Introduction to Wavefront Guided Scleral Lenses
For patients with complex corneas, such as keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, ectasia, corneal transplants, after LASIK, and more, scleral lenses are lifesavers! They can provide comfort and improved vision when all other contact lens options have failed.
However, for some patients, even those with 20/20 vision, the quality of their vision isn’t as good as they hoped. These patients may report bothersome halo, glare, flare, starbursts, smearing, overlapping, ghosting, or even multiple images, while wearing their scleral lens. Despite their doctor’s best efforts, the vision quality with scleral lenses can’t be further improved with standard scleral lens options. What’s the reason for this degraded vision and is there anything that can be done to improve it?
If this sounds familiar to you, know that you are not alone and there is an option to improve the vision in scleral lenses even further. We can help by designing a wavefront guided scleral lens to improve your vision and more importantly, your quality of life. In this article, we will delve into the world of wavefront guided scleral lenses and discover how they can transform your visual experience.
Understanding Higher Order Aberrations (HOA)
To comprehend the significance of wavefront guided scleral lenses, it’s essential to understand higher order aberrations (HOA). Traditional refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, are referred to as lower order aberrations (LOA). These can easily be corrected with simple, traditional options such as glasses and standard soft contact lenses. HOAs are more complex irregularities in the eye’s optical system. These irregularities can stem from a variety of conditions, the most common being cornea disease, especially keratoconus, but can also be the result of trauma, scars, and surgery. HOAs cause visual distortions, leading to overlapping and blurred vision, halos and glare around lights, and difficulty seeing in low light conditions. HOAs cannot be corrected with glasses or traditional soft contact lenses.
In the past, the best solution to address HOAs was to mask the irregular corneal shape with the smooth even dome shape of a rigid contact lens. Many would report that their aberrations reduced but even then, vision was not ideal because of residual HOAs. Thankfully, wavefront guided scleral lenses provide an answer to further reduce visual distortions.
How Wavefront Guided Scleral Lenses Reduce HOA
Wavefront guided scleral lenses utilize advanced technology to correct HOAs and provide superior visual clarity. How does it work? It is a multiple step process which starts with getting fit for a scleral lens. Once we are satisfied with the fit of the lens CLEI uses a device called a wavefront aberrometer to measure the optics of the entire eye while wearing the scleral lens. This technology gives us detailed objective data about the optical quality of the eye while wearing the scleral lens. That information is then used to create highly customized HOA reducing optics or as we call them, high performance optics. These wavefront guided scleral lenses match and mitigate the unique optical properties of your eyes, providing a personalized solution to correct both lower and higher order aberrations to provide unmatched clarity. In addition, by addressing both lower and higher order aberrations, wavefront guided scleral lenses can provide sharper and more detailed vision, allowing you to see the world with clarity beyond what you have experienced with traditional scleral lenses. They can enhance your overall vision quality and visual acuity along with your quality of life allow you to do tasks, such as driving at night, with more comfort and confidence.
The science behind this is similar to the way noise canceling headphones work. The concept is called Destructive Interference. In noise canceling headphones, there is a microphone in the headset that records the ambient sound waves. A processor analyzes the sound waves and creates equal and opposite sound waves. The speaker in the headphones then plays an equal and opposite sound wave to cancel out the background noise and improve your sound quality. Now let’s apply this concept to scleral lenses to teach you how wavefront guided scleral lenses use destructive interference. While wearing standard scleral lenses you see halo and glare, HOAs, which reduces the quality of your vision. We use a wavefront aberrometer to record and measure the light distortion you see from the HOAs. We then analyze the data and create an equal and opposite optical profile to manufacture into the wavefront guided scleral lens. When worn the HOAs from your eye and the HOAs from the wavefront guided scleral lens cancel each other out and improve the quality of your vision.
Dr. John Gelles is a pioneer in the use of this technology in clinical practice. We were the first clinical site in the world to work with the OVITZ xWave technology for producing wavefront guided scleral lenses. We have run multiple clinical trials with this technology and have presented the results globally. Dr. Gelles is considered a leader in this technology.
Can Wavefront Guided Scleral Lenses Help Me?
It is important to have the proper expectations when pursuing wavefront guided scleral lenses. These lenses will make your vision much better but not perfect. In general, our research has shown nearly all patients have a reduction of HOA and nearly all patients prefer the vision with their wavefront guided scleral lens when compared to the traditional scleral lens. On average patients experience a 50% reduction of HOA and 1 line of vision improvement.
Enhancing Night Vision with Wavefront Guided Scleral Lenses
When lighting conditions change, vision quality can change significantly. Many individuals experience difficulties with night vision, especially when faced with the glare from headlights and other bright lights. Wavefront guided scleral lenses can greatly enhance night vision by reducing the halos, glares, and blur caused by these light sources. The precise correction of HOAs from wavefront guided scleral lenses optimize light transmission to the retina, resulting in clearer and more comfortable vision – even in low light conditions. Whether you’re driving at night or navigating in dimly lit environments, wavefront guided scleral lenses can make a remarkable difference in your ability to see clearly.
Reducing Halo, Glare, and Blur Around Lights with Wavefront Guided Scleral Lenses
One of the most frustrating visual disturbances experienced by individuals with HOAs is the presence of halos and glare, smearing, ghosting, or overlapping of images. These distortions can significantly impact daily activities, such as driving, reading, or working under artificial lighting. Wavefront guided scleral lenses are specifically designed to minimize these visual disturbances, providing a sharper and more focused visual experience. By reducing the scattering of light within the eye, these lenses effectively diminish halos, glare, and blur around lights, allowing you to see with enhanced clarity and comfort.
Conclusion
Wavefront guided scleral lenses represent the future of vision correction. By addressing higher order aberrations these lenses offer a range of benefits, improving your vision. Whether you’re looking to improve overall vision, enhance night vision, or reduce halo and glare around lights, wavefront guided scleral lenses provide a personalized and effective solution to improve your quality of vision.
Ready to experience the future of vision correction? Book a consultation today.
