You’re not the only one
Ask a room of scleral lens wearers and many will say they have a “good eye” and a “hard eye.” The easy lens goes in first time while the other needs several attempts, picks up bubbles, or makes you flinch. For most people it isn’t a sign that anything is wrong with the eye or lens. It’s a mix of hands, faces, and habits that aren’t perfectly symmetrical.
Common reasons wearers report
Your hands aren’t equal. Most of us have one hand that’s steadier and better at fine movements. For one eye, either the plunger or the lid-holding job falls to the less practiced hand.
Your nose or brow is in the way. On one side, the plunger has to come in at an awkward angle past the bridge of the nose, or your fingers bump your brow while holding the upper lid. Wearers with deep-set eyes or a prominent nose bridge mention this often.
Your eyes track the lens differently. Many wearers notice that the harder eye drifts or “looks away” as the lens approaches, especially if the other eye does most of the seeing. Some found that the eye being fitted wasn’t really looking at the lens at all.
The eyes or lids differ. One eye may be smaller, one lid tighter, or one eye more sensitive. Lenses for each eye may also differ in size or shape.
It’s a technique groove. Some people simply learned one eye first and practiced it more.
Fixes that wearers say work
Switch hands. Try holding the plunger in the hand on the same side as the eye you’re inserting into, so it comes in straight rather than across your nose. If that feels clumsy, swap which hand holds the lids instead. Give each version a few days.
Use a stand. An insertion stand holds the filled lens for you, so both hands are free to hold your lids wide open. Many wearers who struggled with one eye say a stand, especially a lighted one, was what fixed it. See inserters and removers.
Fix your gaze. Instead of watching the lens come toward you, look at a fixed point: the light inside a lighted plunger, or a mark on a mirror. Some wearers close or cover the other eye so the eye being fitted has to do the looking. One wearer’s trick, repeated by others, was a simple eye patch over the easy eye.
Get your face flat. Bend over until your face is parallel to the floor, or bring the eye down to a lens resting in a stand on a mirror. A lens approaching at an angle is a common cause of bubbles.
Overfill and go slowly. Fill the bowl until it domes, and bring the lens up steadily. Hesitating or pulling back halfway is a classic bubble-maker.
Keep your fingers dry. Wet fingers slip off lashes and lids. Dry the lid-holding fingers before each try.
Take a break. If you’ve made several attempts, the eye gets irritated and watery and the reflexes get stronger. Rinse with sterile saline, rest for a few minutes, and try again.
For full technique, see how to insert a scleral lens, lids slip during insertion, blinking during insertion, and small or deep-set eyes.
When it might be the lens, not you
Most one-eye trouble is technique, but tell your fitter if:
- One eye keeps getting bubbles however carefully you insert.
- One lens hurts, stings, or feels sharp once it’s in, while the other doesn’t.
- One lens is much harder to remove than the other.
- You’re not sure which lens is which, for example because the marks have faded. See right and left lenses mixed up.
Fitters can check the lens on your eye and see whether a different size or shape would make life easier.
What wearers say
Most wearers say the gap between their eyes narrowed with practice. Some describe one eye that took weeks longer to master, then became routine. A few always have one fussier eye and accept it. People who were close to giving up often credit a single change, such as a stand, switching hands, or a patch over the other eye, with turning it around.
What to ask your fitter
- Can you watch me insert the lens in my harder eye and suggest changes?
- Would a different plunger, stand, or lens size help that eye?
- Are my right and left lenses clearly marked, and which is which?
- I keep getting bubbles in one eye. Could the lens design play a part?
Common questions
Should I use my left hand for my left eye?
Many wearers find it easier to hold the plunger in the hand on the same side as the eye, or in whichever hand gives a clear path past the nose. Others keep their dominant hand on the plunger for both eyes and switch the lid-holding hand instead. Try both for a week each and keep the one that works.
Why does my harder eye keep getting bubbles?
Usually technique: the eye moves or blinks as the lens arrives, the lens is tilted, or it's under-filled. Wearers find overfilling, keeping the face parallel to the floor, and going slowly helps. If bubbles keep appearing in one eye no matter what, mention it to your fitter, as persistent bubbles can point to the lens design.
Could my right and left lenses be swapped?
It happens, especially if the marks on the lenses have faded. A lens in the wrong eye may feel or see differently and can be harder to seat. Check your markings and case labels, and ask your fitter to confirm which lens is which if you're unsure.
Does it get easier?
For most wearers, yes. Many say the difference between eyes shrank over the first weeks and months as the movement became automatic. Some always have one slightly fussier eye and just plan an extra minute for it.