Millions of Americans wear glasses or contact lenses to correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.
These devices can be helpful, but they often require regular prescription updates and only correct your vision while you’re wearing them.
Because of these limitations, many people are considering corneal reshaping therapy, also known as orthokeratology or ortho-K. This non-surgical, reversible vision correction option can help improve your eyesight over time without glasses or daytime contacts.
At 2020 Family Vision, with locations in Novi, Lake Orion, Bloomington Hills, Farmington Hill, and Ypsilanti, Michigan, our team offers ortho-K to children, teens, and adults. Keep reading to learn what it is, who’s a good candidate for treatment, and how it works.
Corneal reshaping therapy (CRT), also called orthokeratology, is a treatment designed to manage minor refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Refractive errors occur when your cornea (the clear surface at the front of your eye) fails to precisely refract light onto the retina at the back of your eye, leading to blurry vision.
This happens because of the cornea’s shape. If your cornea is too flat, too curved, or slightly irregular, light doesn’t focus properly, which is why objects up close or in the distance may appear fuzzy.
During orthokeratology treatment, you wear specialty contact lenses that are gas-permeable while you sleep. These lenses gently reshape your cornea over a series of days or weeks, allowing you to see clearly during the day without glasses or contacts.
The best way to determine if you’re a candidate for orthokeratology is with a comprehensive eye exam from our caring team. Generally, ortho-K may benefit:
After reviewing your eye health records, discussing your goals, and completing an eye exam and necessary testing, we can make personalized treatment recommendations.
If we determine that you’re a good candidate for orthokeratology, we conduct a corneal mapping test. This imaging procedure uses noninvasive, digital technology to create a three-dimensional (3D) map of your cornea’s curvature and surface shape.
Then, we send this information to a lab that creates your custom contact lenses.
Once your custom contacts are ready, you return to our office for a fitting. We make additional adjustments as needed and explain when and how long to wear them for optimal results.
Most people need to wear their ortho-K lenses between six and 10 hours each night. To achieve this goal, we encourage you to put them in right before going to bed, only taking them out once you’re up and ready to start the day.
Many people notice their vision improving within 24-48 hours, but it can take up to two weeks for blurring and fuzziness to subside. However, this vision correction isn’t permanent.
To maintain your results, you must wear your special ortho-K contacts every night. If you stop wearing them, your corneas revert to their original shape.
We monitor your progress at regular checkups, adjusting your treatment plan as necessary to ensure lasting results.
Orthokeratology is safe, typically well-tolerated, and FDA-approved. That said, some people experience dry eyes and mild irritation at the beginning of treatment, but these issues typically improve with time.
It’s important to follow our instructions for wearing your contacts and to clean them regularly. Without proper maintenance, they may collect bacteria or other microorganisms and increase the risk of an eye infection.
If you’re tired of wearing glasses or contacts during the day, contact us to learn more about ortho-K.
Call the nearest office today to make an appointment, or book your visit online. We can determine whether you’re a good candidate and provide alternative treatment recommendations if not.
