Talk to both teams first
This page can’t tell you whether to wear your lenses during cancer treatment. Your situation depends on your cancer, your treatment, your blood counts, your eye condition, and how much you rely on the lenses. What we can do is explain why the question matters, and help you ask it.
Tell your oncology team that you wear scleral lenses, why you wear them, and whether you can see well enough without them to get around safely. Tell your eye doctor or fitter what treatment you’re having and when. Ask them to talk to each other if they can.
Why chemotherapy changes the picture
Infection risk. Some cancers and treatments such as chemotherapy can increase your risk of infection, because they lower the number of white blood cells that help your body fight it.[1] When neutrophils, an important type of white blood cell, are low, it’s harder for the body to fight off infection.[2] The National Cancer Institute says infections during cancer treatment can be life-threatening and need urgent medical attention.[1]
Any contact lens carries some infection risk.[6] That’s why your doctors need to weigh lens wear against your treatment, especially during the stretches of your cycle when your counts are lowest.
Eye side effects of some cancer drugs. Some cancer drugs can affect the eyes. For example, a review of antibody-drug conjugates used for certain gynecological cancers found that eye side effects, particularly blurred vision, damage to the cornea (keratopathy), and conjunctivitis, were commonly reported.[4] Your oncology team will know whether your treatment carries eye risks and whether you need eye checks during it.
Eye infections need prompt care. The National Eye Institute advises seeing a doctor for pink eye symptoms if you have a condition that weakens the immune system, such as cancer, or if you wear contact lenses.[3]
If your doctors say you can keep wearing them
Wearers who kept their lenses through chemotherapy, with their doctors’ agreement, describe being extra careful:
- Hand hygiene every time. Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before touching your eyes or lenses. The National Cancer Institute recommends washing hands often and well during treatment.[1]
- Strict lens care. Fresh saline for every fill, fresh disinfecting solution every night, clean cases and tools, and no shortcuts. See cleaning and disinfecting.
- Never sleep in lenses. Treatment can be exhausting, and dozing off is easy. Take lenses out before you rest. See can you sleep in scleral lenses?
- Ask before any new drops. The FDA advises asking your eye care professional before using any medicine or eye product with lenses.[5] Tell your oncology team about eye drops too.
- Keep glasses ready for days when you’re too unwell or too tired to handle lenses safely. The FDA advises every lens wearer to have a backup pair.[5]
What wearers say
- Lenses can be a lifeline. At least one wearer described scleral lenses, together with frequent drops, ointment and overnight eye protection, helping protect corneas that chemotherapy had left very dry, under close watch from their eye specialist.
- Lost lashes can mean dirtier lenses. A wearer who lost their lashes during chemotherapy noticed their lenses kept getting dirty.
- Insurance can take work. Wearers whose dry eye began with cancer treatment have asked how to get lenses covered; the usual advice was clear documentation of medical necessity from their doctor. See medically necessary contact lenses.
If you’re having a stem cell transplant, see ocular graft-versus-host disease as well.
Questions to ask your oncology team
- Am I at increased risk of infection during treatment, and when?
- Is it safe for me to wear contact lenses during treatment, or during certain parts of my cycle?
- Does my treatment have known eye side effects, and do I need eye checks?
- Which eye symptoms should I report to you, and which to my eye doctor?
Questions to ask your eye doctor
- Given my treatment, should I keep wearing my lenses, pause them, or shorten my wear time?
- How often should you see me during treatment?
- Is there anything in my care routine I should change while my immune system is weaker?
Common questions
Do I need to stop my lenses when my blood counts are low?
Ask your oncology team and eye doctor. There's no single answer for everyone. They know your treatment schedule, when your counts are expected to be lowest, and how much you depend on the lenses to see or protect your eyes.
My eyes have become very dry since starting treatment. Can scleral lenses help?
Some cancer treatments can affect the eyes, and scleral lenses are used for some severe dry eye conditions. Tell your oncology team about the dryness and ask whether an eye doctor experienced with ocular surface disease should see you. Don't start new drops without asking.
I've lost my eyelashes. Does that matter for my lenses?
Some wearers who lost their lashes during chemotherapy found more debris got onto their lenses. Mention it to your eye doctor, who may suggest extra lid care or protective glasses. Ask before using any lash products near your eyes during treatment.
What about a stem cell transplant?
If you're having a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, ask about ocular graft-versus-host disease, an eye complication that scleral lenses are sometimes used to manage. See our ocular GVHD condition page.