What is Ortho K?
Orthokeratology or Ortho K (even referred to as OK) is a method that uses a custom made lens while you sleep to reshape the cornea.
This corrects your vision so that you do not have to wear glasses or contact lenses during the day. This means that you can go about your daily routine without having to deal with glasses or contact lenses.
Orthokeratology means wearing a special type of contact lenses to shape the surface of your eye. This is recommended and prescribed to people who are diagnosed with myopia also known as nearsightedness or other conditions like astigmatism.
Unlike laser eye surgery, Ortho K is reversible and non-invasive.
We are dedicated to improving vision through Ortho K. Our optometrists are experienced Orthokeratologists and we have the technology to ensure your Ortho K lens is tailored to ensure the best possible vision for your prescription.
Ortho K lenses should be worn every night as prescribed to achieve desired results. Failure to wear the lenses would mean you would not be able to see as clear the next day compared to a night wearing your ortho k lenses.
Is Ortho K the right choice of treatment vs Lasik?
The eyes are an essential part of our life. It determines our lifestyle and quality of life. Getting any form of treatment that concerns your eyes and particularly your vision should be given much thought. If you suffer from conditions like myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism, you may look into the idea of getting orthokeratology or ortho k to improve your vision.
Here are a few reasons why Ortho K may be the right choice for you:
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- A safe alternative to laser eye surgery
- No need for glasses
- No need for contact lenses during the day
- Great for people who play sports
- Great for people who enjoy swimming or water-based activities
- Great for people who have dry eye conditions
- Adaptable to changing prescriptions
- No more eye irritation related to contact lens wear
- Rigid Gas Permeable lenses allow the eyes to breathe while you wear them
- Reduces the progression of myopia
Laser Eye Surgery Risks
However, lasik is not for everyone. There are laser eye surgery risks that every candidate must consider before pushing through with the lasik procedure.
An eye care medical professional needs to qualify a patient and asses if the patient is indeed a candidate for lasik. Tests would be done and would be assessed vis a vis the laser eye surgery risks.
Patients are usually assessed based on the following:
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- You’ve had prescription changes for your eye glasses or contact lenses over the past 12 months.
- You are diagnosed with diabetes and your condition is starting to affect your vision.
- You currently have or have had eye diseases or conditions such as glaucoma.
- You’ve recently experience trauma to the eye and is now affecting your vision.
Laser eye surgery risks:
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- Dry eye syndrome
- Photosensitivity or over sensitivity to light
- Blurred, glarred, spotty or double vision
May or may not be fully corrected after the procedure. After the surgery, there are still patients who would still need to do a follow up surgery or even wear glasses. This is very common specially if the patient is an elderly.
How Orthokeratology started
Orthokeratology or ortho K was discovered by Chinese soldiers who used to sleep with sandbags placed on top of their eyes. After doing so, it was said that they were able to see clearer and it made them shoot targets more accurately. It was in 1962 when George Jessen who is named father of orthokeratology called it “orthofocus”. This began the development of the process and became the stepping stone for orthokeratology or ortho k.
Orthokeratology pros and cons
While ortho k as a treatment has been spoken of so highly, like other courses of treatment or therapy, there are orthokeratology pros and cons to consider and think about that may help you make your decision should you wish to proceed with the orthokeratology treatment.
Orthokeratology Pros:
1. No more bulky eye glasses and frames to think about! Like wearing optic contact lenses, having orthokeratology treatment saves you the trouble of having to wear glasses all the time.
2. Orthokeratology contact lenses were created to adapt to the current curvature of your eye. This debunks the myth that orthokeratology contact lenses squeeze the cornea in order to alter its shape. On the contrary, orthokeratology lenses adapt to your cornea’s eye and adjusts accordingly.
3. The effects of orthokeratology can last up to 72 hours. Regularly wearing orthokeratology contact lenses at night as prescribed by your optometrist holds promising results.
4. Applying orthokeratology contact lenses on children are much easier than normal contact lenses.
Orthokeratology Cons:
1. If not done and handled responsibly, orthokeratology contact lenses can cause eye infections.
2. Due to its size, orthokeratology contact lenses can easily be lost
3. First time users may feel a slight discomfort.
4. Effects of using orthokeratology lenses vary per person
Ortho K as an alternative to Laser Eye Surgery
Ortho K is known to be a non invasive procedure that is done as an alternative to laser eye surgery when one wishes to improve his/her vision in terms of nearsightedness, astigmatism and even far sightedness.
As an alternative to Laser Eye Surgery, ortho K is non surgical therefore has minimal risks compared to lasik. Ortho K, unlike laser eye surgery is reversible whereas lasik requires a thorough evaluation as this is a one-way corrective eye surgery. However, note that since ortho k is a reversible form of treatment, it does not correct your vision permanently. Orthokeratology requires commitment to wear contact lenses when you sleep to achieve better vision the following day. Not wearing these contact lenses defeats the purpose of the treatment and reduces your chance of correcting myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism.
If you want to know more about Ortho K as an alternative to laser eye surgery, click here to schedule an appointment with us or give us a call in any of the numbers available on our website.