Why new lenses can make your head ache
If you’ve lived with blurred or distorted vision for a long time, a scleral lens can change what your eyes send your brain all at once. Wearers describe sharper edges, brighter contrast, things looking a different size, and a sense that the floor is in a slightly different place. Your brain has to recalibrate, and while it does, eye strain, headaches, and mild dizziness are things many new wearers mention.
Several other things can cause the same symptoms, and they don’t fade on their own:
- A prescription that’s off. A lens that’s too strong, or a mismatch between the two eyes, can cause headaches, nausea, and a magnified or warped look. Wearers whose headaches stopped soon after their fitter lowered the power are a common story. A headache behind the eye is something several wearers traced to an over-strong lens.
- The two eyes not matching. If one eye sees much better than the other, or one lens has a different power than expected, the eyes can struggle to work together. Wearers often notice dizziness with one lens in particular.
- A lens that’s too tight. A pressure-like ache, especially one that builds over hours, can come from a lens that has settled too tightly.
- A lens that’s moving or rotating. Scleral lenses should stay largely still. Wearers whose lens shifted with every blink, or whose orientation marks moved, described dizziness and blur that eased with a better fit.
- Underlying conditions. Light sensitivity, dry eye, and nerve-related eye pain can bring on headaches of their own. See light sensitivity and neuropathic corneal pain.
Adaptation or a problem?
| More likely adaptation | Worth reporting soon |
|---|---|
| Mild strain or headache that improves day by day | Headache that’s the same or worse after the first week or two |
| Feels better with shorter wear | Pain behind the eye, or pressure that builds over hours |
| Both eyes feel similar | Dizziness, blur, or distortion with one lens |
| Everything looks crisp, just different | Things look warped, curved, or much bigger |
| Settles a little while after insertion | Nausea that doesn’t settle, or double vision |
A tip wearers share for momentary dizziness after insertion: look at one fixed object and close and open your eyes a few times. If it doesn’t pass, take the lenses out.
Build up gradually
Many wearers who had headaches in the first days had gone straight to long wear. Fitters usually give a build-up schedule, starting with a few hours and adding a little each day if your eyes are comfortable. Follow yours. See wearing schedule and your first two weeks.
What wearers say
Most wearers who post about early headaches or dizziness say it faded within days to weeks, or stopped once the fitter adjusted the power. Several say that a lowered prescription ended headaches and nausea almost straight away. Others describe brief dizziness after insertion that still happens now and then long after they’ve adapted. Wearers with screen-related strain and dry eye often say sclerals ended headaches they’d had for years, so headaches that are new with lenses are worth reporting.
What to ask your fitter
- Could my prescription be too strong, or different between my eyes?
- Can you check my vision with each lens separately, and both together?
- Is the lens moving or rotating more than it should?
- Is it too tight after several hours of wear?
- What wearing schedule should I be following right now?
- Do I need reading glasses or a different near solution?
If you’re unsure whether the power is right, ask about an over-refraction, the check your fitter does through the lens.
When to stop wearing them
Take the lenses out and rest your eyes if you feel dizzy enough to be unsteady, sick to your stomach, or unsafe to drive. Don’t drive in new lenses until you’re confident your vision and depth perception feel normal.
A sudden, severe headache is not an adaptation symptom. Neither is a headache that comes with a painful red eye, blurred vision, halos around lights, or nausea. Remove the lenses and get medical care the same day.
Common questions
How long do headaches from new lenses usually last?
Wearers report anything from a few days to several weeks for adaptation symptoms to settle, and often link improvement to building up wear time gradually. If headaches aren't improving after your first week or two, or are getting worse, tell your fitter rather than waiting.
Do large scleral lenses cause a fishbowl effect?
Wearers of large-diameter lenses generally say they don't notice a fishbowl effect from the lens size itself. A strong magnified or curved look is more often a prescription issue worth reporting.
My depth perception is off. Is that the lenses?
Many wearers moving from glasses to lenses notice judging steps and distances feels different at first, and say it settled with time. Things can look a slightly different size through a contact lens than through glasses, and your brain needs time to adjust. Take extra care on stairs and with driving until it feels normal, and tell your fitter if it doesn't settle.
My eyes strain at near but distance is great. Why?
If you're in your forties or older, it may be the normal age-related loss of near focus rather than the lens. Wearers commonly use reading glasses over their lenses, and some are fitted with one eye set for near. Ask your fitter about the options.