Medically reviewed by Dr. Brandon Cohenmehr, OD Last reviewed
How to Insert & Remove Scleral Lenses
Awkward on day one. Automatic by week two.
A scleral lens goes on full of fluid and comes off with a gentle rock — a two-minute skill we teach in the chair at every fitting. This page is that training written down: the steps, the tools that make them easier, and the fixes for the common hiccups.
01 — Before you touch the lens
Clean hands, clean counter, full vials.
- 1
Wash with non-oily soap
Lotion soaps and sanitizers leave a film the lens carries onto your eye. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a lint-free towel — paper towels shed.
- 2
Set up over a flat mirror
Work over a clean counter with a mirror lying flat, so a dropped lens falls inches onto a towel, not into a sink drain.
- 3
Inspect the lens
Check for chips, cracks and deposits. A damaged lens never goes on the eye. Call us, since most lenses carry a warranty window.
- 4
Preservative-free saline only
Fill only with sterile preservative-free saline (single-use vials). Never tap water, multipurpose solution or rewetting drops: preservatives sit against the cornea all day.
02 — Inserting the lens
Fill to the brim. Lean all the way over. Come straight up.
Balance the lens on a tripod of your first three fingers, on a vented insertion plunger, or in an insertion stand — whichever we trained you on. The method matters less than the two rules: the lens must be overfull, and your face must be parallel to the counter so no saline spills on the way up.
- 1
Fill the bowl until it domes
Overfill with preservative-free saline until the fluid stands proud of the rim. A flat fill is how bubbles happen.
- 2
Chin down, eyes down
Bend at the waist until your face is parallel to the counter, both eyes open, looking straight down into the flat mirror.
- 3
Pin the lids open
One hand holds the upper lashes against the brow; a finger of the lens hand holds the lower lid. The lids, not courage, are what beats the blink reflex.
- 4
Bring the lens straight up
Raise the lens vertically until it meets the eye. You will feel cool fluid, not the lens itself. Release the lower lid first, then the upper.
- 5
Blink and check
Vision should be clear and the eye white and comfortable. A large bubble, waterfall blur or edge awareness means refill and try again, which takes thirty seconds.
03 — Removing the lens
Break the seal. Never pull.
A scleral lens holds a gentle suction. Removal is about releasing it: a sealed lens pulled straight off fights you and leaves the eye sore.
- 1
Wet the small plunger
A dry plunger slips. One drop of saline on the cup gives it grip.
- 2
Press beside the lens edge
Look up slightly and press gently on the white of the eye just outside the lower lens edge. You will often see fluid flush under the rim, which is the seal letting go.
- 3
Land on the lower third
Place the plunger on the lower third of the lens (never the center, where suction is strongest) and rock it upward and out like a hinge.
- 4
No plunger? Use your lids
Press the lower lid edge under the lens rim while the upper lid braces the top, and lever the lens out with the lid margin, using the same motion our eye doctors in Los Angeles demonstrate in the chair.
04 — Tools that make it easy
The right stand turns a skill into a habit.
We stock every tool below and train you on the ones that fit your hands, your tremor, your nails and your routine (part of the fitting, not an upsell).
Vented insertion plunger
A wide cup with a breathing hole that holds the filled lens steady and releases it the moment it touches the eye. It is steadier than fingertips for long nails or shaky mornings.
Insertion stand
A small base that holds the plunger cup-up on the counter, so both hands are free for the eyelids and you lower your eye onto the lens. The easiest method for new wearers, arthritis, tremor or one-handed insertion.
Lighted see-green stand
An insertion stand with a tiny light in its core: center the green dot in your vision and the lens is centered on your cornea by definition, so you don’t have to aim.
Small removal plunger
The thin-stemmed cup that lands on the lower third of the lens and rocks it out. Keep one at home, one at work, one in the travel kit.
Stand mirror, lying flat
Insertion happens looking straight down. A mirror flat on the counter (not the bathroom wall mirror) is the single cheapest upgrade to your success rate.
Preservative-free saline vials
Single-use vials are the fill, the plunger-wetter and the mid-day refresh. We will tell you which brands we trust and keep them in the office.
05 — When something feels off
Almost everything is a thirty-second fix.
- —
A bubble under the lens
Air got in from a flat fill or a tilted approach. Take the lens out, refill until it domes, lean further over the mirror and reinsert. Never leave a bubble, because it blurs vision and dries the cornea beneath it.
- —
Vision fogs over hours
Midday fogging usually means debris in the fluid reservoir or dry eye upstream. Remove, rinse, refill, and tell us at your next visit; fog is a fit and tear-film clue, not something to live with.
- —
The lens feels stuck
Add a drop of saline, press beside the edge to break the seal, then plunger the lower third. A lens that is repeatedly hard to remove is gripping too tightly; we adjust the fit.
- —
Red, painful or light-sensitive
Take the lens out and call us at (310) 828-2010 — same-day urgent appointments exist for exactly this. Pain is never part of scleral lens wear.
Questions we hear in the chair
Insertion & removal FAQs
How long does it take to learn?
Most new wearers are independent within a week. We do not dispense until insertion and removal feel comfortable in the chair, and we repeat the training at no charge if it stops feeling easy.
What saline should I use?
Only sterile preservative-free saline, typically single-use vials. Never tap water, multipurpose solution or rewetting drops: preservatives sit against the cornea all day and irritate it.
My hands shake. Can I still wear sclerals?
Yes. The insertion stand is made for this: the lens sits still on the counter and both hands steady the lids. We train tremor, arthritis and one-handed techniques routinely.
Can I nap or sleep in a scleral lens?
No. The lens is removed before sleep. The fluid reservoir needs a nightly reset, and the lens needs its cleaning cycle. See our care and handling page for the overnight routine.
What if a lens drops down the drain?
Work over a flat mirror and towel and it never will. If a lens is lost or broken, call us: most designs carry a replacement warranty window.
Is training included in the fitting?
Always. Insertion and removal training is built into every scleral lens fitting here, and traveling patients practice until independent before flying home.
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