Curious about a way to see clearly without wearing glasses or having surgery? Let’s talk about Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) – a clever little treatment that works while you sleep. If you’re short-sighted and tired of relying on glasses or daytime contact lenses, Ortho-K might be just what you’re looking for. In this post, we’ll break down how it works, what to expect, and why more and more people are giving it a go.
What is Ortho-K?
Ortho-K is a non-invasive, overnight vision correction method that involves wearing custom-designed contact lenses while sleeping. It is like “braces for the eyes”. The shape of the cornea has reshaped and flattened overnight during sleep with a hard contact lenses. The reshaped cornea can hold between 24 to 36 hours which provides a correction for short-sightedness and astigmatism.
Figure 1.What is ortho-k?. Source: https://www.mykidsvision.org/KnowledgeCentre/what-is-ortho-k
Is Ortho-K Right for Me?
Optometrists usually recommend Ortho-K lenses for two main reasons – clear vision during the day without glasses, and to help slow down short-sightedness in kids.
1. For clear, glasses-free vision:
Ortho-K is a great option if you’re under 35 1,2 and have mild to moderate short-sightedness 1 (myopia) or astigmatism 3 . It’s especially appealing if you’re looking for a non-surgical alternative to glasses or daytime contact lenses.
2. For managing myopia in children:
Ortho-K has also been shown to help slow the progression of myopia in kids – by up to 50% 4,5 , according to multiple studies. The specially designed lenses gently flatten the centre of the cornea (giving clear distance vision), while shaping the outer areas to help slow the eye’s growth. It’s a win-win for both vision and long-term eye health.
Why Choose Ortho-K?
One of the biggest perks of Ortho-K is clear vision all day—no need for glasses or contact lenses while you’re awake. That means you can swim, play sports, or enjoy the outdoors without worrying about losing your lenses or dealing with dry eyes and infections 6,7 that can come with regular contacts.
Ortho-K is also called “refractive therapy” and it’s a safe, non-invasive alternative to laser eye surgery. The best part? It’s reversible 5,7 . As long as you wear the lenses each night, you’ll wake up with crisp, clear 20/20 vision the next day.
What to Expect During the Fitting Process?
To get fitted for Ortho-k, your optometrist will assess your vision and perform topography and biometry scans to check your suitability for ortho-k and to monitor for myopia progression. A customised design reverse geometry contact lens is then ordered. Eye health and eye shape will be monitored closely at morning visits after the first night, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months of ortho-k wear. Any changes to the contact lenses to improve fit are made during this time. Ortho-k lenses are custom designed and lens wear is needed to fully understand how an individual eye will respond to Ortho-k wear. Once clear vision and excellent fit of the contact lens is achieved, then on a 6-monthly basis review is advised.
Will it Hurt? Are They Comfortable?
Ortho-K are rigid contact lenses. Individuals will have awareness of the contact lens on the eye. However ortho-k lenses will not cause major discomfort and disruption to sleep 8 . Most patients fully adapt and the majority will find the lens comfortable 8 and appreciate the freedom from daytime correction.
Caring for Your Ortho-K Lenses
Ortho-K lenses are designed to last around 12 to 18 months, but taking good care of them is key to keeping your eyes healthy and your vision sharp. Here’s what you need to know:
- Clean and disinfect your lenses every day using an RGP (rigid gas permeable) multipurpose solution.
- Once a month, give them a deeper clean with a hydrogen peroxide-based solution to keep them in top shape.
- You’ll also use lubricating eye drops when putting the lenses in at night to help with comfort and ease of insertion.
With the right care routine, your lenses will stay effective, and your eyes will thank you!
Cost Considerations
Our practice offers ortho-K treatment from $1550 (depending on your prescription). This includes a pair of ortho-k lenses, 6 months of initial consultation fees and any changes to the lenses within the fitting period. Additional costs only include the cleaning solutions and eye drops. Given ortho-k myopia control benefits, patients are actually saving long term costs due to the reduced need for continuously updating glasses or disposable day contact lenses.
If you’re exploring options beyond glasses or daytime contact lenses, Ortho-K might be a good fit. Whether you’re after more convenience, or you’re looking to slow the progression of myopia, we’re here to help you understand your choices.
Get in touch with our team to find out if Ortho-K is right for you or your child.
Author: Dr Vin – Ling Yang
References
- Vincent SJ, Cho P, Chan KY, Fadel D, Ghorbani-Mojarrad N, González-Méijome JM, Johnson L, Kang P, Michaud L, Simard P, Jones L. CLEAR – Orthokeratology. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021 Apr;44(2):240-269.
- Jayakumar J, Swarbrick HA. The effect of age on short-term orthokeratology. Optom Vis Sci. 2005 Jun;82(6):505-11.
- Chen C, Cheung SW, Cho P. Myopia control using toric orthokeratology (TO-SEE study). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Oct 3;54(10):6510-7
- Sun Y, Xu F, Zhang T, Liu M, Wang D, Chen Y, Liu Q. Orthokeratology to control myopia progression: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015 Apr 9;10(4):e0124535.
- Li, S. M., Kang, M. T., Wu, S. S., Liu, L. R., Li, H., Chen, Z., & Wang, N. Efficacy, Safety and Acceptability of Orthokeratology on Slowing Axial Elongation in Myopic Children by Meta-Analysis. Current eye research. 2016; 41(5), 600–608. https://doi.org/10.3109/02713683.2015.1050743
- Carnt N, Stapleton F. Strategies for the prevention of contact lens-related Acanthamoeba keratitis: a review. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2016 Mar;36(2):77-92.
- Bullimore, M. A., Sinnott, L. T., & Jones-Jordan, L. A. The risk of microbial keratitis with overnight corneal reshaping lenses. Optometry and vision science : official publication of the American Academy of Optometry, 2013. 90(9), 937–944. https://doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0b013e31829cac92
- Yang, B., Ma, X., Liu, L., & Cho, P. Vision-related quality of life of Chinese children undergoing orthokeratology treatment compared to single vision spectacles. Contact lens & anterior eye : the journal of the British Contact Lens Association, 2021. 44(4), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2020.07.001
