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    Question

    Can scleral lenses damage your oil glands or reduce tear production?

    It's a fair worry when you're relying on a lens every day. The honest answer is that the research is thin. Here's what it does show, what it doesn't, and what you can keep an eye on.

    By the Scleral Lens Team · Last reviewed October 2, 2026 · 6 published sources cited

    The short answer

    Nobody knows for sure yet. Studies in general contact lens wearers link lens wear with fewer working oil glands, and one small study of people with keratoconus found more upper-lid gland loss in rigid and scleral lens wearers, but these studies can't show the lens caused it. A small year-long study of scleral lenses for dry eye found no significant change in tear production or gland function. Ask your eye doctor to check your glands and tears at your regular visits.

    Key points

    • There's no long-term study showing scleral lenses damage oil glands, and none ruling it out.
    • Lid problems are common in scleral lens wearers, but that doesn't prove the lens caused them.
    • The one study we found that measured tear production over a year saw no significant change.
    • Gland imaging and lid checks at your visits are the practical safeguard.

    What the research shows

    There are only a handful of relevant studies, and none followed scleral lens wearers’ glands over many years. Here’s what we found.

    Contact lens wear in general. A 2009 study compared 121 contact lens wearers with 137 people who didn’t wear lenses, using imaging of the oil glands. Lens wearers had more gland loss on average, and the longer people had worn lenses, the more loss they tended to have.[1] It looked at contact lens wearers in general, not scleral lens wearers, and a snapshot study like this can’t prove the lenses caused the loss.

    Rigid and scleral lenses in keratoconus. A 2026 study of 46 people with keratoconus compared wearers of different lens types with people who wore none. Dry eye and MGD were no more common in any lens group. But the rigid lens group, described as rigid gas permeable, mini-scleral and scleral lens wearers, had more gland loss in the upper lid than people who didn’t wear lenses.[2] The group was small, and the study can’t say whether the lenses caused the difference.

    Scleral lenses for dry eye over a year. A review describes a study of 41 eyes with moderate to severe dry eye fitted with scleral lenses. After 12 months, symptoms and some tear measures improved, and there was no statistically significant change in tear production (the Schirmer test) or in meibomian gland dysfunction.[4]

    Lid problems are common in wearers. In a study of 49 people who had worn scleral lenses for at least six months, damage to the inner rim of the upper lid, where it wipes over the lens, was found in 43% of eyes. The authors concluded eyelid disease was common in habitual wearers whatever the reason for wearing lenses.[3] There was no comparison group of non-wearers, so this tells us lid problems are worth looking for, not that the lenses caused them.

    Lid friction: the part wearers notice

    Every blink drags the inner edge of your eyelid across the front of the lens. When the tear film is thin or oily, wearers describe this as the lid “catching” or feeling the lens. Some report soreness at the lid margin or in one corner.

    Wearers and the eye doctors who answer them describe several causes: a lens edge that needs adjusting, an uncoated or poorly wetting lens surface, inflammation of the inner lid, a blocked gland, or simply very little tear film. Fixes they report include edge or size changes, a surface coating, lid treatment, and changes to drops. It’s a reason to report lid pain to your fitter rather than wait.

    What to monitor

    The practical safeguard is to look. Ask your eye doctor whether these are part of your follow-up:

    • Gland imaging (meibography) at a baseline visit and from time to time after, so changes can be seen.
    • A check of the inner lid surface, where the lid wipes over the lens.
    • Tear production and tear film tests, if you’re concerned about them.
    • Lid margin health: redness, blocked openings, and the quality of the oil when the glands are pressed.

    A 2026 review of MGD treatments notes that current treatments can’t regenerate glands that are lost, although they can greatly improve how the remaining glands work.[5] That makes early treatment of lid problems worthwhile whether or not the lenses play a part.

    What wearers say

    Wearers are divided. Many with long-standing MGD say years of scleral wear haven’t made their glands worse, and some say their lids improved once their eyes were less inflamed. A few report more lid inflammation after starting lenses. Some eye doctors in these discussions have said anything touching the eye can cause inflammation, which is a reason to keep follow-up visits, care routines and lens replacement on schedule.

    Most wearers who raise this worry conclude that, for their eyes, the benefit of the lens outweighs a possible risk they can’t measure. That’s a decision to make with your own doctor.

    What to ask your eye doctor

    • Can we image my glands now so we have a baseline?
    • Is my inner lid showing signs of friction from the lens?
    • Should I be doing lid treatment alongside lens wear?
    • Would a coating or edge change reduce lid contact?
    • Is there anything about my eyes that makes this risk higher for me?

    For lid treatment in more depth, see scleral lenses with blepharitis or MGD and our sister site 1-800-dry-eyes.com.

    Common questions

    If my eye is bathed in saline all day, will it stop making its own tears?

    We found no evidence that it does. In the one study we found that measured tear production before and after a year of scleral lens wear for dry eye, it didn't change significantly. Your eyelids still blink, and the white of the eye outside the lens still feels dryness. If you're worried, ask your eye doctor to measure your tear production at a baseline visit and again later.

    Can lost oil glands grow back?

    A 2026 review of MGD treatments says current treatments can't regenerate affected glands, though they can greatly improve how the remaining glands work. That's one reason to treat lid problems early, with or without lenses.

    Should I stop wearing my lenses to protect my glands?

    Not without talking to your eye doctor. For many people the lens is protecting a cornea that would otherwise be damaged. The decision is a balance that depends on your eyes, and your doctor can weigh it with you.

    My lid margin hurts where it blinks over the lens. Is that gland damage?

    It could be several things: friction from the lens edge, inflammation on the inner lid, a blocked gland, or a fit problem. Wearers report each of these. Tell your fitter where it hurts and when, and ask them to check the inner surface of your lids.

    Keep reading

    Do scleral lenses help meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)?

    They can help a lot with symptoms, but they don't treat the glands. A scleral lens keeps your cornea under a layer of saline, so the surface it covers can't dry out between blinks. Your eyelids, their oil glands, and the front of the lens are still exposed to your tear film, so MGD can still cause smeary vision and lid discomfort. Most wearers who do well keep treating their lids alongside the lenses.

    Can I wear scleral lenses with blepharitis or MGD?

    Yes, most people can, but treating the eyelids is part of making the lenses work. Blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) disturb the tear film over the front of the lens, which can make vision hazy a few hours into the day. Research links this front-surface fogging to poor wetting of the lens surface and to eye surface inflammation. Lid treatment, a lens surface treatment, and sometimes a planned midday clean and refill can all help.

    How often should you see your scleral lens fitter?

    As often as your fitter recommends: there's no one schedule for everyone. Expect several visits during the fitting itself, then regular check-ups once your lenses are settled. Keep them even when your lenses feel fine, because some problems, like corneal swelling, can develop without symptoms. Book sooner if your vision, comfort, or the look of your eye changes, and call the same day for pain, worsening redness, light sensitivity, or vision that doesn't clear.

    Scleral lenses for severe dry eye: what the research shows

    In people with severe dry eye or ocular surface disease that other treatments haven't controlled, studies find that scleral lenses reduce symptoms, improve vision, and improve quality-of-life scores. But the evidence comes almost entirely from single-clinic case series without comparison groups, often mixing several diseases. People with surface disease seem less likely to keep wearing the lenses long term than people with irregular corneas, and fogging of the fluid layer is a common complaint. For dry eye without other corneal problems, a 2024 review called the evidence sparse.

    Sources

    1. Arita R, Itoh K, Inoue K, Kuchiba A, Yamaguchi T, Amano S. Contact lens wear is associated with decrease of meibomian glands. Ophthalmology. 2009;116(3):379-384. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.10.012 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    2. Gantz L, Bloom R, Ifrah R. The relationship between correction modality and clinical signs and symptoms of dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction in keratoconic patients. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2026;46(2):188-197. doi:10.1007/s44402-026-00060-0 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    3. Harthan JS, Nau A, Shorter E, Nau CB, Schornack M, Fogt JS. Presence of eyelid disease in habitual scleral lens wearers. J Clin Med. 2026;15(9):3181. doi:10.3390/jcm15093181 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    4. Rodriguez-Garcia A, Jimenez-Perez JC, Ruiz-Lozano RE, et al. Scleral lenses and PROSE: indications, complications, and future challenges. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2025;14(3):73-106. doi:10.51329/mehdiophthal1525 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    5. Helau C, Zhou S, Zhou L, et al. Mechanisms and safety of therapeutic strategies in meibomian gland dysfunction: a narrative review. Ophthalmic Res. 2026;69(1):163-191. doi:10.1159/000551503 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Contact Lens Risks. Content current as of September 4, 2018. fda.gov

    Last updated October 2, 2026. Found an error or a newer study? Let us know and we'll correct the page.