Orthokeratology (ortho-k) helps correct myopia, a common vision problem in children. Ortho-k involves the use of specially designed, custom fitted contact lenses that reshape the cornea to improve vision. It is often looked at like “orthodontics for your eyes.” Ortho-k lenses reshape the front surface of the eye while you sleep. Like in orthodontics, vision improvements are reversible but can be maintained when lenses are used as directed (much like wearing a retainer).
At Innovative Eye Care, we have partnered with CooperVision Specialty EyeCare, a leader in ortho-k contact lenses and other eye care vision correction methods and treatments.
Whether your child is going to school from home or is back in the classroom, clear vision can help them succeed both academically and in extracurriculars like sports.
As mentioned above, ortho-k is mainly used to correct near-sightedness (myopia) in individuals of all ages. A common vision problem that can be corrected using methods that include eye glasses, regular contact lenses, LASIK, or PRK. Ortho-k is recommended for children because it’s a surgery-free way for those with myopia to see better without glasses or regular contact lenses. With vision often changing into their 20s, surgeries like LASIK are not recommended.
Clinical studies have proven that overnight ortho-k lenses provide life-changing benefits for students that include…
Dr. Copeland will map and measure the surface of your cornea with a corneal topographer in order to design a custom-fitted ortho-k lens. The exam is non-invasive, does not touch your eye, and is painless.
Once a custom lens is created, it works by flattening the center of the cornea. This changes how light is bent as it enters the eye. In most cases, ortho-k lenses are worn overnight and removed during the day. These overnight lenses are gas-permeable, allowing oxygen through so your eye stays healthy while you sleep. When you wake and remove the lenses, the cornea stays flat, correcting vision without the need for glasses or regular contact lenses. However, like braces and retainers, if you stop wearing the lenses as directed your eyes will eventually go back to their original shape.
Once you start wearing your ortho-k lenses, it can take two weeks (or more) to attain the maximum vision correction from orthokeratology. However, some patients experience significant vision improvement in just days. In clinical studies approved by the FDA, ortho-k lenses helped most patients achieved 20/40 vision or better.
You may need to use more than one set of temporary lenses to reach the desired prescription. It can take three pairs of ortho-k lenses (used one after the other) to achieve the best vision correction. Once you’ve reached your eye doctor’s recommended prescription, you’ll use the same pair of lens each night to maintain the correction. While some people do find the lenses initially uncomfortable, they do become more comfortable with time. Once your corneas’ curves have been corrected, you will use a retainer lens to maintain your vision, as directed by Dr. Copeland.
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