What Are Scleral Lenses? (2025)

How long do scleral lenses last?

Scleral lenses should last one to two years. Some may last longer, but this isn’t common. Your eye specialist can tell you more about the expected lifetime for your lenses based on the brand, material and your specific needs and circumstances.

How long can you wear scleral lenses in a day?

It varies. Some people may not be able to wear scleral lenses for more than a few hours, especially when they first start. But people can often work their way up to wearing them for 10 or more hours. Your eye specialist can tell you more about your lenses’ maximum daily wear time.

It’s also common to need to take the lenses out during the day and clean them before putting them back in, so you shouldn’t be afraid to do so. Taking the time to clean them may make it easier to wear your lenses longer. And when you clean your lenses, be sure to use only the recommended solution or fluid. You should NEVER use tap water or saliva (spit). Using something other than the cleaning solution your provider recommends can damage your lenses, cause an eye infection or have other negative effects.

How do I insert scleral lenses?

Inserting scleral lenses works differently from smaller contact lenses. To put them in, do the following:

1. First, make sure you wash your hands. Hand hygiene can help you avoid eye infections or other issues.
2. Hold the lens open-side-up (like a bowl) and fill it with saline or another type of recommended fluid (your eye specialist can tell you about the kinds you should use). You always want to overfill the lens. If you don’t, you might not have enough fluid in the gap and leave an air bubble between your eye and the lens. If that happens, you need to remove the lens and start over.
3. Hold the filled lens using a “tripod” method, balancing the lens on the tips of the index and middle fingers and thumb of your dominant hand.*
4. Bend forward and pull your chin into your chest so your face is parallel to the floor. You need to do this so the fluid in the lens doesn’t spill as you’re putting the lens in your eye.*
5. Using the index finger of your nondominant hand, pull your upper eyelid upward to open your eye wider.*
6. Using the middle finger on your dominant hand, pull your lower eyelid downward to widen your eye further.*
7. Bring the lens directly upward to your eye. Be careful not to spill the fluid.
8. Once you feel the lens resting against the surface of your eye, let go of the upper eyelid you were holding with your nondominant hand’s index finger.* The eyelid should close over the upper edge of the scleral lens. Don’t move the index finger of your dominant hand yet.
9. Remove the middle finger of your dominant hand from your lower eyelid to let that eyelid close over the lower edge of the scleral lens.*
10. Once you’re sure the lens is secure with its upper and lower edges under your eyelids, you can pull your index finger away and stand up straight. You may want to have a tissue handy to wipe up any excess fluid.
11. Make sure you don’t see a gap or air bubble in the fluid in the lens. If you see either, you’ll need to remove the lens, refill it with fluid and put it in again.
12. Repeat the above process exactly as listed above with your other eye.

*Some people prefer to use special applicator-type devices that act like a handle with a bowl-shaped platform at the top. The scleral lens sits atop the platform, open-side-up. If you’re using one of these, these are steps where you’ll use the fingers of your off-hand only, instead of using fingers from both hands for the upper and lower eyelids.

Your eye specialist will help you practice this process early on during the fitting of your lenses. Don’t hesitate to ask them for tips or help learning how to do this. With a little practice, you should find it easy to manage in no time.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Scleral lenses might seem intimidating at first because they’re noticeably wider than standard contact lenses. But they’re designed that way, and the size and shape are key features that make them useful. Your eye specialist can help you understand how to put these lenses in, take them out and maintain them.

Once you’re used to your scleral lenses, you should barely notice you have them on (or you might not notice them at all). Rather than focusing on how your eyes feel, you can turn your gaze to what you care most about, and let the lenses do their job of improving your vision and eye health.