Glasses and contact lens wears know all too well the inconvenience that comes with having to wear corrective eyewear. Glasses not only take away from your appearance but can also be a hassle in rainy or steamy conditions. And contact lenses require repeated cleaning, not to mention how uncomfortable they feel if you happen to have dry eyes.
Ortho-K contact lenses offer a fast and effective solution to nearsightedness, eliminating the need to wear corrective eyewear. Read on as a Saginaw, TX optometrist talks about nearsightedness and how Ortho-K lenses can reverse it.
What Causes Nearsightedness?
Someone who’s nearsighted experiences blurry vision when looking at faraway objects or scenes. This can happen for one or two reasons:
- Elongated eyeball – Normally, incoming images enter through the cornea and focus directly on the retina, which sits at the back of the eye. When the eyeball is too long, images focus in front of the retina, which causes blurry vision.
- Irregularly shaped cornea – The cornea sites on the surface of the eye. It’s the structure that guides incoming images onto or in front of the retina. When the cornea is misshapen, it misdirects the image, causing it to focus in front of the retina.
Ortho-K contact lenses are designed to correct nearsightedness for people who have irregularly shaped corneas.
Treat Nearsightedness With Ortho-K Contact Lenses
Ortho-K lenses, also known as orthokeratology, are custom-made, gas-permeable lenses. They are specifically designed to correct a misshapen cornea by gently reshaping the cornea. Rather than wearing them during the day, patients wear Ortho-K lenses overnight, while they sleep. By morning, the cornea has taken on a normal shape that enables incoming images to be directed so they focus on the retina instead of in front of it.
From there, patients can enjoy clear vision throughout the day without the need for glasses or contact lenses. Ortho-K effects are temporary, so they must be worn every night to see clearly during the daytime.
Other Benefits of Ortho-K Lenses
- Custom-made to fit your eyes comfortably
- Help slow the progression of nearsightedness in children
- Can help correct age-related vision loss
- The effects can last for more than a day
- Can help correct astigmatism
- Helps reduce the risk of developing more serious eye conditions
If you have more questions about Ortho-K contact lenses or wish to schedule a consultation, please don’t hesitate to call our Saginaw, TX optometry office today!
