BrianHanke
Thanks, separating the mesh would give more control for sure. Seems like it shouldn't be necessary though... I can't quite put my finger on what's bothering me about this scene, I'm going to do a few more tests to see if I can pin it down.
can you connect the same texture that's controlling where the sclera becomes the cornea to the transmission channel of the fake caustics node? I'm not sure what is bothering you about the top picture, that one looks more realistic to me.