Eye & Contact Lens Factsheets

ORTHOKERATOLOGY - The correction of short sight with Contact Lenses

A New Dawn For Vision Correction

See Philip Schofield's Ortho K treatment as shown
on ITV's This Morning - 13min video
download for broadband (32.2MB)
download for dialup (3.9MB)

Introducing Ortho K - a vision correction therapy that provides clear, comfortable vision without the need to wear contact lenses during the day. No more restrictions on how long you wear your lenses, no more irritation in dry, smoky environments or at the end of a long day.

Ortho K is ideal for low-mid short sighted people who:

• Want clear natural vision all day - every day
• Find soft contact lenses do not fulfil the comfort demands their life-style places on their eyes
• Are involved in recreational and sports activities where periods without wearing contact lenses is ideal
• Have considered refractive surgery because of the freedom it provides, but are worried about the risks

So how is this possible? Very simply, Ortho K is a specially designed contact lens that reverses the power of the cornea, at the front of the eye during overnight wear. Once the full effect has taken place, the eye is effectively 'normal' and can see clearly during the day.

With Ortho K you will benefit from:

• Freedom from contact lenses and glasses during the day
• Very easy adaptation, only overnight lens wear required
• A comfortable, semi-permanent alternative for the correction of short sightedness
• A safe and reversible vision correction therapy without surgery

Lenses By Night - Clear Sight By Day

Ortho K is a vision therapy that brings a modern approach to a technique known as orthokeratology. Ortho K lenses are manufactured from special highly oxygen permeable material. When worn during the night these lenses apply a controlled shape to the 'window' at the front of the eye (the cornea), eliminating your short sightedness. This effect stays strong enough for you to function the entire day without spectacles or contact lenses.

Ortho K utilises the tried and tested DreamLite lens design that has been available in Europe since 2002 and currently boasts thousands of happy patients. Ortho K is available to patients with the following degrees of short sightedness:

A spherical spectacle prescription of -0.75D up to -4.50D
Astigmatism of up to -1.50D

As well as being an expert in all types of contact lens fitting, your eye care practitioner will have attended an extensive programme of training prior to treating patients with Ortho K in order to be better familiarised with our technique and lens design. Your practitioner will be able to advise you as to your suitability for Ortho K.

Click to enlarge
©2005 The Times

Wake-Up To A Clear New Future

Can I really just sleep and see?

Yes, once the effect is complete you simply remove the lenses each morning and can see normally. Also - and this is really clever - you will be able to see clearly with the lenses in when you wake up in the morning (or in the middle of the night). It really is a clear future 24/7!

How quickly will it work?

After the first night most of the necessary correction has been achieved. Normally within a week your sight during the day will be 'treated' and you will no longer be reliant on glasses or contact lenses.

Is Ortho K safe?

Yes. Research and experience show that the whole process is 100% reversible. So if you decide to stop wearing Ortho K for whatever reason, the eye will return to its original shape and you will see clearly with your glasses again. This makes Ortho K an excellent alternative to laser eye surgery, which is readily available from the professional you trust with your eye-care.

How is it possible to wear lenses overnight?

Ortho K lenses are made of one of the very highest oxygen permeable materials, Boston XO™, for maximum comfort and safety during overnight wear. The other unique benefit with Ortho K is that unlike normal lens wear the eye spends its waking hours with natural oxygen levels, uninhibited by contact lenses.

How do I try Ortho K?

Simply book an appointment with your practitioner for a suitability consultation (a fee will be charged for this important assessment). If you are suitable your eyes will be analysed on an eye-mapping instrument and from the data gathered, lenses ordered. Following lens collection and your first overnight wear, your practitioner will regularly monitor your progress until you only need 3-6 monthly assessments.

What will it cost?

The treatment is likely to be similar in price to wearing a pair of quality daily disposable contact lenses every day. Your lenses will need replacing every 6 months in order to be sure that they are always providing the optimum correction of your vision. Your practice offers a monthly direct debit system of payment, for complete peace of mind.

Click here to read the Ortho K article
recently featured in The Times newspaper.

Click here to read the Ortho K article
recently featured on ITV's This Morning.