear of his contacts falling off his eyes. His sensitivity to light also is gone.
Most importantly, he sees better. “The change in my life has been huge,” says Jorge, 28.
Jorge was diagnosed with keratoconus 16 years ago, when he was 12. He was initially treated with soft lenses but as time passed his cornea curvature kept changing. Eventually, he had to switch to hard, gas permeable contact lenses.
Regular gas permeable contacts worked at first. Then they started to scratch, and to irritate his corneas. His eyes were red and dry most of the time.
Because of the irritation he could barely tolerate any light directly into his eyes. Wind and dust also were difficult to endure, and reflections from other car lights kept him from driving at night.
A year ago, he came to Baymeadows Vision Center to try to find an alternative to surgery that would let him live a more normal life. After an extensive process, Dr. Armitage recommended scleral lenses to Jorge.
Scleral contact lens technology is unlike any contact lens technology for keratoconus and other conditions that result in distorted corneas. The lenses vault over the distorted cornea and rest on the white sclera.
This results in comfortable lens wear. Lenses are stable on the eye and do not slide..
Jorge’s sensitivity to light was almost completely gone after just two days of wearing the new scleral lens. His vision also improved.
