Another Advantage of Ortho-K

As I wrote last week, overnight wear of specialty contact lenses (orthokeratology) is a successful method of vision correction for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.  Aside from the main benefit of not needing glasses or contact lenses throughout the day, another advantage of orthokeratology is emerging – nearsighted (myopia) control.

In children, most often their vision becomes more nearsighted due to a lengthening of the eye as they grow.  Researchers have long searched for the mechanisms that control this eye growth.  The answer may finally be here.  There are two published studies that show this elongation is slowed dramatically in patients who wear overnight orthokeratology lenses versus their peers who wear soft contact lenses or glasses.  These studies are relatively small but show very promising results and have led to three larger studies that are underway.  The largest of these studies is the Stabilizing Myopia by Accelerating Reshaping Technique (SMART) Study.  This study will involve a large sample of children and follow them over a 5 year period to assess the efficacy of orhokeratology in the control of myopia.

Feel free to contact Dr. Bodkin if you have any questions or are interested in learning more.