The cornea is the transparent dome-shaped front part of our eyes and their most important focusing lens. Like the lens of a camera, its surface must be perfectly smooth in order to provide clear vision. When disease or injury causes the corneal surface to become irregular, the eye can no longer focus clearly, even with the strongest glasses. Hard contact lenses have the unique ability to improve the vision of these eyes by creating a smooth layer of tears that mask the irregular surface of the cornea. However, there are many eyes with damaged corneas that cannot be fitted with a hard contact lens. Moreover, the corneas of patients who suffer from severe ocular surface disease become so exquisitely fragile that they are often unable to withstand the pressure of a blink or the briefest exposure to air—let alone the friction of a hard contact lens.

The Foundation’s Boston Scleral Lens offers a unique solution. Unlike conventional contact lenses, this device, about the size of a nickel, rests on the relatively insensitive white sclera of the eye and creates a space over the cornea that is filled with artificial tears. By masking the irregular surface of the damaged cornea, this lens device can be helpful in improving vision in eyes with extremely distorted corneas. Moreover, this fluid compartment becomes a liquid bandage that protects the raw and sensitive cornea from exposure to air and the rubbing effects of blinking. This therapeutic environment nurtures healing and can virtually eliminate pain and photosensitivity. It is this unique liquid bandage that is responsible for the "miracle" experienced by our patients.