What is Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)?
Ortho-K is a nonsurgical procedure using specially designed contact lenses to gently reshape the curvature of the eye to improve vision.
How does Ortho-K work?
It works each night while you sleep. You put the lenses on when you go to bed and remove them when you wake up. Your vision is clear during the day, without glasses or contact lenses.
Who is a Candidate?
The majority of nearsighted (myopic) individuals with healthy eyes can benefit from Ortho-K, from children to adults.
Will My Prescription Work?
Ortho-K treats nearsightedness, the condition where distance vision is blurred. Lens powers up to about -6.00 are generally treatable. Astigmatism, a common optical condition where vision is distorted due to uneven curvatures of the eye surfaces, is treatable in low to moderate amounts. Some doctors using specialized Ortho-K lenses routinely exceed these levels for many patients with great success. However, sometimes with high astigmatism, we may only be able to achieve "good" vision rather than "terrific" vision.
Farsightedness is treatable but results vary. Not all doctors will treat farsightedness but those who do find a fair amount of success. The results tend to be less predictable.
Myopia Control
Ortho-K offers the first reasonable alternative to increasing nearsightedness and has the potential to actually control the associated loss of vision for the first time.
Why is Myopia a problem?
Nearsightedness is a problem where distance vision becomes blurry, most often sometime during the early school years. This blur creates diffulties with school work and other activities such as sports where far vision is important. The common solution of wearing glasses or contact lenses is temporary as most children will get worse each year, resulting in more blur and thicker lenses.
Increased levels of myopia also create increased risks for other eye diseases such as glaucoma and detached retinas. Apporximately 25% of the adult population in the United States is myopic and the rate is much higher in some ethnic groups.
We understand you may have more questions. Please call us at 478.987.2020 to schedule a FREE consultation today!
