About Ortho K

Your journey to becoming free from glasses or daytime contact lenses starts with a consultation with one of our optometrists. During this Ortho K appointment we use state of the art Corneal Topography (mapping) technology to measure the exact shape of your cornea.

By mapping the surface of your eye, we can then tailor the Ortho K lens specifically for you, creating a bespoke lens which will gently reshape the cornea with the aim of achieving maximum improvement of your vision.

When your lenses have been produced, we will fit them in the consult room and take more measurements to ensure the perfect fit and refraction has been achieved.

We will show you how to wear your lenses and to care for them so you will be fully confident after your Ortho K consultation with us.

When you are comfortable with inserting, wearing and removing the Ortho K lens on your own, you can wear the lens overnight.

The lens will immediately start to reshape your cornea while you sleep. You will be required to come in the next morning so we can assess the amount of improvement to your vision.

Some people have significantly improved vision at this stage so prepare to be amazed!

A second appointment will be required after one week to ensure there is continued improvement in your vision. We will perform further corneal mapping of your eye in order to assess the quality of improvement and effectiveness of the reshaping.

By this point your vision will have improved significantly.

We will advise you if further consultations are required and when you will need to come in again for further reassessment.

Although there are exceptions, generally Ortho K can work for prescriptions up to -6.00 and astigmatism of up to -3.00. Again, this varies greatly upon the other parameters of the eye and prescription.

There is a very high chance you will be a candidate for Ortho K so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like clarification or more information, or book an appointment for an initial Orthokeratology consultation to assess your suitability.

At the end of this appointment, you will be allowed to take your lenses home to wear for the night. You will need to return the next morning to assess the treatment.

Following this, you will have appointments scheduled at one week, one month, three months and six months. After this, you will be scheduled for review appointments every 6-12 months to make sure the treatment is stable. This schedule may vary depending on the parameters of your eyes.

Ortho K Lenses are designed to be worn at night, while you sleep. Ortho K lenses gently reshape the front surface of your eye (cornea) so you can see clearly the following day once you remove the lenses in the morning.

This is why we say “sleep to see”. With Ortho K you don’t need to wear glasses or daytime contact lenses. All that is required is a good night’s sleep while wearing your lenses and your vision will be clear due to the reshaping of your cornea by the Ortho K Lenses.

If you are myopic (short-sighted), the lenses will gently flatten the central cornea and steepen the peripheral cornea in order to correct the refraction.

If you are hyperopic or presbyopic (long sighted), the lenses work in the the opposite way, with a reverse design to steepen the shape of the central cornea and flatten the periphery.

If you are astigmatic (deviation of spherical curvature), the bespoke, toric Ortho K lenses can be designed to correct vision distortion in vertical and horizontal directions.

By the first week your vision will have improved significantly (around 50-70% correction) and, in many cases, perfect or near perfect vision is achievable by the first or second week.

However, the actual time or duration of the Ortho K treatment will depend on a patient’s prescription and current eye shape. This determines what you optometrist is working with and what to begin with.

When asked how long ortho k takes, a factor that also determines the duration would be the consistency of the patient in playing his/her role in the treatment. For instance, not wearing the ortho k prescribed contact lenses would definitely prolong the treatment process.

Ortho K fitting timeline

• Day 0
   

  Time of day: Anytime

  Fitting & Delivery of Ortho K lenses
  Lens Tuition (application/removal & maintenance)

• Day 1
   

  Time of day: Morning

  Ortho K lenses in-situ from previous night
  On-eye lens assessment, topography, UCVA, slit-lamp examination
  Review lens tuition

• Week 1
   

  Time of day: Morning

  Ensure Visual Acuity is improving

• Week 2-3
   

  Time of day: Afternoon

  Ensure maintenance of Visual Acuity at end of the day

• Week 4
   

  Time of day: Afternoon

  Confirm maintenance of VA

• Month 3
   

  Time of day: Anytime

  Lens inspection

• Month 6
   

  Time of day: Anytime

  Lens Inspection & in-house progent

• 1 Year
   

  Time of day: Anytime

  Comprehensive Eye Examination

The most serious problems usually arise from improper lens care, poorly fitted lenses, or lenses made from old lens materials that limit oxygen transmission and compromise corneal physiology. At the Ortho K Group, we only use the latest technology in lens design to ensure your Ortho K lenses are breathable and effective.

Risks associated with Ortho K are similar to risks with contact lens wear, and are not specific to Ortho K. In fact, the rate of complications is actually lower with Ortho K than it is with soft contact lenses.

In order to reduce any side effects, always follow the advice of your optometrist and speak to any of our staff should you have any questions or concerns.

On your first fitting we will ensure you are very comfortable with the insertion, wearing and removal of the lenses and, if required, we can apply topical anaesthetic eye drops so you won’t feel anything.

Ortho K lenses are worn at night so any discomfort is soon forgotten as you will be asleep.

However, once fitted, Ortho K is less expensive than most daily disposable contact lenses. Ortho K is also significantly cheaper than Laser Eye Surgery or LASIK.

Generally, the costs of Ortho K, including follow-up care associated with fitting the lenses, will vary depending on the type and degree of your refractive error and whether you are choosing Ortho K lenses for long-term myopia control in addition to the temporary correction of existing myopia. Pricing will generally range from $1800 to $2200.

Pricing is inclusive of:

• Corneal mapping
• Tailoring the lens to your eyes
• First lens purchase (required to be renewed every two years)
• Follow-up appointments
• Emergency appointments
• Initial care products (cleaning solutions)