How to Insert Scleral Contact Lenses?

Key Takeaways

• Scleral lenses are larger than standard contacts and rest on the white part of your eye.
• Clean hands, a lint-free towel, and preservative-free saline set you up for a smooth insertion.
• The tripod method balances the lens on your thumb and two fingers while you hold your lids open.
• Plungers, vented cups, and applicator rings help if hand strength or steadiness is a challenge.
• Reach out to our team if bubbles, redness, or blurry vision stick around.

Practice Makes Perfect

The first few times you put in a scleral lens, it’s normal to struggle. Perhaps saline runs down your wrist, or maybe the lens slides right off your finger. But that’s alright! Almost everyone fumbles at the start, and almost everyone gets the hang of it with advice from our team at 2020 Eyecare Ohio and a little bit of practice.

To insert a scleral lens, wash and dry your hands, balance the lens on your thumb and two fingers, fill the bowl of the lens fully with preservative-free saline, bend forward so your face is parallel to the floor, hold both lids wide open, and then press the lens straight onto your eye. Don’t release your lids until the lens is seated.

What Makes Scleral Lenses Different from Regular Contacts

A scleral lens is noticeably bigger than a standard soft contact. Instead of sitting on your cornea, a scleral lens vaults over it and rests on the white of your eye.

The center of the lens forms a small bowl. You fill that bowl with saline before insertion. This keeps a layer of fluid flush against your lens all day, and it’s why scleral lenses are often effective for people with chronic dry eye or a thinning cornea.

How to Prep Before You Touch Your Lenses

Start by washing with plain soap. Avoid lotions or heavy fragrances, and make sure to dry your hands on a lint-free towel. Even a single fiber stuck to your fingertip can end up under the lens and make your eye feel scratchy.

Before inserting your lens, set yourself up over a folded towel or plug the drain of your sink. Sooner or later a lens slips, and you want it to land somewhere where it can be recovered.

Before you start inserting the lens, hold it up to the light and look for damage. This might include chips along the edge, debris in the bowl, or cloudy patches on the surface.

Which Solutions to Keep on Hand

Use preservative-free saline for filling the bowl. You’ll also need a cleaner and a soaking solution for overnight storage. Never let tap water touch your lenses or your case.

Start with the Same Eye Every Time

Pick the right eye or the left, then stick with it. A fixed order builds muscle memory and keeps you from mixing up two lenses with different prescriptions. If your lenses have alignment dots or markings, check them before the lens goes anywhere near your face.

Step-by-Step Insertion with the Tripod Method

This approach uses three fingers to create a stable platform for the lens.

1. Balance the lens bowl-side up on your thumb and two fingers so that the lens sits level.
2. Fill the bowl all the way to the brim with preservative-free saline.
3. Bend forward until your face is parallel to the floor, then look straight down at a mirror lying flat on the counter.
4. Bring the lens straight up to your eye and press gently until it seats.

Lid Control Tips

Use your free hand (usually your non-dominant hand) to hold your eyelids open. Keep them like that until the lens is seated. Try to keep both eyes open as you go. Squeezing one eye shut tends to close your other eye slightly, and this complicates the insertion procedure.

How to Use a Plunger or Applicator Tool

A plunger is a tool that holds your lens for you. This is helpful when your fingers feel clumsy or your lashes keep getting in the way. Here’s how the routine goes:

1. Squeeze the plunger, attach it to the center of the lens, and release.
2. Fill the bowl of the lens with saline and hold both lids open with your free hand.
3. Press the lens onto your eye, squeeze the plunger to release it, then blink a few times.

Other Tools Worth Asking About

Several insertion aids can make the routine easier depending on what you’re working with.

• A vented cup can make centering simpler and reduce trapped air.
• Applicator rings help if hand strength is limited.
• Stands and lighted inserters give you a fixed target if your hands shake.

Common Insertion Problems and Easy Fixes

A few hiccups show up again and again, and each has a straightforward fix.

• Air bubbles under the lens mean the bowl wasn’t full enough or your lids weren’t open wide, so refill the bowl to the brim and try again.
• Saline spilling down your face usually points to head position, so make sure your face is parallel to the floor or switch to a thicker gel filler.
• Flinching as the lens approaches can sometimes be avoided if you warm the saline slightly in your hands and practice the motion before you insert the lens.

When to Reach Out to Our Team

Some things are worth a call to the optometrists in Loveland rather than another try at home.

• Discomfort, redness, or blurry vision that stays after the lens is in.
• Bubbles you can’t clear no matter how you refill.
• Insertion that keeps taking several attempts and wearing you out.

If you’re struggling with your lenses, we can offer extra hands-on training. In fact, our team at 2020 Eyecare Ohio can walk you through insertion, removal, and care until it feels like second nature. Book a visit with the optometrists in Loveland and get comfortable with your lenses.