SCLERAL CONTACT LENSES

Abstract

<h3>To the Editor:</h3> —It is evident from Dr. Arthur Keeney's guest editorial (Arch Ophthal70:739, 1963) that he has not fully appreciated the outstanding results Frederick Ridley is obtaining in the treatment of corneal pathology with scleral contact lenses. The Ridley scleral lens is not to be confused with the haptic lenses the American ophthalmologist knew 10-20 years ago and found unsatisfactory. Nor is it to be compared with the corneal contact lens in such widespread use today for simple refractive error and low astigmatism. The Ridley lens represents an entirely different concept of design, manufacture, and fitting, one which demands an unremitting and fastidious attention to detail and the constant and close supervision of an experienced ophthalmologist. When first I heard Frederick Ridley's results with scleral lenses in cases of difficult corneal conditions I was somewhat skeptical. I remembered the days of haptic lenses with opticians and other laymen