Ortho-K Lenses at Jarvis Vision Center
in Murray, KY
What is Ortho-K?
Orthokeratology, commonly shortened to Ortho-K, is a safe, effective, and painless way to improve your myopia (nearsightedness) while you sleep so you can enjoy clear vision all throughout the day! Here’s how this unique vision therapy works:
- During a consultation, we determine if Ortho-K is right for you.
- We’ll customize specialized Ortho-K lenses to your eyes, then fit you with them in our offices to make sure they’re comfortable.
- You’ll put in the Ortho-K lenses before going to sleep and wear them all night long.
- In the morning, you take the lenses out and enjoy a day of clear eyesight.
- Repeat this process according to your eye doctor’s instructions.
Most of our patients find they don’t need their glasses at all during the day after only a few weeks of use! In fact, studies and FDA trials have found that as many as 71% of patients achieve 20/20 vision, and over 95% achieved 20/40 or better!
How Exactly Does Ortho-K
Treat Myopia?
Your cornea, the clear front layer of your eye, focuses light onto the retina, the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of your eye. This is what allows us to see clearly. When the cornea isn’t shaped just right, it focuses light on the wrong place, and vision can be blurry. In the case of myopia, the cornea focuses light in front of the retina, rather than directly on it.
Ortho-K gently reshapes the cornea during the night, so that by morning, you can enjoy clear vision. The cornea is quite flexible and can adapt to this reshaping well — in fact, it slowly returns to its previous shape if you don’t wear your Ortho-K lenses for long enough.
Why Are Ortho-K Contacts a Preferable Solution?
The two other solutions for myopia are eyewear (eyeglasses or contact lenses), or laser eye surgery such as LASIK. Eyewear can be an excellent option, especially for kids, but it doesn’t stop the myopia from getting worse, which can be dangerous: severe myopia has been linked to a greater risk of eye disease.
LASIK has the potential to reduce or eliminate a patient’s need for eyewear, but it’s a surgery that isn’t right for everyone and cannot be performed on children. Ortho-K lenses slow or stop the progression of myopia with regular use, without the permanence or invasiveness of an eye surgery. It’s also safe for children!
How Safe are Ortho-K Contacts?
Perfectly safe, with proper use! Ortho-K contacts are just as safe as any other extended-wear overnight contact lenses. As long as you clean your Ortho-K lenses as instructed and don’t put them in your eyes while they are red, irritated, or inflamed, you should have no issues whatsoever. If you do encounter any issues, just let us know right away!
Who is a Candidate for
Ortho-K Lenses?
We’ll determine if you’re a good fit for Ortho-K during an eye exam. Your vision prescription and eye health will be part of the discussion as we take sophisticated mapping images of your cornea. If everything checks out, we’ll fit you in specialty lenses and train you on care, insertion, and removal. We’ll then provide follow-ups over the course of your therapy to make sure it’s working as intended.
