A real fear, and a fair one
For many scleral lens wearers, glasses don’t give usable vision, or the eye surface feels raw without the lens. So “what if I lose one?” isn’t a small worry. It’s a question about whether you can drive, work, or get through the day.
It’s also a common experience. In a study of 157 keratoconus eyes that had worn scleral lenses successfully for at least a year, broken lenses were recorded in 26.1% of eyes during the study period.[1] That was one clinic, over several years, but it makes the point: breakage is common enough to plan for, and it doesn’t mean you did something wrong.
The wearers who cope best aren’t the ones who never lose a lens. They’re the ones who had a plan B ready.
The day it happens
If a lens breaks or chips
- Don’t wear it, not even for a few hours. A chip or crack can scratch your eye, and a cracked lens can break apart while it’s in.
- Keep every piece in a clean case. Some lab warranties ask for the broken lens, and your fitter may want to see where it failed.
- Call your fitter’s office. Say which eye, when, and how it broke. Ask whether it’s still under warranty and how long a replacement will take.
- Switch to your backup: glasses, or a backup lens your fitter has approved.
More detail is in what to do if your scleral lens cracks.
If you drop a lens
Freeze before you move your feet: a rigid lens can crack under a shoe. Shine a light low across the floor or counter to find it. Don’t put it straight back in. It needs a full clean and disinfection first, and never with water. The FDA warns against exposing lenses to any water, including tap, bottled, and distilled.[3] Then check it for chips before wearing. Step by step: dropped your lens?
If a lens is truly lost
Check every case, the counter, your clothes, and the floor around you. Wearers often find a “lost” lens stuck to another lens in the case, or on the back of a hand. If it’s gone, call your fitter. They have your lens design on file and can reorder it.
If you think the lens might still be in your eye, it can’t have gone behind it: the membrane lining your eyelids folds back over the white of the eye, so there’s no space for a lens to slip behind.[5] If you can’t find it and your eye feels odd, call your fitter. See what if a scleral lens gets stuck?
Your backup plan, made now
Current glasses
The FDA advises every contact lens wearer to always have a backup pair of glasses with a current prescription.[2] Even if glasses don’t give you the vision your lenses do, they may get you home, through a workday, or through the wait for a replacement. Some wearers find, years in, that their old glasses no longer work for them at all, so have your glasses checked along with your lenses.
A spare lens
This is the backup that makes the most difference for people who can’t see well without lenses. Common options:
- Your previous pair. When you get new lenses, ask your fitter whether the old ones can be kept as a backup, and how to store them. An older lens may not fit or see as well, and lenses stored for a long time can change, so have it checked before you rely on it.
- A second set ordered on purpose. Some wearers buy a spare. Others alternate two pairs so one is always clean and disinfected.
- A lens from late in the fitting that was close but not final. Ask your fitter whether it would be safe as an emergency spare.
Your kit
A small pouch with saline vials, a spare plunger and inserter, a clean case, and solution means a lens that pops out away from home isn’t a crisis. See your emergency kit. If you travel, pack your glasses and a backup of everything: see traveling with scleral lenses.
Will insurance pay for a spare or a replacement?
Often not, but it depends on your plan, so ask. Many plans cover one pair per benefit period and treat a spare as a convenience. Some cover a replacement only when your eye condition changes, not when a lens is lost or broken, and some review requests case by case. New lenses are often under a lab or practice warranty for a period, which may cover a break.
Your fitter can document why a backup matters for you, for example if you have no useful vision without lenses. The full breakdown, including what to ask your plan, is in does insurance cover a spare pair? For costs and paying with HSA or FSA funds, see how much scleral lenses cost and HSA, FSA, and paying for sclerals.
Lower the odds
- Handle lenses over a towel, seated, with the sink drain covered.
- Rub-clean in your palm with a gentle fingertip, rather than pinching the lens.
- Close peroxide baskets gently so the lens edge doesn’t catch.
- Inspect each lens against a light every morning.
- Wear eye protection for sports and ask your fitter about it. The FDA suggests asking your eye care professional about glasses or contact lenses during sports.[2]
After the scare
If your eye is sore, red, or scratchy after wearing a lens that turned out to be chipped or that you dropped, take it out, don’t put it back in, and contact your eye care professional. Keep the lens in its case: they may want to look at it.[4]
What to ask your fitter, before you need to
- If a lens breaks, how fast can you replace it? Can it be rushed?
- What does my warranty cover, and for how long?
- Can my old lenses be my backup? How should I store them?
- Would you document why I need a spare for my insurer?
Common questions
How long does it take to get a replacement lens?
It varies with your fitter and the lab that makes your lenses. A straight reorder of a lens that fit well is often quicker than a new fitting, and some labs can rush an order. Ask your fitter now, before you need it, so you know what to expect.
Can I wear just one lens while I wait?
Some people can, and some find the difference between eyes too uncomfortable or disorienting. Ask your fitter what's safe for you, and avoid driving until you're sure your vision is good enough.
Can I wear my old lenses as a spare?
Many wearers do, with their fitter's agreement. An older lens may not fit or see as well as your current one, and a lens stored for a long time can change. Have your fitter check it, and clean and disinfect it before you wear it.
My glasses don't help much. What else can I do?
That's common with irregular corneas, which is exactly why a spare lens matters more for some people. Tell your fitter that you can't function without lenses: it's a good reason to plan a backup lens and to ask whether a replacement can be rushed. Some plans also consider a spare when losing a lens would cause serious hardship.
I think my lens went down the drain. Is it gone?
Turn the water off and don't run it again. If the drain was covered, it's probably in the basin. If it truly went down the drain, call your fitter about a replacement. Even if you get it back, it would need a full clean, disinfection, and inspection, and many wearers wouldn't risk it.