Ortho-K

Wake up to clear vision

What is Ortho-k?

Ortho-K, also known as Orthokeratology, is a non-surgical treatment process involving the fitting of special overnight contact lenses to correct myopia or nearsightedness. Ortho-K lenses are designed to be worn only while asleep. Overnight, the Ortho-K lenses help reshape the surface of the eye, the cornea. After the lenses are removed in the morning, the cornea retains a shape that allows for clear daytime vision. This means you will not need to wear your glasses or traditional soft or hard daytime contact lenses!

How to get started

Step 1. Orthokeratology consult

Anytime

Expect to go through a comprehensive eye exam with a painless digital mapping of your cornea to check candidacy. You’ll get to see a corneal topographic map or your own eye, similar to a topographical map of mountains.

Step 2: Try on your first pair of custom lenses

Within 2 Weeks

Your contact lenses are designed based on the map of your cornea and your degree of myopia.

We will teach you everything you need to know about your ortho-k lenses, including how to insert and remove them, as well as the proper cleaning regimen. We will also go over how to avoid breaking your contact lenses or getting an eye infection.

Step 3: Sleep and let the magic happen!

1 day Later

Ortho-K lenses will begin their work reshaping your cornea after your first night’s sleep. The contact lens acts as a mold for the super thin layer of tears underneath, creating a hydraulic force. This force moves the fluid out of the central cells of the cornea and into the peripheral cells, changing the overall shape of the eye. No cells are squished in this process.

Step 4: Progress Visits

A Couple of Weeks

You’ll return routinely for your progress visits. This is important. We will be checking your vision, mapping your corneal changes, and evaluating the current fit of your overnight lenses. As your cornea changes shape, your contact lenses may need to be adjusted to achieve a better fit and better results. It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks to obtain consistent clear daytime vision. During this time, your vision may fluctuate and temporary soft contact lenses may be prescribed for daytime wear.

Step 5: Bi-annual ortho-k checkups

Every 6 Months

Once you become a certified pro at ortho-K, we will see you twice a year to ensure continued health and success with your lenses.

Ortho-K is the key to fighting the myopia epidemic

Studies show children who wear ortho-K lenses have reduced rates of myopia progression compared to their counterparts who wear only traditional eyeglasses. Ortho-K provides children with the opportunity to better vision and eye health through adolescence. Having lower degrees of myopia will lower risks for eye conditions that come with higher degrees of nearsightedness.

Ortho-K is non-surgical

This means that if you stop wearing your ortho-k lenses, your eyes will gradually return to its baseline shape and degree of myopia. If you decide to look into LASIK or other refractive procedures in the future, wearing ortho-k lenses will not disqualify you. It can be an excellent option for our younger patients who want to be free of glasses or contacts (particularly in the case of sports), but are not yet candidates for LASIK.

Most children and adults who are nearsighted are good candidates.

The FDA approves ortho-K for the treatment of up to 6.00 diopters of myopia in eyes with mild amounts of astigmatism. Ortho-K is a great option for children who have progressing myopia or are too young for LASIK. It can also be a life changing option for dry eye patients intolerant of daytime contact lenses, as well as patients who are active in sports.