Ortho K

Myopia Control – Ortho K

If you have been diagnosed with myopia or nearsightedness, you have probably been referred for a variety of different treatment options. Many of our patients haven’t heard of Ortho K, or orthokeratology before they come into our offices though. Ortho K is a great option for many patients that don’t require you to wear glasses or contact lenses throughout the day. Ortho K isn’t even surgery or damaging medical procedure.

Understanding Myopia Control

Currently, there is no known cure for nearsightedness. When myopia is not controlled, it can rapidly progress and cause further issues. Controlling or slowing the progression of myopia can be the best option for many patients. Myopia control treatments can help by changing the eye’s structure, reducing stress and pressure.

Untreated myopia can lead to such poor vision, that many patients, including children, are required to wear very thick lenses. Untreated or advanced myopia can also be the cause of a detached retina or early cataracts.

Types of Myopia Control

There are four basic types of myopia control:

• Atropine drops – These drops help to relax the eye by paralyzing the eye muscles.
• Multifocal contact lenses – These are contact lenses that are specifically designed to help patients see both near and distant objects. However, only certain parts of the contact can focus at certain distances, so overall vision may not be as clear.
• Multifocal eyeglasses – These eyeglasses are similar to multifocal contacts. Part of the lens helps to focus on distant objects, while the other portion may have no prescription or a prescription to help see objects that are closer.
• Orthokeratology – Orthokeratology uses a gas permeable contact lens that is worn while the patient sleeps. It helps to keep the eye in the proper form. In the morning, the patient can remove these lenses, and the eye will retain its shape throughout the day. This means that patients can go about living their normal lives without having to wear any prescription lens to manage their daily lives.

Considering Orthokeratology

Ortho K is a safe and effective treatment for many patients with myopia. This care is also an appropriate method to use for children. Ortho K lenses are created for each patient and will be prescribed after a detailed image of your eye has been captured. This allows the lens to properly account for the current shape and slope of your eye and how to best fit it into the appropriate shape.

Many patients find that wearing gas permeable lenses can be uncomfortable, but because they only wear them to sleep, this is often a short-lived discomfort. Patients quickly become adapted to wearing the lenses during their sleep. In addition, Ortho K lenses help to maintain the eye shape through time, which helps to keep myopia from rapidly progressing.

Benefits of Ortho K

Recent studies suggest that Ortho K is a better treatment for slowing the progression and maintaining the shape of the eye than wearing multifocal eyeglasses. Many patients also enjoy having clear vision without having to wear any type of lens throughout the day. They can go swimming, wear regular non-prescription sunglasses, and avoid the change in their appearance offered by glasses.

Other studies even suggest that using Ortho K lenses offers greater long-term benefits than utilizing the atropine eye drops. This means that orthokeratology may be the best option to slow the progression of myopia, and comes with the least effects to your daily routine.

Orthokeratology also offers one of the most cost-efficient approaches to controlling myopia, when you consider the long-term treatment and replacement costs. General two lens Ortho K lenses run between $900 and $1800 depending on your specific needs.

Overview

If you are considering your options to slow the progression of myopia in yourself or your children, contact our offices today. Dr. Dipak Patel and his staff have the experience and education that you need to get the best results. Schedule your appointment now!