Short-Sightedness?

Orthokeratology, by a form of overnight lenses, takes a gentle approach to shaping the cornea, making ortho-k lenses an ideal solution for short-sighted children of most ages. Using a gentle solution like ortho-k lenses, is especially useful for those who are too young to be treated by invasive vision correction procedures like laser surgery.

Besides helping children with short sightedness, the benefits of orthok overnight lenses extends to adults too. Othokeratology can be used as a great temporary solution to short sightedness and help treat anyone with mild to moderate forms of myopia / short sightedness.

One study of orthokeratology on children in Malaysia found that myopia/short-sightedness stabilized in 64% of the participating children. Following the insertion of ortho-k lenses before bedtime, the ortho-k lenses work to reshape the cornea and then help the eyes absorb maximum light refraction. Over time, this means the orthok lenses will help to create a reduction in myopic loss of sight.

Benefits Of Ortho-K Lenses

As mentioned, myopia, otherwise referred to as short sightedness or near sightedness, is a common problem in adults as well as children. One of the most popular solutions to myopia for adults in this day of age, is laser surgery. As an effective and safe procedure, it provides satisfying and long-lasting results. However, laser surgery can be an expensive procedure and some patients are hesitant about the use of this surgery through various reasons, predominantly because it is done whilst awake and the eyes can be incredibly sensitive for weeks, sometimes months after.

Orthok overnight contact lenses can act as a great temporary solution for people with myopia. Orthok lenses can allow a user to take a little extra time to try an alternative solution to surgery. It may be a simple case that implementing these overnight lenses changes their quality of life significantly. For this reason, those who are hesitant about eye surgery, orthokeratology allows them to see whether they feel surgery is really a necessary course of action for their myopia / short sightedness.

For those who choose to continue the use of overnight ortho-k lenses, the corneal reshaping process with orthokeratology may lead to less reliance on prescription glasses and/or lenses during the day. In the long term, this can help to create a significant reduction in outgoing prescription costs.

How Does Ortho-K Works?

Orthokeratology begins its work when placing the ortho-k lenses in to the eyes at night time before going to sleep. Once inserted, the lenses will comfortably sit on the surface of the eye, with minimal discomfort, just like a normal pair of contact lenses.

Overnight, the ortho-k lenses work very gently to reshape the cornea. The cornea is the area of the eye that focuses light onto the fovea. The fovea is the area of the eye that sends image signals to the brain’s occipital lobe. With such reshaping, the occipital lobe starts to receive significantly clearer image signals and has a much easier time interpreting the images it’s helping us to see.

Ortho-k lenses are designed to provide a temporary yet helpful solution for short-sightedness. The effects of wearing ortho-k lenses will last for around 24 hours. During this time, ortho-k lense users do not need to worry about wearing prescription glasses or contacts lenses all day. Such benefits are found especially useful for those who work in certain professions, where prescription glasses are cumbersome and can, at times, play a part in eye strain when used all the time.