SMAP 3D Scleral Lens Design

Last year we introduced an exciting piece of technology that has allowed us to custom design a scleral lens much more accurately. It is the SMAP 3D, which is a computer attached to a dedicated camera that allows us to obtain a 3 dimensional image of the entire front surface of the eye, including the cornea and the surrounding white portion of the eye (the sclera). Up until now there has not been any technology that would allow us to measure
the ocular curvatures outside the cornea. The SMAP allows us to do this. Because the scleral lens rests on the white portion of the eye it is very important to have this information. Most eyes have scleral surfaces that are asymmetric. That is. the scleral curves vary depending on what part of the white portion of the eye your are looking at. These surface curvatures also vary between eyes of the same patient. The SMAP measures over 1 million points along the ocular surface with a precision of less than 10 microns. We are even able to obtain scleral surface measurements beneath the eyelids. The information provided by the SMAP allows us to design a scleral lens with the back surface curvatures of the scleral lens matching the front surface curvatures of each individual eye.

To obtain a 3 dimensional image of the ocular surface, 3 separate images are taken of each eye, with the patient looking in a different direction with each image taken. The 3 images obtained are stitched together to obtain on 3 dimensional image. These images are uploaded to our scleral lens lab where special computers are able to create a scleral lens where every aspect of the patient’s ocular surface is replicated onto the back surface of the scleral lens. The vision and comfort provided to our patients is always excellent with all day comfortable lens wear.