Ortho K

Ortho K

Millions of Americans wear glasses or contact lenses every day. Whilst for many, this doesn’t pose a problem, a growing number of patients are becoming irritated and frustrated by the limitations that they pose. You may not like your appearance in glasses, but find contact lenses expensive, fiddly to wear or unsuitable due to allergies that affect your eyes. Perhaps you prefer glasses but realize that they can’t be worn during certain activities where protective eyewear is necessary – such as in certain sports. You may have even considered laser eye surgery, but discounted it due to the cost, the permanence or the thought of the procedure itself. You could be forgiven for thinking that you are out of alternative options, but fortunately, this isn’t the case. There is a non-surgical, reversible solution that can make it possible for you to see with total clarity and precision during your waking hours without relying on either glasses or contact lenses. It is known as Ortho-K.

What is Ortho-K?

Ortho-K, or orthokeratology, is the name given to a form of non-surgical therapy that is highly successful in treating refractive eye problems including nearsightedness, far-sightedness, and even astigmatism. This radical new solution uses bespoke contact lenses that you wear while you sleep. Place the lenses into your eyes at bedtime just before you go to sleep, wear them through the night and remove them when you wake in the morning. Patients who use ortho-k can enjoy clear, natural vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses for the duration of the day.

How Does Ortho-K Work?

In order to be able to see clearly, the cornea, which is the transparent layer covering your pupil and iris, must be perfectly spherical so that the light that enters the eye is refracted perfectly onto the retina, which is responsible for transmitting the images to the brain via the optic nerve. In patients suffering from myopia or hyperopia, the cornea may be flatter, thinner, steeper or thicker than is needed to refract light correctly onto the retina. Patients with astigmatism have corneas that are shaped liked a football rather than a soccer ball, which again causes light to be refracted incorrectly. In all cases, the light is refracted inaccurately due to an abnormal curve of the cornea, resulting in blurred vision.

Ortho-K lenses gently reshape your corneas whilst you sleep. The process is painless and should not disrupt your sleep in any way. Each set of Ortho-K lenses is created specifically for you and your requirements, ensuring a comfortable fit as well as optimal correction. The lenses themselves are made from a gas-permeable material which means that plenty of oxygen can reach your eyes whilst you sleep, keeping them healthy and preventing conditions such as dry eye syndrome.

Ortho-k is a progressive treatment and most patients find that they need to wear their lenses every night for as long as several weeks to achieve optimal visual clarity for an entire day at a time. For best results, we recommend that you wear your Ortho-K lenses every night. Should you wish for your vision to return to how it was before your treatment, you simply need to stop using the lenses and within a few days, your sight will be back to normal.

If you would like more information about Ortho-K treatment, our experienced eye care team are on hand to help. Contact Seymour Eye Clinic in Seymour, IN today with your questions or to schedule a consultation appointment (812) 523-6100.