About a year into the pandemic (Apr 2021) I was searching for a new show to binge on Netflix when “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” caught my eye.  I’ve never been into cars nor racing but the high-energy preview enticed me; I clicked play.

The combination of Daniel Ricciardo, a highly likable driver from Australia, and the clever way the docuseries eases you into the sport left me thoroughly entertained.  I made no attempt to resist the Netflix autoplay!

By the end of May I had finished Seasons 1, 2, & 3 – and subscribed to F1 TV Pro ($9.99/month) to watch my first live race – the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.  That Sunday morning I witnessed race-leader Max Verstappen crash at 200mph only 5 laps from the finish line.  I’ll never forget the way he angrily kicked his blown tire.  DRAMA!  I was hooked.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering what’s the connection between F1 and sclerals, right?

The answer:  “Pit Stops”

F1 drivers pit during a race (primarily) to change their tires. Racing teams carefully calculate WHEN to pit based how quickly the tires are wearing down (which affects grip and speed) and how stopping (even for 2.5 seconds) will impact their relative position.  The teams also need to decide WHICH tires to use (soft, medium, hard compound) to match evolving track conditions.  A true F1 fan will find my summary overly simplistic but the takeaway is this:  it’s virtually impossible to win without a good pit stop strategy.

Similar to racing, I can’t make it through daily Scleral.Life without making at least one scleral-pit-stop = popping my lenses out and reinserting with fresh filling solution.  I’ve been wearing sclerals 16+ hours/day since 2013.  And despite a decade of experience, lens improvement, and acclimation I still experience something commonly referred to as “Midday Fogging”.  I’ll write another post about “MDF” soon, but in short, my acuity drops sharply after 8-9 hours as the filling solution trapped between my lens and my eye becomes cloudy.  The analogy isn’t perfect but I like to think of the solution wearing down like the tire below.  Which means to finish the daily rat race of Scleral.Life, I need to pit at least once.

Whether you need to “remove / reinsert” because of MDF, dry eye, comfort, or a variety of other reasons, the rest of this post is to help you think about your scleral-pit-stop strategy. 

• WHEN should you pit?  (e.g. – Do you wait until you experience an issue or proactively take a break?)

• WHERE do you want to be when you do it?  (e.g. – Do you plan your pit stop while you’re still in the office or at home?)

• HOW LONG should it take?  (e.g. – How long do you need to spend out of your lenses?  How can you spend that time?)

I’ve found thinking about these questions in advance has increased my chances of winning the scleral race, which I define as “experiencing clear & comfortable vision right up until bedtime”.

Here’s what my own scleral-pit-stop looks like:  

• I proactively take my lenses out around 4pm (after about about 8-9 hours of wear)

• I plan for this to happen while I’m still at the office (or at home) before I head out for the evening (e.g. – gym, dinner, drinks, date (!) etc..)

• I temporarily store the lenses in Tangible Clean (to ensure I’m killing any unwanted bacteria)

• I wait a minimum of 20 mins before putting my lenses back in.

• Because I see poorly in glasses, I spend (survive) this downtime by focusing on phone calls (versus screen work), listening to an audiobook, or even a quick meditation.

• I reinsert my lenses with a fresh filling solution with the goal of another 8+ hours of great vision

Why is this my strategy?  

Well, I used to wait until my lenses fogged (the unplanned pit stop if you will) only to find myself in some precarious situations looking for a clean, safe place to refresh my lenses.  While doable, I never much enjoyed the lack of germ-free counter space in most public restrooms!  

I also have found that popping my lenses out and immediately reinserting them (even with fresh filling solution) only gives me 2-3 hours of clear vision before I fog up again.  Why?  Well, my theory is that my lenses never perfectly settle back over the little dent they’ve made on my sclera after 8+ hours of wear, and this negatively impacts how well the filling solution is held behind the lenses.  I’ve found that staying out of my lenses for 20+ minutes gives my eyes enough time to “rebound”, which dramatically improves my wear time after reinsertion.

Fun Fact:  F1 Teams change FOUR tires in an average of 2.5 seconds.  Maybe one day we’ll all be able to change TWO scleral lenses that fast 🙂

Whether your scleral-pit-stop is scheduled or as-needed, here’s a few final thoughts to impact your strategy:

• Have a sense of timing to ensure two things: 1) you have what you need with you (plunger, filling solution, lens case, etc…) and 2) you have a safe, clean place to remove/reinsert without fear of dropping / losing / breaking your lenses.

• Perhaps experiment with different filling solutions to see how that impacts how long you can go before you need to make a pit stop.  See my article:  Have you tried every filling solution? You should.

• Determine if resting your eyes for (5, 10, 15, even 20 mins…) before popping your lenses back in helps you finish the day without a 2^nd or 3^rd pit stop before bed.  And if so, think about the best way to spend this down(time) out of your sclerals.

Like all things sclerals, what works best will be specific to you, your eyes, and your lifestyle.  But a little strategy can really help get you to the daily finish line.

-Jeff

PS:  I hope whoever pitched F1 execs on creating this series was promoted!  “Formula 1 Fandom in the United States Is Up 33% Since 2020, Thanks in Part to Netflix Series”