Is Ortho-K Right for You?

According to studies, more than 150 million people in the U.S. rely on corrective lenses to see clearer. While corrective lenses are quite effective, wearing them daily can present some challenges. Do you have refractive errors? Would you like to wake up each morning with excellent eyesight that will serve you throughout the day? If so, this is what ortho-k lenses can help accomplish.

 

About Ortho-k Lenses

The problem with refractive errors often lies in the shape of the eyes’ lenses and/or cornea. If the cornea, lens, or both have the wrong shape, light rays that pass through will not focus properly onto the retina. This will cause distorted vision.

 

Ortho-k is a technique involving the use of rigid gas-permeable lenses designed to reshape your cornea while you sleep. When you wake up, you will have improved vision that will hold throughout the day. These lenses can help correct hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism. In some cases, they can treat age-related vision problems such as presbyopia.

 

In addition to improving your vision, ortho-k lenses can also stop or slow down the progression of refractive errors, especially in kids. This is why many patients choose them over conventional contact lenses.

 

Benefits of Ortho-k

Some of the benefits you can enjoy thanks to ortho-k lenses include:

 

• They can allow you to see clearly for several hours without corrective lenses
   

• They can correct multiple vision problems
   

• They are a comfortable treatment option for refractive errors
   

• The results can last the whole day
   

• They can help you avoid dry eyes
   

• They can slow or halt the progression of myopia
   

• Orthokeratology is a non-invasive and safe treatment
   

• It is a flexible treatment that you can discontinue at any time
  
   

Who Can Benefit From Ortho-k Lenses?

Many people today choose these lenses for a variety of reasons. Some of these include:

 

• Contact lens prescriptions that are hard to fit
   

• The inability to wear daily contact lenses due to problems such as allergies
   

• Work or activities where you need to have excellent vision without the use of corrective lenses

Are You a Good Candidate for Ortho-k?

Orthokeratology is a non-surgical procedure that uses specially designed lenses to gently reshape the eye’s curvature as you sleep. These specialized lenses or retainers temporarily reshape your cornea to sharpen your vision. However, this improvement will wear off after several hours.

 

Who Is a Good Candidate?

Your optometrist can help you determine whether you are a good candidate for this treatment. But if you have mild to moderate nearsightedness, orthokeratology may be right for you. The same is true even for those with mild astigmatism, where a corneal imperfection causes an area of blurred vision.

 

Also, orthokeratology may be ideal for kids or adolescents who do not like wearing eyeglasses but are too young to get LASIK. For younger patients who are poor candidates for other types of eye surgery, this may be the best option.

 

Ortho-k lenses may be the ideal choice for people who play contact sports or work in dusty environments. Also, orthokeratology may be the best option for you if you suffer from keratoconus. Keratoconus causes the cornea to bulge outward.

 

Since the effects of orthokeratology are temporary, eye care experts associate very little risk with this treatment. You can stop using these specialized lenses at any time if you wish to resume using eyeglasses or conventional contact lenses.


 

To learn more about ortho-k, contact Focus Eye Care P.C. at our office in Hackensack, New Jersey. You can call (201) 654-0602 today to schedule an appointment.