ROADMAP: WHAT’S NEXT?

Adapting

I am here: I have mastered the skills I need, I have the products I need, and my routines are settling into place.

But I have lots of questions about how to manage my sclerals away from home.

My emergency kit should include:

  • Contact lens case

  • Insertion and removal plungers

  • Preservative-free saline

  • Alcohol preps

These items should go with you everywhere.

In particular, never be without a removal plunger for emergencies (unless you normally remove them without using a plunger). A single DMV Ultra Remover fits nicely in a pill case that clips on a key chain.

Environmental Discomfort

Scleral lenses provide a barrier that protects your corneas from environmental stress. However, they don’t protect the rest of the eye. It is possible for the interface between the top of the lens and the underside of your eyelids to become uncomfortable in conditions like these:

  • Outdoors in wind

  • Big box stores with blowers at the entrance

  • Forced air heat

  • Low humidity workplaces such as hospitals

  • Driving with a/c or heat on

LIfestyle solutions include wetting drops, protective glasses, which are available for both outdoor and indoor use, and humidifiers for home, office or car.

Workplace

  • Your first challenge when wearing sclerals to work is making sure you have a suitable space to handle them if, for example, you have to remove and re-apply them.

    Restrooms may not be private enough, may not be clean enough or may not be equipped with a large enough flat surface. Or, you may prefer (or need) to always handle your sclerals from a sitting position.

    If you have your own office, or even a cubicle, your desk may be the best option. Your workplace kit should include suitable hand soap (if you’re not sure whether the soap provided is moisturizer free) and a lint-free towel.

    If you need privacy, talk to your manager or HR manager and let them know what your needs are.

  • For some of us, sclerals make all the difference to whether we can work on a computer or not.

    However, for others, prolonged computer work can become a problem even with sclerals, particularly in a low-humidity work environment. Consider protective eyewear that help keep the space around your eyes very high humidity regardless of the room humidity.

    Clear safety goggles are an inexpensive solution that can be used over reading glasses or other prescription eyewear.

  • OSHA recommends humidity control between 20% and 60%. However, 20% is extremely low for people with ocular surface diseases.

    Depending on your work environment, you may want to ask for a humidifier as a reasonable accommodation, or use protective eyewear. Prescription moisture chamber glasses can be considered reasonable accommodations, so if the barrier is cost, make sure to ask. If that’s not an option, again, clear safety goggles can help.

  • Well-sealed wrap-around protective glasses are an essential work and lifestyle tool for many people with ocular surface diseases.

Travel

Traveling with sclerals raises many practical questions, such as:

  • Will I be allowed to bring all the supplies in my carry-on?

  • Is there anyplace in an airport that I can safely remove or re-apply my sclerals?

  • What if I have to remove my sclerals on the plane?

  • I’m going on a cruise. How do I plan ahead to make sure I don’t get stuck without something I need?

  • And many more!

Some scleral lens users have corneal diseases that make travel challenging even without the additional complications of scleral lenses, so this can all seem quite daunting.

But you really can travel with sclerals! It just takes some advance planning and, depending where you’re going and for how long, some research. Use our Travel Guide to help!

Visit MBFSL Travel Guide

Driving

  • Some people with dry eye have a very difficult time in cars especially if they need to have the heat or a/c on or if they are in a low-humidity climate. (You may live in a climate where head or a/c is non-negotiable, at least part of the year.)

    You may find that scleral lenses help a great deal - or that they do not help enough. In this case, protective eyewear can be helpful.

    CAUTION: Wrap-around sunglasses with foam lining for protection (e.g. Wiley-X Climate Control, 7Eye AirShield) are very popular, but may obscure your peripheral vision too much for driving. Consider also Fitovers and simple safety goggles.

  • USB-powered car humidifiers may help if low humidity is an issue while driving.

  • If you use eye drops over your sclerals frequently, and driving becomes a problem because you have to pull over, this is another good reason to consider protective glasses with moisture barriers that can help reduce the need for drops while driving.