Q&A with Dr. Hammond
Dr. Deanna Lyn Hammond Answers Your Eye Care Questions
Q: What are scleral lenses?
A: Scleral contact lenses are large diameter gas permeable (GP) contact lenses which provide the same benefits as regular GP lenses in that they allow oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye. Though not as common as soft contact lenses, rigid lenses offer a number of advantages over soft lenses, such as:
- Clear vision
- Long-wearing comfort
- Longer wearing time
- Ease to insert and remove
- Much less complications
Scleral lenses get their name because they vault over the entire cornea and rest on the sclera (the white part of the eye). This larger size is a great advantage offering more stability than traditional GP lenses (they have minimal risk of dislodging from the eye), making them even more comfortable. You see, they are created to fit with little to no movement of the lens during blinking, creating optimum stability on the eye in comparison to traditional GP corneal lenses.
Q: What are the advantages of scleral lenses?
A: Scleral lenses offer the comfort of a soft lens with the benefits of a GP lens, and even more so for those with sensitive eyes or irregularly shaped corneas. Due to the design of scleral lenses vaulting over the cornea and resting only on the less sensitive sclera, these contact lenses are much more comfortable for people with keratoconus.
Q: Who can benefit from scleral lenses?
A: Almost anyone who would prefer to have the clearest and sharpest vision possible with a contact lens is a suitable candidate. They are especially advantageous for people with irregular corneas or irregularly shaped eyes, and dry eye syndrome.
Q:What treatments are there for Glaucoma?
A: If someone is diagnosed with glaucoma, there are various treatments available depending on what stage it was caught in. If it is caught in the early stages, we will use eye drops. These eye drops help reduce production of the fluid, or increase the amount of fluid that is drained by the eye. The drops will need to be taken each day for the duration of the patient’s life.
Q:What treatments are there for Glaucoma?
A: If someone is diagnosed with glaucoma, there are various treatments available depending on what stage it was caught in. If it is caught in the early stages, we will use eye drops. These eye drops help reduce production of the fluid, or increase the amount of fluid that is drained by the eye. The drops will need to be taken each day for the duration of the patient’s life.
Q: Why can’t I see after dilation?
A: The dilating drops make your pupils larger and also relax your focusing muscles. This is a temporary inconvenience. We also have an instrument called Optos that allows us to look inside the eye without dilation.
Q: What exactly is Glaucoma?
A: Dr. Webb: It is a plumbing problem. There is a fluid that is constantly being made inside the eye, and then exiting the eye. If too much of the fluid is made, or it is not exiting the properly, then this creates an excess amount of pressure in the eye. This pressure bears down on the optic nerve and causes damage to the nerve. Everybody has a blind spot where the optic nerve attaches to the eye but you don’t notice it because the right eye compensates for the blind spot of the left eye, and the left eye compensates for the blind spot of the right eye.
Once that blind spot gets larger, enough that it is noticeable, then that vision is gone. For this reason, glaucoma is often called “the thief of vision”. Many people, if they aren’t getting regular eye exams, may not even know this is happening to them, until it is too late and some vision is already lost.
By having the optic nerve looked at, and having the eye pressure taken, on a regular basis, as well as in the front part of the eye, where the iris (the colored part of your eye) and the clear layer over the iris (cornea) meet is called an angle, and sometimes that will either get full of pigmentation from the iris, or may be narrow. This could keep the fluid from exiting out of the eye as well, so it’s important to also look at the angle of the eye.
Q: What is so important about having coatings on my lenses that block UV and blue light?
A: UV filters are recommended to protect the eye from early cataract formation and Blue Light filters are recommended to help prevent macular degeneration and eye strain.Macular degeneration slowly robs the central part of your vision.Blue light exposure is increased when we look at computer, ipad and smart phone screens.
Q: Why is it important to have my eye dilated? I don’t like how it makes my eye so light sensitive and my vision blurry.
A: It is very important for your optometrist to look inside your eye. Looking inside the eye allows the doctor to see your blood vessels, retina and optic nerve. It often allows the eye doctor to be the first person to detect diabetes and high blood pressure. There may be melanomas or cancerous tumors “hiding” on a part of the retina; they would not be detected without dilation. Glaucoma which is the “sight thief” can also be detected.
