Orthokeratology, or Ortho-K

Myopic Reduction Lenses 

An Exciting Option in Correcting Nearsightedness--

Now you can wear special contact lenses at night
  and see without contacts or glasses during the day!

Nearsighted (myopic) patients now have the option to eliminate their need for glasses and contacts during the day--without having to go through surgery!  This exciting option in vision care is available through special myopic reduction contacts that are worn while you sleep.   

The process is simple. Called orthokeratology, or Ortho-K for short, patients put in special contacts when they go to bed.  During the night the lens gently reshapes the curvature of their eyes so that in the morning when they remove the lens they can see clearly!  No wonder everyone is excited--clear, natural vision all day long without glasses, contacts, or laser surgery!

The process is safe, comfortable, and convenient.  Years of research and testing has gone into the development of this new technology. Here's how Ortho-K works: 

Eye doctors trained in the use of Ortho-K must first see the patient to "map" their eyes.  Using a highly sophisticated computer, the doctor records a topographic image of the surface of the patient's eyes and then prescribes specially designed lenses that fit their unique and individual shape. The lenses are worn during the night while the patient sleeps, gently changing the shape of the cornea-- the clear, soft outer layer on the front of the eye.  

The cornea is where light first enters the eye and is responsible for bending light rays so that they focus at the back of the eye on the retina for clear vision.  The cornea of a nearsighted patient, however, bends the light too much so that the image is focused in front of the retina, making distance vision blurry.

Ortho-K contacts correct the problem by gently reshaping the surface of the cornea so that light bends correctly.  The cornea is very elastic and molds easily. It doesn't hurt and the whole process happens while the patient is asleep. The next morning when the patient removes the contact lens, he or she can see clearly and will be able to keep their clear vision all day! 

Ortho-K offers patients the convenience they've been looking for.  No more glasses, no more glare.  No more lost or torn contact lenses or the discomfort of dry eyes.  No more worrying about dust and dirt on windy days or on the ball field.  No more hunting for your glasses before you can drive to the store.  Patients now see clearly all the time with none of the hassles.  Great vision 24 hours a day--without the lenses in the daytime and with them if they wake up during the night.  

The Ortho-K lenses have been approved for patients of all ages--even children and teenagers.  No more lost contacts on the basketball court! 

There's another important advantage of Ortho-K:  the process is reversible. You can stop the therapy at any time without permanently changing your eyes.  Once you quit wearing the lenses, your eyes will return to their original shape in as little as 72 hours.  The fact that Ortho-K is reversible is important because our eyes change as we get older.  After forty, we gradually lose the ability to focus up close.  Older patients who have had their distance vision corrected by laser surgery are soon forced to wear full-time reading glasses for all near work.  The permanent laser distance correction makes it too hard to work up close.  Ortho-K, on the other hand, gives patients the flexibility to avoid this.  They can stop wearing the lenses altogether or they can decide to correct their distance vision less in order to keep things more clear at near.  Ortho-K allows patients to have the ultimate control and flexibility that laser surgery takes away. 

Best of all, Ortho-K costs much less than laser surgery.  LASIK can be expensive, and many patients have to go back later for an enhancement surgery.  Ortho-K removes the financial stumbling block to clear, natural vision by offering an affordable option.    

If you are interested in finding out more, please call our office at 666-5431.  We'd love to give you more information about this exciting technology.