Sjörgren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease where one's saliva and tear glands are destroyed. Dry eyes are not only uncomfortable but dangerous, because the eyelid can do severe damage to the cornea when blinked. Corneal damage can lead to visual impairment and blindness. This is because the refractive geometry of the lens is compromised. A novel new method of restoring vision is through the use of scleral lenses. These are large-diaphragm contacts that rest on your sclera (the white of your eye). They buldge more than your cornea, creating a small space between your eyeball and the lens. This space is filled with artificial tears that have the same refractive index as the cornea, filling in the gaps and completing the refractive geometry.
My windshield, you could say, has had Sjörgren's disease, because there were extended periods where I was out of wiper fluid but would turn on my wipers anyway to clear debris from my windshield. The wipers dragged micro-abrasives across the glass and now there are radial scratches in my windshield. Driving west and at night are a real pain, even with sunglasses on.
I hear there are solvents that may eat away a bit of the glass and buff out most of the scratches. But I think I'll just make a giant scleral lens instead.