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The white out effect is a clinical complication of scleral contact lens wear where a patient's vision becomes foggy or milky after several hours of use. This occurs because the large diameter of the lens creates a sealed fluid reservoir that traps metabolic waste, lipids, and proteins between the lens and the cornea.
read more about white-out effect ...Several factors contribute to the buildup of debris in the lens reservoir:
To eliminate the white out effect, practitioners often modify the lens fit. They may reduce the peripheral clearance to create a tighter seal or recommend a more viscous, preservative free filling saline that prevents the influx of lipids from the tear film.
Yes. If the lens is not thoroughly cleaned with a surfactant rub, surface deposits can migrate into the reservoir. Utilizing a hydrogen peroxide based cleaning system can often reduce the frequency of white out episodes by ensuring a pristine lens surface.
Yes. Patients with underlying dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction often produce more debris. Managing the health of the eyelids can significantly reduce the frequency of the white out effect and extend comfortable wear time.
This is likely the white out effect. Oils and proteins from your eyes are getting trapped behind your scleral lens, turning the clear liquid into a cloudy mist that blurs your sight.
Not always. Often, changing your saline or improving your eyelid hygiene can fix the problem. However, if the fogging persists, your optician may need to adjust the physical fit of the lens.
It is not dangerous, but it is inconvenient. If your vision becomes too cloudy, you should remove the lenses, rinse it, and reinsert with fresh saline.
1. Scleral Lens Fogging: Causes and Solutions. Scleral Lens Education Society. https://sclerallens.org/for-patients-2/scleral-lens-care-guide/. Accessed February 9, 2026.
2. Midday Fogging with Scleral Contact Lenses. EyeWiki. https://eyewiki.org/Scleral_Lenses. Accessed February 9, 2026.
3. Post-lens debris and midday fogging in scleral lens wear. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6181806/. Accessed February 9, 2026.
4. Walker M, et al. Complications and management of scleral lenses. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26456673/. Accessed February 9, 2026.
5. Clinical Contact Lens Practice. Bennett ES, Weissman BA. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015.