Orthokeratology
OVERNIGHT WEAR CONTACT LENSES THAT LEAVE YOU WITH CLEAR VISION ALL DAY, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR SPECTACLES OR DAILY DISPOSIBLE CONTACT LENSES
What is Ortho-K?
You might have come across various names for it such as Overnight Vision Correction, OK lenses, Ortho-K lenses, night lenses or it’s technical term, Orthokeratology. These small contact lenses have an incredible ability to correct your vision while you sleep by gently reshaping the curvature of your eye overnight. When you wake up, the slight change in the corneal curvature leads to a clear and sharp vision for the entire day, allowing you to experience the day without the need for spectacles.
The process involves micro reshaping the cornea, which ensures that the light passing through the eye is properly focused on the peripheral retina, resulting in clear vision throughout the day. The effects are temporary, which is why you need to repeat the process every night by wearing these lenses to maintain clear vision for the next day.
Ortho-K for Children & Myopia Management
For children, teens and young adults, Ortho-K is often recommended as a form of Myopia Management, to help reduce the rate of Myopia progression. Detailed measurements and maps of the cornea are taken to create personalised lenses that function similarly to the description mentioned earlier.
With continued use throughout development and growth, the risk of myopia progressing rapidly to its full extent is minimised. Ortho-K is a great alternative to myopia management spectacles or daily disposable contact lenses as they offer visual freedom throughout the day allowing individuals to go about activities such as swimming and sports that might require them to remove their contact lenses or spectacles.
Available as part of our Eyeplan membership
Ask us if your prescription may be suitable.
The Technical Stuff - How it works
Regular single-vision lenses focus peripheral light rays behind the retina rather than onto it. This is thought to be the reason that myopia continues to progress despite corrective spectacles and contact lenses. The theory behind myopia management is that it helps disrupt the signal that tells the eye to continue growing.
Innovative optical devices such as Ortho-K, MiSight, and MiYOSMART lenses have been specifically designed to focus light in front of the peripheral retina which results in reduced abnormal eye growth, which in turn helps slow the rate at which myopia progresses.
Myopic Lifestyle Advice Guide
Things you can do at home to help manage myopia.
Delve into 11 straightforward and efficient ways that you, or your loved ones, can take proactive steps towards managing Myopia progression at home.
FAQ's
01
Typically 3-4 weeks and involves around 5 compulsory appointments. This time commitment is necessary to ensure the success and safety of the procedure.
Once the fitting process begins an introduction to contact lenses lesson is provided, followed by the order of custom-made lenses, which will arrive approximately 2 weeks later. During the subsequent optometrist appointment, the lenses and initial fitting will be checked. A full insertion and removal tuition appointment will follow, with the possibility of additional tuition appointments depending on individual needs. To ensure safety, you will not be able to take the lenses home until you are proficient in inserting and removing them. Once you have demonstrated this skill, an appointment will be scheduled for the morning after your first night of wearing the lenses. This allows the optometrist to assess the immediate effect and ensure the procedure is working as expected. If everything goes well, you can continue with Ortho-K at home, returning for follow-up appointments as recommended by your optometrist.
02
The myopia management journey begins with a Consultation & Advanced Eye Examination to discover what options may be suitable for you or your child’s eyes specifically. If found to be a suitable Ortho-K candidate, there will be an upfront fee and an ongoing monthly care and product Direct Debit, this continues throughout the course of treatment for as long as you remain under our care. The minimum term for this Myopia Management plan is 18 months. If you are planning to be in the area less time please contact us directly.
Find our transparent service price guide by clicking here alternatively, get in touch for more information.
03
Typically the effects of ortho-K lens wear start from as little as one night to two weeks depending on each individual. It’s important to consider that sometimes further alterations may be required to make Ortho-K lenses work to produce the desired clinical result. This is one of the many reasons that new ortho-k clients must have several visits throughout the fitting process.
04
Ortho-K lenses are not compatible with regular prescription glasses because they have different functions. Ortho-K lenses reshape the cornea while you sleep, improving vision and eliminating the need for daytime aids. If you try to wear your regular glasses after removing the Ortho-K lenses, they won’t work well because they are not designed for your eyes’ current condition.
However, there are situations where wearing Ortho-K lenses may not be suitable. In these cases, your eyes will gradually return to their original state over about two weeks. If your glasses are still the correct strength and don’t need any adjustments, you can continue wearing them like you did before using Ortho-K lenses.
05
Before we can provide any optical appliances or devices, you will need to undergo a full eye health assessment. However, if you can obtain the exact details of your current ortho-k lenses and provide your uncorrected prescription and follow-up results, it may speed up the fitting process. If your lenses are from one of our manufacturers, the fitting will be quicker. In most cases, a full refit is necessary, and you will need to refrain from wearing Ortho-k lenses for a 2-4 week “wash out” period to start the process again with your uncorrected vision. Unless you require insertion and removal tuition appointments, you can take your lenses home sooner than most people beginning their Ortho-K journey.
06
Suitable for most for patients with mild to moderate Myopia:
A Spherical spectacle prescription of -0.75D up to -5.00D
Astigmatism of up to -2.50D combined with a spherical prescription, equalling a total of no
more than -5.00D
To find out if your prescription may be suitable please contact us.
