As convenient and effective as eyeglasses and contact lenses are for many people, you might understandably wish you could simply experience clear vision in your daily life without surgery or those vision correcting devices. But maybe you’re hesitant to make a permanent change via LASIK surgery, or maybe you’re not a good candidate for this procedure. If so, then you’ll be very happy to learn about orthokeratology (Ortho-K), a safe, non-surgical overnight vision correction technique that we offer for both our RevolutionEYES™ and Little Eyes patients.
The Ortho-K Difference With Your Carmel and Fishers Optometrist
Refractive errors such as myopia and hyperopia often occur when light cannot be refracted and focuses onto the retina normally due to abnormal eyeball or corneal shape. Eyeglasses and ordinary contact lenses compensates by altering the refractive angle, while LASIK surgery alters the curvature of the cornea directly and permanently. But not everyone is ready or able to take the significant step of refractive eye surgery, leaving eyeglasses and contacts as temporary solutions that pose their own share of inconveniences — especially for extremely busy individuals or athletes who run the risk of losing or destroying their eyewear.
Ortho-K involves the use of specialized lenses, but these lenses double as corneal molds. When you wear the lenses to bed at night, they safely and gently reshape the corneal contours as you sleep. When you wake up in the morning, remove the lenses and you’ll see your world in excellent vision for the rest of the day (or even longer). You can keep the vision correction going as long as you like by wearing the Ortho-K lenses to bed regularly — but unlike LASIK, you can also reverse the correction in favor of a different solution; it’s as simple as discontinuing their use.
Ortho-K can correct for myopia, astigmatism and even presbyopia (the loss of comfortable near focus in middle age) to varying degrees. Extreme refractive errors might still require a different form of vision correction. Our eye doctors, Dr. Jeremy Ciano, Dr. Katherine Schuetz or Dr. Hannah Wilson, can evaluate your condition to determine whether Ortho-K is likely to give you satisfying results.
An Invaluable Advance in Pediatric Eye Care
Ortho-K contact lenses don’t just provide adults and children alike with clear daytime vision — they can even reduce the progression of myopia in younger users. Studies have shown that wearing Ortho-K lenses regularly can slow the elongation of the eyeball (the principal cause of nearsightedness) significantly. If your child has been diagnosed with myopia, this pediatric eye care measure could make a major difference in the degree of nearsightedness he experiences by adulthood.
Ask Your Optometrist in Carmel and Fishers, IN About Ortho-K
Our optometrists in Carmel and Fishers, IN, Dr. Ciano, Dr. Schuetz or Dr. Wilson, will help you decide whether Ortho-K is the right choice for you or loved ones. Call our optometry center today at 317-844-2020 for a consultation with your eye doctor & team!