You mention that you can piggy back a hard lens onto a soft lens. How, then, are the lenses removed. Can you just pop them both out at one time? My problem is I have Softperm lenses and they dry out in my eye and are difficult to remove. I have scratched my cornea on two occasions just trying to get them out. My ophthalmologist says the fit is perfect, but an optometrist friend of mind says that they probably do not fit correctly if I have this problem. Please advise. Thanks!
Piggy back lenses are usually removed in two steps. First, remove the gas permeable lens by blinking it out (or whichever GP lens removal technique a wearer is accustomed to) and then remove the soft lens as normal.
Given the situations that we use a piggyback lens system for, (keratoconus, gp lens intolerance, post surgical complications, etc..) actual removal instruction is given on a case per case basis. For example, on some people both lenses will blink out at once, and others tend to remove them at the same time just like a regular soft lens.
Softperm lenses are probably some of the most challenging to actually remove for a number of reasons. For starters they are extremely delicate and must only be handled at the very edge, using caution not to pinch the soft skirt too firmly.
To add difficulty, the soft skirt usually tightens up as the day goes on. This makes for a difficult time grasping the edge of the lens.
I would not say the lenses “don’t fit correctly” because they are difficult to remove or because you have had 2 corneal abrasions. I also can’t say they fit perfectly either because I have not seen them on your eyes.
A couple points I can say are:
- With keratoconus, the tissue of your cornea is naturally stretched a bit thin and constantly in a delicate state. Therefor, abrasions are more common.
- The softperm lens has a very low level of oxygen transmisability. Meaning the longer you wear it, the more stress your cornea is under. (The synergeyes hybrid lens does not have this particular issue as it uses a highly oxygen permeable center)
The reason I am a fan of piggyback contact lens systems is that we are basically creating our own hybrid lens. We can use a hyper oxygen permeable soft lens and gas permeable lens. Meaning less stress to the cornea. Also, from a fitting standpoint the sky is the limit. A lens fitter can select from a number of soft lenses based on the cornea and overall ocular system. Then on top of that soft lens custom design a gas permeable lens.
All in all, if your softperms are causing you grief and your eye care provider suggested piggyback contact lenses, go for it. Don’t worry about difficulty removing them or the hassle of two lenses. All that gets much easier with a little practice. And you should notice improved comfort, improved ocular health, more consistant reproducibility (softperms tend to have a certain margin of error on re-orders), and less corneal abrasions.
Good Luck!
Steve
