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    Question

    How long does it take to get scleral lenses after they're ordered?

    Scleral lenses are made to order, so there's always a wait between the fitting and the day you take them home. Here's what happens in that gap, what makes it longer, and how to keep things moving.

    By the Scleral Lens Team · Last reviewed October 2, 2026 · 1 published source cited

    The short answer

    It varies more than most people expect. Each lens is made to order by a specialty lab, then shipped to your fitter, who books a visit to check and dispense it. Wearers report waits from several days to several weeks per lens, with longer waits when insurance approval is needed, over holidays, when a lab is backlogged, and for some impression-based designs. Ask your fitter for their usual turnaround, and ask how delays affect your remake window.

    Key points

    • Your lenses are made to order: there's no stock lens to hand you.
    • Insurance approval, lab backlogs and holidays are the usual causes of delay.
    • Each remake means another wait, which is why the fitting process can stretch over months.
    • Some centers have an on-site lab and can make a revised lens much faster.
    • Ask whether delays will cut into your remake window, and keep backup glasses ready.

    Why there’s a wait

    Unlike soft lenses, scleral lenses aren’t pulled from a shelf. After your fitting, your fitter sends the lens design to a specialty lab, which cuts each lens from a block of rigid gas permeable material to your measurements. The lab may add a surface coating, inspects the lens, and ships it to the office. Then you come in so the fitter can check the lens on your eye, adjust if needed, and teach you to handle it. Our page on what a scleral lens fitting involves covers the visits in order.

    What adds time

    • Insurance approval. If your plan requires prior authorization, many practices wait for approval before ordering. This step can take longer than making the lens.
    • Lab backlogs. Wearers describe periods when a particular lab was badly delayed, sometimes after moving or changing processes. Your fitter may know about these before you do.
    • Holidays and shipping distance. Both add days.
    • Coatings. Some coatings are applied as a separate step.
    • Impression-based lenses. These start from a mold of your eye that is scanned and turned into a design, and wearers often report longer lead times, sometimes with a paid rush option. See what are impression-based scleral lenses?
    • Appointment availability. A lens can sit at the office waiting for the next available visit. Some wearers found their lenses had arrived and no one had called.

    Remakes and replacements

    The wait repeats with every remake. If your fitting takes several lenses, the waits add up, which is a big reason fitting can take months. See how many remakes is normal?

    A replacement for a lens that is lost or broken is usually faster than a first fitting, because your fitter already has a working design to reorder. It’s still made to order, though, so it’s not instant.

    Some specialty centers, including the center that offers PROSE treatment, have a lab on site and can make a revised lens during a visit or within a few days. Wearers who traveled to such centers describe fitting over a short, intensive stay instead of weeks of back-and-forth.

    What wearers say

    Wearers’ waits vary widely by lab, country and design. Many describe a turnaround of a week or two for a standard lens. Others describe several weeks per lens, especially during lab backlogs or with impression-based lenses, and a few describe much longer waits caused by insurance or public funding approval. One common frustration is a slow lab eating into the remake window, leaving less time to get the fit right.

    The practical advice wearers share: ask for a timeline up front, follow up if it slips, ask for expedited shipping when time matters, and ask for the remake window to be extended if lab delays used it up.

    What to do while you wait

    Do

    • Keep an up-to-date pair of glasses ready as your backup.
    • Ask your fitter whether your old lenses are safe to wear meanwhile, and for how long each day.
    • Note the date the lenses were ordered and when your remake window ends.
    • Use the time to set up supplies: case, solutions, fill saline, plungers.

    Don’t

    • Don't wear a cracked, chipped or painful old lens to bridge the gap.
    • Don't try to order lenses online from another source. See whether you can buy scleral lenses online.
    • Don't assume no news means the order is moving. Call and check.

    For what you’ll need on day one, see scleral lens saline and solutions and build an emergency kit. On buying lenses elsewhere, see can you buy scleral lenses online?

    What to ask your fitter

    • “How long does your lab usually take, and is there any current delay?”
    • “Do you order before or after insurance approval?”
    • “Will you call me when the lenses arrive, or should I check?”
    • “Does the remake window start when the lens is ordered, shipped, or dispensed?”
    • “Can the lab expedite if we’re running short on time?”

    When it’s not normal

    If you’re wearing old or temporary lenses while you wait, watch for warning signs.

    Common questions

    Can I order a replacement lens straight from the lab?

    Usually not. Labs make lenses to a prescription and generally sell through the practitioner, who checks the lens on your eye before dispensing. Call your fitter's office; they have your lens parameters and can reorder.

    My lenses are taking much longer than I was told. What should I do?

    Call the office and ask where the order is: waiting on insurance, at the lab, or already delivered and waiting for an appointment. Wearers report each of those. Ask whether the order can be expedited and whether the delay affects your remake window.

    Should I keep my old lenses while I wait for new ones?

    Ask your fitter. Many wearers keep their previous pair as a backup, but whether it's safe to wear depends on its condition and on why you're being refitted. If an old lens is cracked, chipped or uncomfortable, don't wear it.

    Keep reading

    How many remakes is normal for scleral lenses, and what does the warranty cover?

    Needing more than one lens is normal. In an international survey of fitters describing 259 patients, an average of 2.4 lenses were ordered per patient during fitting, with a range from 1 to 16. Complex eyes often need more. If remakes keep coming without clear progress, ask your fitter what they're changing and why, and whether a different design or a second opinion makes sense. Most fittings include a window for remakes or exchanges, so find out how long yours is and don't let it run out.

    What a scleral lens fitting involves

    A scleral lens fitting is a series of visits, not a single appointment. Your fitter examines and maps your eyes, fits or designs a lens, orders a custom pair, teaches you to put them in and take them out, and then fine-tunes the fit over follow-up visits. In an international survey, an average fit used a little over two lenses per patient across a few visits. Expect it to take weeks rather than days.

    Prior authorization for scleral lenses

    Prior authorization is your plan agreeing in advance that a service or item is medically necessary. Many plans require it for medically necessary contact lenses; your fitter's office usually submits it with your records. Approval isn't a promise to pay: the claim can still be limited by your benefits, deductible, and network. Ask both your plan and the practice whether it's needed before any lenses are ordered.

    What are impression-based scleral lenses?

    An impression-based scleral lens is made from a physical mold of the front of your eye. The mold is scanned in 3D and a lens is cut to match its shape, including bumps or irregular areas on the white of the eye. EyePrintPRO is the best-known example. Studies from a few clinics report better vision and successful wear in many people who couldn't wear standard scleral lenses, though adverse symptoms and refits do occur.

    Sources

    1. 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.