Is Ortho-K Right for You? A Guide to Clear Vision Without Surgery

More than 166 million American adults wear prescription eyeglasses to see better. While corrective lenses are a great option for people with all sorts of vision issues, there’s no denying that most of us would prefer to leave our glasses behind.

With ortho-k lenses, that just might be a possibility. Curtis Frank, OD, is skilled in ortho-k treatment, helping our patients at Vision and Ortho-K Center enjoy clearer vision without glasses. Here, learn more about this innovative therapy and how it works to correct vision.

Ortho-k basics

Ortho-k is an abbreviation of orthokeratology, a specialized type of vision correction that uses contact lenses to gently reshape the cornea. During treatment, you wear your lenses overnight while you sleep. When you wake up, you can go about your day without needing to reach for your specs.

Located in front of the iris and pupil, the cornea helps bend light as it enters your eye so it focuses on the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye. If the cornea is misshapen, light bends differently and your vision is blurry.

Ortho-k is routinely used to treat myopia or nearsightedness, but it can also be used to correct farsightedness, astigmatism, and even presbyopia — that annoying loss of clear, close-up vision that happens as you age.

The effects of your overnight therapy are temporary, so you need to continue to wear the lenses each night while you sleep. For kids who are still growing, ortho-k may be used to help prevent myopia from worsening.

How to tell if ortho-k is right for you

Plenty of people like ortho-k because it can correct vision problems without surgery. Even people who may be good candidates for LASIK or other vision-correcting surgeries may prefer to avoid the potential risks associated with a surgical procedure, as well as the healing time afterward. 

Plus, while LASIK results are permanent, ortho-k results are not. That means if you no longer feel like using the therapy, you can stop at any time without any permanent damage to your eyes or your vision.

Ortho-k is also popular among athletes and other people who lead active lifestyles and don’t want the inconvenience of wearing glasses, contacts, or special sports eyewear. Certain professionals, like first responders, may also prefer to avoid wearing glasses when on the job.

That said, ortho-k isn’t an ideal choice for everyone. For instance, people with dry eye syndrome may not be good candidates for any type of contact lenses, including ortho-k lenses. The therapy may not be effective in people with significant refractive errors or with irregularly-shaped corneas. 

The only way to really know if ortho-k is a good option for you is to schedule an evaluation with Dr. Frank to discuss your treatment options.

Learn more about ortho-k

Ortho-k is a tested, safe, and effective way to correct many vision problems without surgery, so you can reduce your reliance on glasses and contacts. To find out if it’s right for you, call to request an appointment with Dr. Frank in one of our offices in Boston and Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts.