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    Question

    Can you wear scleral lenses during pregnancy?

    Pregnancy can change your eyes, and that can affect how your lenses fit and feel. Here's what's known, what's uncertain, and what to talk through with your fitter and your obstetric team.

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

    The short answer

    It's a decision for you and your eye doctor: we found no research on scleral lenses in pregnancy specifically. Pregnancy can change the cornea's thickness and curvature, the tear film, and how well contact lenses are tolerated, usually temporarily. In keratoconus, small studies have found the condition can progress during pregnancy. Tell your fitter you're pregnant, report any change in vision or comfort, and check any eye drops with both your eye doctor and your obstetric team.

    Key points

    • Pregnancy can temporarily change corneal thickness, curvature and prescription.
    • Contact lens intolerance and dry eye can appear in pregnancy and usually resolve after.
    • Small studies suggest keratoconus can progress during pregnancy.
    • Tell your fitter you're pregnant and report changes in fit, comfort or vision.
    • Check any eye drops with both your eye doctor and your obstetric team.

    What we know, and what we don’t

    We didn’t find any published studies of scleral lens wear during pregnancy specifically. What does exist is research on how pregnancy affects the eye in general, and on keratoconus during pregnancy. This page sticks to that. For anything about your own eyes, your fitter and your obstetric team are the right people to ask.

    How pregnancy can change the eye

    Pregnancy brings hormonal and fluid changes that reach the eyes. A review of the evidence notes that corneal sensitivity, refractive status (your prescription), eye pressure, and visual acuity may change during pregnancy.[2] Specifically:

    • Corneal thickness and shape. Studies have found the cornea gets thicker in the second and third trimesters, most likely from water retention, usually returning to normal after delivery. These changes can shift your prescription temporarily.[1]
    • Contact lens tolerance. Contact lens intolerance is listed among the physiologic changes of pregnancy. It may appear during pregnancy and resolve after.[1]
    • Dry eye. Dry eye may also appear during pregnancy and resolve after.[1] One review estimates it affects 20% to 50% of pregnant women, most often in the second and third trimesters, while noting that current expert consensus hasn’t confirmed pregnancy as a risk factor and the evidence is inconclusive.[5]

    Because a scleral lens is designed around the shape of your eye, changes in corneal shape or tear film can affect how it fits, feels, or how clearly you see. That’s a reason to tell your fitter you’re pregnant, not necessarily a reason to stop.

    One review suggests delaying new contact lens prescriptions until several weeks after delivery, because of these changes.[1] If you’re mid-fitting, ask your fitter how they’d like to proceed.

    Keratoconus and pregnancy

    If you wear scleral lenses for keratoconus, this is worth knowing:

    • A small cohort study followed 11 women with keratoconus that had been stable for at least two years, before pregnancy, in the third trimester, and six months after delivery, and compared them with 11 matched non-pregnant women. In the pregnant group, the cornea steepened and thinned, and the keratoconus progressed, with changes continuing after delivery. The non-pregnant group didn’t change significantly.[3]
    • A case series of 4 women (7 eyes) documented keratoconus progression during pregnancy, including changes in how rigid contact lenses fit.[4]

    These are small studies, and not everyone’s keratoconus changes in pregnancy. A review notes that the evidence is mixed, with some studies finding progression that persisted after delivery and others reporting stability.[1] If you have keratoconus, ask your eye doctor about monitoring during and after pregnancy.

    Eye drops and medicines

    The FDA advises contact lens wearers to ask their eye care professional before using any medicine or eye product, even ones sold without a prescription.[6] During pregnancy and breastfeeding, also check with your obstetric team. See can you use eye drops with scleral lenses.

    Practical points

    • Tell your fitter you’re pregnant, and when you’re due.
    • Report changes: new blur, a lens that suddenly feels tight or loose, more fogging, or dryness.
    • Keep backup glasses current. The FDA advises every contact lens wearer to have a backup pair.[6]
    • Plan for tired days. Exhaustion makes it easier to fall asleep in lenses. Take them out before any nap. See can you sleep in scleral lenses.

    Vision changes in pregnancy can also have causes unrelated to your lenses. Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related blood pressure disorder, can cause blurred vision, flashing lights, blind spots, or double vision.[1] If you notice any of these, contact your obstetric team right away, as well as your eye doctor.

    Common questions

    Should I stop wearing my scleral lenses when I find out I'm pregnant?

    Not automatically. Talk to your fitter about whether to continue, with closer attention to comfort, vision, and fit. If your lenses become uncomfortable or your vision changes, switch to glasses and let your fitter know.

    Should I start a new scleral lens fitting while pregnant?

    Ask your fitter. Because the cornea and prescription can change during pregnancy, one review suggests delaying new contact lens prescriptions until several weeks after delivery. Your fitter will weigh that against how much the lenses would help you now.

    I have keratoconus. Should I worry about pregnancy?

    Small studies have found keratoconus can progress during pregnancy in some people, and one found the changes continued after delivery. Talk to your eye doctor before or early in pregnancy about monitoring, and about whether and when treatments like cross-linking make sense for you.

    Keep reading

    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.

    Can you use eye drops with scleral lenses?

    Usually, yes, with the right drops in the right place. Preservative-free artificial tears your fitter approves can generally go on top of the lens during the day. Only sterile, preservative-free saline goes in the bowl of the lens, unless your doctor prescribes something else to go there. Prescription drops, including glaucoma drops, are usually timed around lens wear, so ask your fitter and the doctor who prescribed them how to fit them into your day.

    Can you wear scleral lenses every day?

    Yes. Scleral lenses are daily wear lenses: you put them in each morning and take them out every night, and many people wear them most days of the week for years. Studies of daytime wear find only small, mostly reversible changes in the cornea. What keeps daily wear safe is the routine: clean and disinfect every night, never sleep in them, follow your fitter's hours, and keep your follow-up visits.

    Sources

    1. Naderan M. Ocular changes during pregnancy. J Curr Ophthalmol. 2018;30(3):202-210. doi:10.1016/j.joco.2017.11.012 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    2. Anton N, Doroftei B, Ilie OD, et al. A narrative review of the complex relationship between pregnancy and eye changes. Diagnostics (Basel). 2021;11(8):1329. doi:10.3390/diagnostics11081329 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    3. Naderan M, Jahanrad A. Topographic, tomographic and biomechanical corneal changes during pregnancy in patients with keratoconus: a cohort study. Acta Ophthalmol. 2017;95(4):e291-e296. doi:10.1111/aos.13296 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    4. Bilgihan K, Hondur A, Sul S, Ozturk S. Pregnancy-induced progression of keratoconus. Cornea. 2011;30(9):991-994. doi:10.1097/ICO.0b013e3182068adc pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    5. Jaruchowska M, Przybek-Skrzypecka J, Skrzypecki J. Pregnancy and dry eye syndrome: a review for clinical practice. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(20):9990. doi:10.3390/ijms26209990 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Everyday Eye Care (contact lenses). Content current as of December 4, 2023. fda.gov

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