Can scleral lenses be tinted or colored?

Most scleral lenses are clear

A standard scleral lens is clear. It doesn’t filter light or change the color of your eye. Tints are an add-on that some labs offer, and they’re used for a few quite different reasons. See scleral lenses and light sensitivity for why a clear lens can still help some light-sensitive eyes.

Tints to tell right from left

This is the most common use, and the one wearers recommend most. The lab adds a very light tint, often pale blue, to one lens (many wearers have it on the left) and leaves the other clear. Wearers say:

• You can tell the lenses apart at a glance, in your hand or in the case.
• The tint is so light it isn’t noticeable on the eye.
• Unlike dots, it doesn’t fade with cleaning.
• Some lenses also have small engraved letters; look closely under good light.

If your orientation or right-left dots have faded, we don’t recommend redrawing them yourself. Fitters regularly see patients who did this and turned out to be wearing their lenses in the wrong eyes, sometimes for weeks. Ask your fitter or the lab to re-mark the lens, and ask whether a tint on one lens would be simpler next time. See the dots on my scleral lens faded: can I redraw them? and right and left lenses mixed up.

Note that a tint only tells right from left. If your lens has to sit one way round, you still need an orientation mark, so check with your fitter.

Tints for light sensitivity

Wearers sometimes ask for darker, sunglass-style tints. Those who asked report that labs typically offer light tints only, and most manage brightness with sunglasses or tinted glasses worn over clear lenses.

Some specialty contact lenses are tinted specifically for light sensitivity from certain eye diseases. For example, a small study of 9 young people with degenerative retinal disease and severe light sensitivity fitted centrally red-tinted soft lenses: all reported a major improvement in light sensitivity, and 7 of 9 had better vision with both eyes.^[2] That was a tiny study of soft lenses in rare conditions, not scleral lenses, but it shows that tinted lenses can be a medical tool, chosen by a specialist for a particular eye.

If light sensitivity is a big problem for you, ask your eye doctor what’s causing it first. Treating the cause, or wearing tinted glasses, may be more effective than a tinted lens.

Painted and prosthetic designs

Some specialty labs make scleral lenses with a painted or printed iris and pupil, or with an opaque area, for people whose eye looks very different after injury or disease, or who are missing part or all of the iris. Wearers who have looked into it describe these as specialized, made to order, and needing a careful evaluation by an experienced fitter.

They aren’t right for every eye. In congenital aniridia, where the iris is missing, European guidelines say colored, tinted, or prosthetic contact lenses should be discouraged because of the poor condition of the eye surface, even though they can reduce light sensitivity and improve appearance, and recommend tinted or photochromic glasses for light sensitivity. The same guidelines note that scleral lenses that don’t touch the cornea can be beneficial.^[1] Whether a tinted or painted scleral lens is safe for you is a decision for your eye doctor and fitter.

A lens moves with your eye. It can change how an eye looks, but it can’t make an eye that turns in or out look straight.

If you wear a prosthetic shell over an eye that doesn’t see, and a scleral lens on the other, see scleral lenses with only one seeing eye.

A word on decorative lenses

Colored lenses sold for fashion or costumes are a different product. The FDA says decorative contact lenses are medical devices, not cosmetics, that you need a prescription, and that places selling them over the counter without one are breaking the law. It warns that a poor fit can cause serious eye damage.^[3] Don’t wear a decorative lens with, over, or instead of your scleral lens unless your eye doctor has fitted it for you.

What wearers say

Wearers who switched to a tinted lens for right and left are almost all enthusiastic: no more squinting for dots and no more worry about mixing up lenses. Some ask about sunglass tints and are disappointed to hear they’re usually not available, and settle on good sunglasses or wraparound glasses instead. A few have explored painted lenses after eye injuries and describe the process as specialized and expensive, but worth asking about.

What to ask your fitter

• Can my lab add a light tint to one lens so I can tell them apart?
• Does my lens still need an orientation mark if one lens is tinted?
• Would a tint help my light sensitivity, or would glasses work better?
• Is a painted or prosthetic design an option for my eye, and is it safe for my eye surface?