Ortho k or Orthokeratology is the set of contact lenses that you wear overnight. During your sleep, these lenses reshape the cornea of your eye so that you can see normally and clear for the rest of the day after you wake up. Introducing ortho k for kids was important as there was a huge increment in the number of cases of myopia (nearsightedness / can see the objects at near but not clearly) in kids. Ortho k enables the kids to see and play without wearing contact or glasses and stops the progression of any further myopia.
Who Can Use Ortho-k?
- Children having short-sightedness (novice to advance) with power up to 4.5 D, not necessarily astigmatism.
- Children who are suffering from Myopia, but their eyes are still in the development process.
- Kids whose myopia keeps getting worse instead of being constant.
- Lens using children, who also suffer through dry eyes and thus feel uncomfortable in wearing lenses.
- Children suffering from myopia but aren’t happy with their glasses or keep losing it.
- Children who are suffering from allergy and find lenses uncomfortable.
- Myopic kids who play sports or take part in swimming.
How Does Ortho –K for Kids Help in Recovering from Myopia?
Ortho k is a great cure for myopia and it is better than wearing contact lenses for several reasons. First reason being, they are advised to wear while sleeping, it provides a person with a complete vision when they are awake for the rest of the day unlike glasses or contact lenses wearers who must carry it the whole day. This simply gives an alternative for myopia, rather than sticking to the traditional methods of correcting eyes. Ortho k for kids is an ideal cure for myopia as kids who are involved in a lot of sports activities or swimming, they don’t have to carry an extra weight now. The laser eye surgery which is used to correct eyesight can even cause permanent damage to the eyes and many other minor side effects. Ortho k is advised by many specialized doctors as this comes with a great cure for myopia and no other side effects, not even the minor ones.
It also corrects minor issues related to hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism in some cases.
How Much Does Ortho-K Cost?
The cost of ortho k includes, lenses fitting, regular follow up or checkup, variation in the types of lenses or the time period for which you are using the lenses for myopia control. It also depends upon the doctor’s level of expertise and the region, whether it’s urban or rural. The cost is cheap compared to the surgery which is available.
Advantages of Ortho k
There are many facts that support that ortho k for kids is a good choice for myopic cases.
- Effective visual outcome: Ortho –k helps in reducing myopia to a certain extent within a short period of time. The vision received can be easily maintained the rest of the day after the lenses removal. It may take several weeks to get a clear vision at first, but they provide effective and long lasting clear vision.
- An advantage over surgery: Ortho k is very secure and don’t have side effects, unlike the surgeries which are costly and risky.
- Better performance: They provide a cure for astigmatism also and help in correcting the eye overall.