Orthokeratology: Correct Your Vision As You Sleep
Are you tired of wearing eyeglasses or contacts lenses daily? Wouldn’t it be great to fall asleep and wake up with your eyes as good as new? Wouldn’t it be even greater to have all that without having to undergo eye surgery? The good news is that you actually can! Through a process known as Orthokeratology or in short Ortho-k, you can wake up with perfect vision every morning.
What Is Orthokeratology?
Orthokeratology (ortho-k) is the process whereby specially designed gas permeable contact lenses are fitted onto your cornea to reduce nearsightedness or myopia. This process is done overnight, where your eye doctor fits you with GP contact lenses and you sleep in them. The ortho-k lenses simply and gently reshape the front surface of your eye (cornea) in a process also known as corneal reshaping (CR). When you wake up in the morning you pleasantly discover that you can see clearly!
One Size Does Not Fit All
Corneal reshaping managed with ortho-k is not a one-size-fits-all. They differ on a case-by-case basis. Usually, your eye doctor, your optometrists or ophthalmologists, gives you a definite direction after examining your eyes. People who need this corrective procedure usually suffer from mild to moderate myopia. The ortho-k lenses you receive are typically custom designed by your doctor depending on your degree of myopia. Eye doctors usually target 20/20 vision after ortho-k. But even a 20/40 vision which, happens to be the legal minimum for driving in most of the United States is usually considered an acceptable outcome.
What To Expect From Orthokeratology
Once someone has undergone corneal reshaping, they should be able to see sufficiently well without spectacles or contact lenses, say for a day or two after the procedure. But for higher prescriptions, it can take longer even up to two weeks or longer for maximum correction to occur. When ortho-k lenses are worn every night, the results are especially outstanding.
Candidates might notice blurred vision, glare or halos around lights before their eyes are fully corrected. In some cases, they may still require wearing glasses, of course with a lesser prescription than they had initially, while still undergoing the ortho-k process. Some people might still continue to experience halos and mild glare long after maximum ortho-k correction has been achieved.
Is Orthokeratology Safe For You?
Because Orthokeratology result is temporary thus reversible, little risk is involved, and you can discontinue wearing the lenses at any time, as long as you are willing to resume wearing glasses or contacts again when your myopia returns. They are very healthy and comfortable too; no wonder you sleep through the night!
Ortho-k comes highly recommended as it is completely safe for children and young adults who desire to be glasses-free but do not qualify for refractive surgery due to dry eyes or who are too young for LASIK. It is also best well suited for those who work in dusty environments or participate in contact sports that can pose problems for contact lenses.