How long should I wear my scleral lenses?
Your doctor’s wear schedule is the guide! Many patients build up gradually, starting with a few hours and working toward a full day over a couple of weeks. Other patients who are comfortable right away, can wear their lenses all day!
For most wearers, as long as you are comfortable, we recommend wearing your lenses all day, and removing them at the end of the day and giving your eyes a small break of an hour or two before you go to bed.
The reasoning for this is because even though the lens materials are amazing and allow a lot of oxygen to go through the lens, the tear film under the lens can inhibit some oxygen and at the end of the day, all contact lenses, regardless of type, do limit oxygen to the eye. Our cornea (the clear front part of the eye), only gets oxygen from the air! It does not have a blood supply of its own. And since, when we sleep, we do not receive a lot of oxygen to the eye, it is important to have a bit of time per day without lens wear.
Sometimes patients are advised to wear their lenses for a particular amount of time. In our office, for example, we do recommend that very old corneal transplants (over 20 years old), do take more time off from lens wear than the average patient. This is because older corneal transplants can become stressed with long periods of scleral lens wear. However, we also have 35+ year old transplant patients who wear their lenses successfully all day! The best protocol is to ask your Doctor!
Is it normal to get tired after 8 hours?
Many scleral lens patients reach a point where they want to wear their lenses through a full workday, a long shift, or a day of travel. Comfort should guide your schedule, and your doctor sets the limits for how long you should wear your lenses.
Why eyes get tired in the afternoon
Several things can add up over a long day. Your natural tear film evaporates, screen time means you blink less, and air conditioning in Arizona pulls moisture out of the air. Debris can also build up in the fluid reservoir under the lens over time. None of this means your lens is wrong, but it does mean your eyes might need a little break, for you to remove and refresh the saline behind the lens, and to reinsert the lenses for a fresh afternoon.
Keep the reservoir healthy
Start your day with a fresh fill of preservative-free sterile saline, as described in your training. If you use rewetting drops during the day, choose preservative-free drops and use them as your doctor recommended. A midday rewet can help many patients, but drops are not a fix for a lens that causes pain or blur.
Practical habits for a full day
Build in a few breaks when you can. Look away from the screen every 20 minutes and blink fully. Use a humidifier at home or at the office if the air is very dry. Keep a bottle of preservative-free drops and a travel supply of saline in your bag. And keep a short log of when you notice dryness or fogging, because that information helps us adjust your lenses or your treatment protocol.
When to take your lenses out
Remove your lenses and contact our office if you notice pain, redness, light sensitivity, sudden blurring, or a feeling that something is stuck under the lens. Do not push through it. A lens that is painful needs to come out.
Your takeaways
- Follow your doctor’s wear schedule and try to give your eyes a little break at the end of the day to let the eyes breathe fresh air
- Use a fresh fill of preservative-free sterile saline every time you insert the lens.
- Choose preservative-free rewetting drops and use them as recommended.
- Look away from screens every 20 minutes and blink fully.
- Take the lenses out if you have pain, redness, or sudden blurry vision.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sleep in my scleral lenses after a long day?
No! Remove your lenses at the end of the day, clean them as instructed, and store them in fresh cleaning solution. If you sleep in scleral lenses, your cornea will swell up.
How do I know if my lens fit is off or if it’s my eyes?
Sometimes it is one, and sometimes it is the other. Front-surface haze that clears when you blink usually points to tear film which comes from your eye being dry or irritated, not the lens fit. Haze that does not clear, or discomfort that gets worse as the day goes on, is worth a visit so we can look at both the lens and the surface of your eye.
Bottom line
Wearing scleral lenses for a long day is possible for many patients, but it should feel manageable, not punishing. Fill your lens well, support your tear film, take a midday break if needed, and listen to your eyes. When something changes, call us. Most comfort problems can be sorted out quickly.
Next step
If you are struggling to make it through the day in your scleral lenses, call or text us at 480-420-4243 or book a visit at youreyesinfocus.com. Bring your questions and your log, and we will work through them together.
