Ortho-K, vision correction while you sleep
Imagine if you could see clearly without wearing glasses. You can play active sports with pin-sharp vision. You don't have to worry about your glasses fogging up in the rain.
Imagine if you no longer had to wear contact lenses. You have clear vision that is stable. You don't have contacts that dry out at the end of the day, or in front of a computer screen.
Imagine if this was possible without surgery. No sharp blades or lasers.
This is now possible... and it works while you sleep!
This is Ortho-K.
Orthokeratology (also known as Corneal Reshaping Therapy, CRT, or Ortho-K) is a treatment which makes use of precision corneal moulds which reshape the front surface of the eye (cornea) to correct short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. The moulds are only worn during sleep. You simply place them on the eye before you go to bed, sleep, wake up, and take them out. Your vision is clear for the rest of the day. No glasses. No contacts.
Ortho-K is non-surgical, and therefore completely reversible and safe. It's a great alternative to LASIK and other laser eye surgeries. The moulds only need to be worn nightly. If you stop wearing the moulds, your cornea returns to the same shape it used to be in as little as 72 hours. This is actually a huge plus, it means that Ortho-K can be adapted to correct your vision if your eyes change.
We used to just accept that children and young adults who are short-sighted usually keep getting worse until their mid-20's. We now know that Ortho-K actually slows down this process. Several large international clinical studies now confirm Ortho-K slows progression of short-sightedness by 40-60%. This means your kids eyes may not have to end up as bad as yours!
Ortho-K is non-surgical, and therefore completely reversible and safe. It's a great alternative to LASIK and other laser eye surgeries. The moulds only need to be worn nightly. If you stop wearing the moulds, your cornea returns to the same shape it used to be in as little as 72 hours. This is actually a huge plus, it means that Ortho-K can be adapted to correct your vision if your eyes change.
We used to just accept that children and young adults who are short-sighted usually keep getting worse until their mid-20's. We now know that Ortho-K actually slows down this process. Several large international clinical studies now confirm Ortho-K slows progression of short-sightedness by 40-60%. This means your kids eyes may not have to end up as bad as yours!
Why choose Ortho-K instead of LASIK or Laser Eye Surgery?
Most of the time people who have laser eye surgery are happy with the outcome. However, for those who've had a bad result and aren't happy, eye surgery is permanent and cannot reversed. This means going back to wearing glasses or contact lenses, and can even mean having worse vision than you started with. In contrast, Ortho-K treatment can be adjusted by altering the mould design if your vision changes. Furthermore, Ortho-K is completely reversible (in case you wish to go back to wearing glasses again) - you simply stop wearing the corneal moulds and your corneas, and vision, return to the state they were pre-treatment.
Laser eye surgery is not an option for children and young adults. This is because their eyes are changing. Most young people who are short-sighted usually keep getting worse until they are in their mid-20's. We used to just accept this fact, until now. Large international clinical studies now confirm that Ortho-K actually stops or slows down this worsening process by 40-60%! For the first time we can actually do something about the progression of short-sightedness. Laser eye surgery does not have this benefit, and there are many cases where people become short sighted again a few years after the procedure. For those who have short-sightedness running in their family, Ortho-K is a game changer!
Laser eye surgery also causes some long term side effects. The surgeon uses a very sharp blade to cut through the cornea in order to do the laser vision correction procedure. This also cuts the corneal nerve endings which are important for corneal health. This results in chronic eye irritation and dry eye, which are known side effects to LASIK and can persist for many years following the procedure. Ortho-K gently moulds the cornea and doesn't alter the corneal nerves, and so doesn't cause dry eye.
There are also some more serious complications of laser eye surgery that can result in vision loss:
Ortho-K cannot cause keratoconus and there is no risk of a LASIK flap becoming lifted in the event of an eye injury.
Most of the time people who have laser eye surgery are happy with the outcome. However, for those who've had a bad result and aren't happy, eye surgery is permanent and cannot reversed. This means going back to wearing glasses or contact lenses, and can even mean having worse vision than you started with. In contrast, Ortho-K treatment can be adjusted by altering the mould design if your vision changes. Furthermore, Ortho-K is completely reversible (in case you wish to go back to wearing glasses again) - you simply stop wearing the corneal moulds and your corneas, and vision, return to the state they were pre-treatment.
Laser eye surgery is not an option for children and young adults. This is because their eyes are changing. Most young people who are short-sighted usually keep getting worse until they are in their mid-20's. We used to just accept this fact, until now. Large international clinical studies now confirm that Ortho-K actually stops or slows down this worsening process by 40-60%! For the first time we can actually do something about the progression of short-sightedness. Laser eye surgery does not have this benefit, and there are many cases where people become short sighted again a few years after the procedure. For those who have short-sightedness running in their family, Ortho-K is a game changer!
Laser eye surgery also causes some long term side effects. The surgeon uses a very sharp blade to cut through the cornea in order to do the laser vision correction procedure. This also cuts the corneal nerve endings which are important for corneal health. This results in chronic eye irritation and dry eye, which are known side effects to LASIK and can persist for many years following the procedure. Ortho-K gently moulds the cornea and doesn't alter the corneal nerves, and so doesn't cause dry eye.
There are also some more serious complications of laser eye surgery that can result in vision loss:
- Keratoconus is a condition where the cornea weakens and thins, causing it to bulge out and become distorted, resulting in poor vision. Laser eye surgery can actually cause keratoconus (a condition called post-LASIK corneal ectasia), particularly in young people and those who have a family history of keratoconus. Click for more about keratoconus.
- Eye injuries, such as being poked in the eye with a fingernail can cause disastrous consequences in someone who has had LASIK surgery. The flap that is created in the LASIK process creates an inherent weakness in the cornea, which is permanent. Having an injury to the eye can lift a LASIK flap even years after having surgery. This can cause many problems including permanent vision loss. The eye is never the same afterwards. See this page at lasikcomplications.com for more information.
Ortho-K cannot cause keratoconus and there is no risk of a LASIK flap becoming lifted in the event of an eye injury.
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I've had unsuccessful laser eye surgery. Can Ortho-K correct my vision?
Ortho-K can be used to rehabilitate vision after unsuccessful laser eye surgery. Every case is individual. A full assessment will be required to determine if Ortho-K can improve your vision.
Ortho-K can be used to rehabilitate vision after unsuccessful laser eye surgery. Every case is individual. A full assessment will be required to determine if Ortho-K can improve your vision.
Is everyone suitable for Ortho-K?
Suitability depends on each individual case and this needs to be assessed with a comprehensive consultation. At present Ortho-K treatment can correct up to -10.00 dioptres of myopia (short-sightedness), 2.50 dioptres of astigmatism, and +5.00 dioptres of hyperopia (long-sightedness). Ortho-K treatment can also include multifocal correction, which means that those over 40 can be less dependant on reading glasses!
The next big advancement in Ortho-K technology we're expecting to see is the ability to correct people with larger amounts of astigmatism. Watch this space!
Is Ortho-K suitable for people who can't wear soft contact lenses because they suffer from dry eyes or allergies?
Yes. Soft contact lenses are like sponges, sucking up the moisture from your eye, so they tend to make dry eye and allergies worse. This is particularly true towards the end of the day. With Ortho-K, you aren't wearing any lenses during the day, so it is a very effective solution for those who love the freedom of vision offered by soft contact lenses but are troubled with dry eyes.
What does Ortho-K involve?
Ortho-K corneal moulds are made from a highly oxygen-permeable rigid material which doesn't dry out, and are custom designed to fit the cornea and reshape it to the required curvature. The moulds are generally only worn overnight. You may be aware of them for the first few nights, but comfort improves quickly, in as little as 2 or 3 nights. You generally don't feel them while your eyes are closed. So, unless you sleep with your eyes open, the treatment is very comfortable.
The treatment corrects your prescription whilst dramatically improving eyesight during the day without the use of contact lenses or glasses. Results are usually achieved within 2-3 days, with the full effect occurring in about 1 week for people with mild to moderate prescriptions (i.e. less than -4D or +2D).
As the cornea is highly elastic and always returns to its original shape, the moulds will need to be worn 4-7 nights per week to stabilise the new corneal shape when maximum results have been achieved.
We always perform an 'overnight trial' appointment which means that you can try the corneal moulds and we can assess your initial reaction and your suitability to the Ortho-K process.
Why haven't I heard of Ortho-K before?
Ortho-K is technically not a new treatment. It is believed the ancient Chinese placed tea bags filled with sand on the closed eyelids during sleep to improve vision in people with short-sightedness thousands of years ago. In the 1960's, Optometrists started using standard hard contact lenses to try to reshape the cornea in short-sighted people, with varying levels of success. These had to be worn for part of the day in order for the treatment to work, and could only reliably correct prescriptions up to -2.00. Hence it hadn't widely taken off.
Thankfully, the technology behind Ortho-K has improved exponentially over the last 15 years. Instead of standard rigid contact lenses, the treatment we provide now uses precisely customised corneal moulds. This allows us much greater control in re-shaping the cornea and correcting people with higher and more diverse prescriptions. Sophisticated equipment is used to measure the exact shape of the cornea, which allows us to mathematically calculate the shape of the mould using clever software. Crucial to producing these corneal moulds are laser-guided digital lathes, which can work to sub-micron levels of accuracy. Ortho-K is now a mature treatment and an excellent safe and alternative form of vision correction.
Of course, putting all of this together requires an Optometrist with a higher level of skill and equipment, who is able to monitor and control the corneal reshaping process in order to provide precise vision correction. It is really the key to making this vision correction magic work. Passion in correcting vision also helps immensely. This is one reason why Ortho-K isn't practised in every Optometry practice. There are a handful of Optometrists with the skills and expertise providing Ortho-K in the major capital cities, but it is less widely practised in country towns. In fact, Somer Toprak is the only Optometrist providing Ortho-K treatment between Geelong and Adelaide!
Suitability depends on each individual case and this needs to be assessed with a comprehensive consultation. At present Ortho-K treatment can correct up to -10.00 dioptres of myopia (short-sightedness), 2.50 dioptres of astigmatism, and +5.00 dioptres of hyperopia (long-sightedness). Ortho-K treatment can also include multifocal correction, which means that those over 40 can be less dependant on reading glasses!
The next big advancement in Ortho-K technology we're expecting to see is the ability to correct people with larger amounts of astigmatism. Watch this space!
Is Ortho-K suitable for people who can't wear soft contact lenses because they suffer from dry eyes or allergies?
Yes. Soft contact lenses are like sponges, sucking up the moisture from your eye, so they tend to make dry eye and allergies worse. This is particularly true towards the end of the day. With Ortho-K, you aren't wearing any lenses during the day, so it is a very effective solution for those who love the freedom of vision offered by soft contact lenses but are troubled with dry eyes.
What does Ortho-K involve?
Ortho-K corneal moulds are made from a highly oxygen-permeable rigid material which doesn't dry out, and are custom designed to fit the cornea and reshape it to the required curvature. The moulds are generally only worn overnight. You may be aware of them for the first few nights, but comfort improves quickly, in as little as 2 or 3 nights. You generally don't feel them while your eyes are closed. So, unless you sleep with your eyes open, the treatment is very comfortable.
The treatment corrects your prescription whilst dramatically improving eyesight during the day without the use of contact lenses or glasses. Results are usually achieved within 2-3 days, with the full effect occurring in about 1 week for people with mild to moderate prescriptions (i.e. less than -4D or +2D).
As the cornea is highly elastic and always returns to its original shape, the moulds will need to be worn 4-7 nights per week to stabilise the new corneal shape when maximum results have been achieved.
We always perform an 'overnight trial' appointment which means that you can try the corneal moulds and we can assess your initial reaction and your suitability to the Ortho-K process.
Why haven't I heard of Ortho-K before?
Ortho-K is technically not a new treatment. It is believed the ancient Chinese placed tea bags filled with sand on the closed eyelids during sleep to improve vision in people with short-sightedness thousands of years ago. In the 1960's, Optometrists started using standard hard contact lenses to try to reshape the cornea in short-sighted people, with varying levels of success. These had to be worn for part of the day in order for the treatment to work, and could only reliably correct prescriptions up to -2.00. Hence it hadn't widely taken off.
Thankfully, the technology behind Ortho-K has improved exponentially over the last 15 years. Instead of standard rigid contact lenses, the treatment we provide now uses precisely customised corneal moulds. This allows us much greater control in re-shaping the cornea and correcting people with higher and more diverse prescriptions. Sophisticated equipment is used to measure the exact shape of the cornea, which allows us to mathematically calculate the shape of the mould using clever software. Crucial to producing these corneal moulds are laser-guided digital lathes, which can work to sub-micron levels of accuracy. Ortho-K is now a mature treatment and an excellent safe and alternative form of vision correction.
Of course, putting all of this together requires an Optometrist with a higher level of skill and equipment, who is able to monitor and control the corneal reshaping process in order to provide precise vision correction. It is really the key to making this vision correction magic work. Passion in correcting vision also helps immensely. This is one reason why Ortho-K isn't practised in every Optometry practice. There are a handful of Optometrists with the skills and expertise providing Ortho-K in the major capital cities, but it is less widely practised in country towns. In fact, Somer Toprak is the only Optometrist providing Ortho-K treatment between Geelong and Adelaide!
Somer's personal Ortho-K story
I first got interested in Ortho-K when I started treating my own eyes to see how it worked. I was my first patient! I am short-sighted by over -5.00 dioptres AND have over 2.00 dioptres of astigmatism. Translation: without correction, I can only see clearly if I hold things right up to my nose, beyond which the world is a blur! I was also fed up with dry eye caused by wearing contact lenses, particularly at the end of the day or while working on a computer screen. I was doubtful Ortho-K would completely correct my vision as I have a high prescription. Nonetheless I was happy to give it a shot.
It was early February in 2013. My Ortho-K moulds arrived a couple of weeks after I designed and ordered them from our specialist lab. I was both excited and nervous - I didn't know how well it would work the first night. Would my vision be worse? How good would it be if my vision was crystal clear from day one?!
That night I placed the moulds on my eyes before going to bed. It felt a little funny, like having an eyelash in the eye, but when I closed my eyes I could barely feel them. I'm one of those people who find it difficult to switch off my thoughts and go to sleep if I have an exciting day coming up. I remember my sleep was interrupted a little due to this the first night. I kept thinking about what vision I would have the next morning. I counted some sheep, but that involved more mental energy and kept me awake. Maybe I wasn't doing it right. Anyhow, I eventually fell asleep.
The alarm clock went off. I had a look over and I could see it was 7:00. Hang on, I could see the clock! The moulds are designed so that your prescription is in them, so you can see while they are on. Even this was something I wasn't used to! I proceeded to remove the moulds, and place them in cleaning solution for the day. As I expected, I couldn't see clearly in the distance without glasses yet. What I noticed, however, was that I could now see objects at 30cm without my glasses on (as opposed to having to hold things up to my nose!). So I put on my glasses and when I got to work I found that my prescription was down to about -3.50. Exciting stuff. I wore a -3.50 soft contact lens that day with no problems.
Over the next few days, I noticed that each morning my vision was further corrected. I went from being able to see clearly at arms length, then to be able to read the microwave clock at 2 metres, and towards the end of the first week I could function outside without any glasses. A further week and I noticed I could read street signs from over 30 metres!
I was amazed. Since I was in Grade 6 I hadn't been able to see clearly without using glasses or contacts. Now I was able to see detail in the distance not even my wife could see! A further couple of weeks and my vision was stable, day-in, day-out.
I noticed something else. When I used to wear soft contact lenses, the vision in my right eye was never perfect. This is because soft lenses only come in fixed power ranges. If your prescription falls between two contact lens powers, it can only approximately be corrected. This used to bug me a lot because, as an Optometrist, I often have to shut one eye or the other during certain tests. When it came to looking through my right eye, I always noticed a slight blur. Now with Ortho-K, both of my eyes are corrected equally, I no longer have that problem. I also don't get dry eyes any more, especially in front of a computer. I will never go back to wearing soft contact lenses!
What started as a curiosity is now a passion, and it has meant I have been able to help others by giving them the gift of good vision. Correcting vision through Ortho-K is exciting for me. I love passing on the miracle of sight to others!
It was early February in 2013. My Ortho-K moulds arrived a couple of weeks after I designed and ordered them from our specialist lab. I was both excited and nervous - I didn't know how well it would work the first night. Would my vision be worse? How good would it be if my vision was crystal clear from day one?!
That night I placed the moulds on my eyes before going to bed. It felt a little funny, like having an eyelash in the eye, but when I closed my eyes I could barely feel them. I'm one of those people who find it difficult to switch off my thoughts and go to sleep if I have an exciting day coming up. I remember my sleep was interrupted a little due to this the first night. I kept thinking about what vision I would have the next morning. I counted some sheep, but that involved more mental energy and kept me awake. Maybe I wasn't doing it right. Anyhow, I eventually fell asleep.
The alarm clock went off. I had a look over and I could see it was 7:00. Hang on, I could see the clock! The moulds are designed so that your prescription is in them, so you can see while they are on. Even this was something I wasn't used to! I proceeded to remove the moulds, and place them in cleaning solution for the day. As I expected, I couldn't see clearly in the distance without glasses yet. What I noticed, however, was that I could now see objects at 30cm without my glasses on (as opposed to having to hold things up to my nose!). So I put on my glasses and when I got to work I found that my prescription was down to about -3.50. Exciting stuff. I wore a -3.50 soft contact lens that day with no problems.
Over the next few days, I noticed that each morning my vision was further corrected. I went from being able to see clearly at arms length, then to be able to read the microwave clock at 2 metres, and towards the end of the first week I could function outside without any glasses. A further week and I noticed I could read street signs from over 30 metres!
I was amazed. Since I was in Grade 6 I hadn't been able to see clearly without using glasses or contacts. Now I was able to see detail in the distance not even my wife could see! A further couple of weeks and my vision was stable, day-in, day-out.
I noticed something else. When I used to wear soft contact lenses, the vision in my right eye was never perfect. This is because soft lenses only come in fixed power ranges. If your prescription falls between two contact lens powers, it can only approximately be corrected. This used to bug me a lot because, as an Optometrist, I often have to shut one eye or the other during certain tests. When it came to looking through my right eye, I always noticed a slight blur. Now with Ortho-K, both of my eyes are corrected equally, I no longer have that problem. I also don't get dry eyes any more, especially in front of a computer. I will never go back to wearing soft contact lenses!
What started as a curiosity is now a passion, and it has meant I have been able to help others by giving them the gift of good vision. Correcting vision through Ortho-K is exciting for me. I love passing on the miracle of sight to others!
