What each one does
A scleral lens holds fluid against your cornea, and a review describes it as creating a high-humidity, moisture chamber environment for the cornea under it.[1] Moisture chamber glasses do something different: they wrap or seal around the outside of your eyes to keep moving air off them and hold in the moisture your eyes give off.
So the two work on different parts of the eye:
| Scleral lens | Moisture chamber glasses | |
|---|---|---|
| Cornea | Covered by fluid all the time it’s in | Shielded from moving air |
| Front of the lens | Exposed to air | Shielded |
| White of the eye outside the lens, and corners | Exposed | Shielded |
| Eyelids | Exposed | Shielded |
| At night | Must come out | Can be used for lens-free sleep |
That’s why wearers who need both describe the glasses as keeping the lens surface wet longer and the corners calmer, not as doing the lens’s job.
When they add the most
Wearers most often reach for moisture chamber or sealed glasses:
- In wind, outdoors, on bikes and boats, and at the beach, where they also keep out sand.
- In dry air: air-conditioned or heated offices, hospitals and other well-ventilated workplaces, and dry climates.
- On planes, where cabin air is dry.
- During long screen work, where blinking slows down.
- In the car, if the heater or air conditioning dries their eyes.
Wearers who say they don’t need them often use photochromic or wraparound sunglasses instead, and keep sealed glasses for windy days only. See scleral lenses in wind and air conditioning.
Some signs you might benefit, from wearers’ experience:
- The front of your lens dries, smears or fogs faster in moving air.
- Your eye corners or lids burn by the end of the day.
- You need drops over the lens much more often in some places than others.
Day versus night
By day, the glasses go over your lenses like any other glasses.
At night, your lenses come out. The FDA lists sleeping in daily wear lenses among the things not to do, because it may increase your chance of infection or irritation.[2] See can you sleep in scleral lenses.
Some people with severe dry eye, or lids that don’t close fully at night, use moisture goggles, sleep masks or other barriers their eye doctor recommends on lens-free nights, often with a night gel or ointment. They say it makes their eyes more comfortable in the morning, before the lenses go back in. If you use ointment, it needs to be cleared before insertion. See night ointment and scleral lenses.
Fit over scleral lenses
Scleral lenses sit on the eye, so any frame fits over them. Practical points wearers mention:
- Styles vary. Some look like ordinary wraparound sunglasses with a soft seal; others look more like goggles. Wearers who wanted something less noticeable found foam-sealed sunglass styles.
- Prescription. If your scleral lenses correct your distance vision, you may need only plain, sun or reading lenses in the frame.
- Seal material. Some wearers prefer silicone; others find foam less airless. Foam inserts wear out, and wearers say marks on the skin or a looser feel signal it’s time to replace them.
- Cost. Some wearers start with inexpensive wraparound or safety glasses to see if blocking air helps before buying a dedicated pair.
What to ask your eye doctor
- Would sealed glasses help my lens surface or my corners?
- What should I use on my eyes at night, with the lenses out?
- If my lids don’t close fully at night, what barrier do you recommend?
- Would other treatments, such as tear duct plugs, help more?
Common questions
Can I get moisture chamber glasses with my prescription?
Wearers report that some styles can take prescription lenses, and others fit over regular glasses. If your scleral lenses give you good distance vision, you may only need plain or sun lenses in them, or readers. Ask your optician what will work with your lens prescription.
My moisture chamber glasses make my eyes feel stuffy. Is that normal?
Some wearers find fully sealed styles feel airless, especially in humid weather. Vented foam styles, or switching to ordinary wraparounds when it isn't windy, helped them. Foam inserts also wear out and need replacing.
Are moisture goggles a substitute for scleral lenses?
Not for most people who need sclerals. Wearers with severe dry eye or nerve pain say the lens protects the cornea far more than goggles can, though using both together helps in wind. Ask your eye doctor what fits your condition.
What about swim goggles at my desk?
A few wearers with severe dry eye have used them at home as a cheap moisture chamber during long screen sessions. They aren't practical everywhere, and they must never be a reason to let water near your lenses.