Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a vision issue where you can see objects up close but have difficulty seeing clearly at a distance. It requires glasses or contact lenses to see well.
But what if your child or teen could reshape the cornea overnight so they didn’t need vision correction during the day? Orthokeratology does just that, providing a temporary solution to myopia in children, teens, and some young adults.
At Family Eyecare of Linden in Linden, New Jersey, our experienced optometrists offer orthokeratology for those who don’t want the hassle of wearing contacts or glasses during the day.
Orthokeratology, or ortho-K, is a treatment that involves gas-permeable lenses that gently reshape the cornea while you sleep.
The cornea is the dome-shaped portion of the eye that focuses light from outside the eye onto the retina. Issues such as myopia change the shape of the cornea, making it difficult to see objects at a distance.
The benefit of ortho-K treatment is avoiding corrective lenses during the day; the rigid lens you wear overnight shapes the cornea enough to enjoy better vision the next day.
For ortho-K to work, your child or teen must wear the lenses each night, all night. The reshaping process is temporary and lasts only until the next evening, when they put in the lenses again.
Unfortunately, the effects of ortho-K aren’t permanent. By the end of the day, the cornea returns to its normal shape, bringing myopia or other eye conditions with it.
However, with consistent overnight wear of rigid contacts, vision can improve. But consistency is key — your child must wear the lenses every night to get the daytime benefits.
Results are also reversible — if your child stops wearing the lenses at night, their vision reverts. But if they want to avoid wearing glasses or contacts during the day, ortho-K lenses provide a long-term solution with regular wear.
The rigid, gas-permeable ortho-K lenses have a reverse geometry design. This design helps flatten the central portion of the cornea and thicken the peripheral aspect.
The result is a change in how the cornea directs light onto the retina. It can correct issues like myopia, astigmatism, and some cases of presbyopia.
Ortho-K works and is safe because the cornea is flexible and can reshape overnight with the help of rigid contact lenses. It’s highly effective at correcting myopia overnight, so you can avoid wearing corrective lenses the next day.
The better your child is at wearing the lenses each night, the more successful the treatment.
Take the first step to address your child’s myopia — schedule a comprehensive eye exam today for ortho-K treatment by calling Family Eyecare of Linden or requesting an appointment online.
We proudly serve areas including Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Colonia, Scotch Plains, and Linden, New Jersey.
