Do you see them squinting to see clearly and are worried they’ll end up with "coke bottle" glasses?  Are you guilty of letting your child spend hours on their screens knowing it might be doing them harm?  Your optometrist says they need an updated glasses prescription again, only 6 months after their last eye test…. Sound familiar?

Imagine there was a way to correct your child's eyesight whilst at the same time slowing down or even halting their worsening short-sightedness. Now imagine we could do this and your child would also be able to stop wearing glasses altogether.  Sound too good to be true?

Let's talk about what myopia is and how we can use Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) contact lenses to correct the problem.

Myopia is a condition whereby the eyeball stretches in length such that distance objects become progressively blurrier over time.  This abnormal eye growth can start around the age of 6 and continue to progress into the teenage years before stabilising in the late teens to mid 20s.  The longer the eyeball grows, the blurrier a person's distance vision becomes meaning more dependency on wearing glasses full-time to see clearly again. 

Risk factors for myopia can include:

• Family history of myopia
• Being of Asian ethnicity
• Excessive amounts of time spent reading, screen time, or doing near work activities
• Not spending adequate amounts of time outdoors in brightly lit conditions

Unfortunately, myopia is becoming an epidemic.  It is estimated that by 2050 half the world's population will be myopic; in some Asian countries the incidence of myopia is already above 90% in university students.  Worse still, a stretched eyeball in and unhealthy eyeball at more risk of developing a detached retina, myopic maculopathy, glaucoma and cataracts, all of which can cause vision loss and in some cases blindness.

So, how can Ortho-K contact lenses help?

Ortho-K contact lenses are small, highly-breathable, custom-made, rigid contact lenses that are worn every night while you sleep.  Overnight, these special lenses gently reshape, or remould the cornea (the front surface of the eye) which provides clear vision during the day without glasses!  In addition, by changing what we call the peripheral optics of the eye, they can decrease the stimulus to further eyeball growth, which helps to prevent further myopia development.  This is something regular single vision glasses cannot do. 

Research shows that wearing Ortho-K lenses can slow myopia progression by about 50% when compared to wearing single vision spectacles and anecdotally, Ortho-K can even halt myopia progression in some cases.  So, if your child is simply prescribed single vision glasses for their short-sightedness each time a prescription update is required, be aware that those lenses aren’t effective in slowing their myopia progression, and can even exacerbate the problem in some cases.

As previously mentioned, an added benefit of wearing Ortho-K lenses is that glasses or daily wear contact lenses do not need to be worn during the day.  This is especially beneficial for children who are quite active or sporty; you need not worry about the inconvenience of wearing glasses or the possibility of breaking them.  Additionally, since Ortho-K lenses are only worn overnight, they can be managed under proper adult supervision, and are unlikely to result in a lost contact lens during the day.

At what age can you use Ortho-K contact lenses?

Children as young as 8 can be fitted with Ortho-K lenses and the results can be quite dramatic overnight.  Most patients report greatly improved vision after just one night, for higher prescriptions the pathway to clear vision can take up to a week.  Aftercare visits are usually quite frequent in the early stages of Ortho-K lens wear to ensure the eyes are coping well with lens wear and the desired visual result is achieved.

Whilst no contact lens wear is absolutely risk-free, careful steps are taken to ensure these risks are minimised.  If the contact lenses are properly fitted, a good standard of hygiene is maintained when handling the lenses and regular optometrist reviews are adhered to, the likelihood of a serious eye infection from Ortho-K lens wear is extremely low.  Indeed, the comparative risks of children wearing contact lenses to slow myopia progression are lower than the lifetime risks of vision impairment from high myopia.

Although Ortho-K is predominantly used to correct myopia, it can also be effective in correcting astigmatism, mild long-sightedness and even presbyopia for those who are inconvenienced by having to wear reading glasses.  At Somerville & Merrin we use Ortho-K as a treatment for slowing myopia progression, however there are other myopia progression treatments available for those who may not be suitable.

Want to know more? Call us today and book an appointment for an Ortho-K eye examination today!

Stephen Lucas

Optometrist