Your team at Myopicare wants you to experience life with the best vision possible and in a way that works for your lifestyle. One of the options many of our clients have is Ortho-K lenses.
Yet, even though this is a method of vision correction that can allow you to go without eyeglasses or contact lenses, many people don’t know what it is or how it works. Could this be the right option for you?
What Is Ortho-K?
Orthokeratology or Ortho-k is a type of contact lens that you wear overnight. This is a gas permeable contact lens designed specifically for your eye. While you are wearing it, the lens works to reshape the very outer lens of the eye or the cornea. After doing this all night, the lens is removed in the morning. And, the shape of the cornea is maintained throughout the day. As a result of wearing the lens overnight, you’ll be able to see clearly and will not need to wear contact lenses or eyeglasses, in most cases, throughout the day.
This type of lens is also known as a corneal reshaping lens or an overnight contact lens. It can help many people with vision limitations during the day.
Why Should You Consider Ortho-K Lenses?
Generally, there are several benefits to Ortho-K lenses. First, the lens reduces your need to wear contact lenses during the daytime. For those that find this uncomfortable or just don’t want to wear them, these overnight lenses offer an opportunity.
They are prescribed to patients for one of two reasons. The most common reason is to correct refractive errors in your vision. Refractive errors are the differences in the shape of the lens that causes you to see at any level not considered “normal” vision. For example, this can be used to help those who are nearsighted. It can also be used in those who have astigmatism and hyperopia. If you struggle with any vision correction need, this type of lens may work for you.
The second reason for an eye doctor to prescribe them is to treat myopia in children. Myopia, another name for nearsightedness, in children may be treatable with this type of lens. That is, by using this lens overnight and for a long time, it may help reduce the need for prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses in the long term for your child.
What Type of Contact Lens Is It?
As noted, Ortho-K lenses are a gas permeable contact lens. Any type of highly breathable gas permeable lens can be used for this treatment option. These are the only FDA approved products. There are several brand names available, with Bausch + Lomb’s Vision Shaping Treatment the most common option. The key here is that your doctor needs to prescribe the proper lens for your specific needs. This will differ from one person to the next.
How Long Does Ortho-K Work?
Most people benefit from the use of overnight contact lenses like this if they are worn every night. In some cases, the results of the vision correction will last an extra day or two. Nevertheless, the best results occur when you wear them every night. This helps to ensure the lens within your eye holds its corrected shape throughout the day.
Who Should Consider Ortho-K Lenses for Their Needs?
When you come in to see your eye doctor at Myopicare, we’ll talk to you about how well Ortho-K lenses can work for you. To determine this, we will need to do a full contact lens exam and go over the findings with you. Many people benefit from these lenses. Those most likely to benefit are individuals who have mild to moderate myopia (nearsightedness). You may benefit whether or not you have astigmatism.
Keep in mind that this type of treatment has few risks involved with it. And, because you can take out the contact lens if it becomes bothersome, there’s little risk to you in the long term. However, the results are only present if and when you wear the contact lenses overnight. You may wish to consider this condition if you:
- Have nearsightedness and do not want to wear contact lenses or glasses
- Have children or young adults who want to be able to go without glasses, but may be too young to have LASIK vision correction
- Are not a good candidate for LASIK eye correction