Presbyops Find Eye Correction with Hyperopic OK

By middle age, most people have age-related declines in near vision (presbyopia) requiring bifocals or reading glasses. An emerging technique called hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) may provide a new alternative for restoring near vision without the need for glasses, according to "Refractive Changes from Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes", appearing in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The study included 16 middle-aged patients (43 to 59 years) with presbyopia. In all patients, the monocular OK technique reportedly restored near vision in the treated eye. The magazine’s spokesperson said that the improvement was apparent on the first day after overnight OK lens wear, and increased further during the treatment week. Eye examination confirmed that the OK lenses altered the shape of the cornea, as they were designed to do. Read more.

Overnight Orthokeratology (OK) Brings “Rapid” Improvement, Says Study

“A contact lens technique called overnight orthokeratology (OK) brings rapid improvement in vision for nearsighted patients,” according to Science Daily. “Now a new study shows that OK treatment works mainly by flattening the front of the cornea, reports a recent study, "Posterior Corneal Shape Changes in Myopic Overnight Orthokeratology," appearing in the March issue of Optometry and Vision Science.” Read more.

National Champ Swims Thanks to Ortho K

"A Cilcain teenager has become one of the top swimmers in the country thanks to specialised contact lenses," according to the Flintshire Chronicle. "Sam Wild, 14, swims at Welsh national level and is one of the top five 14-year-olds in Wales in the butterfly and freestyle. The short-sighted athlete, a pupil of King’s School, Chester, credits much of his success to a treatment called Orthokeratology (Ortho K), provided by independent optician Jane Smellie, who has practices in Chester, Wrexham and Whitchurch." Read more.

Orthokeratology May Slow Myopia

"After a lengthy study spanning over four years, Professor Pauline Cho from the School of Optometry at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and her research team concluded that orthokeratology not only can correct refractive error, but also effective in slowing the progression of myopia." That's the report from Midwest Lens. Read more. 

ABC News explains that "orthokeratology is a new procedure in which visually impaired patients wear specially designed contact lenses while they sleep. The lenses correct distance vision by molding the cornea into the proper shape. Once the contacts are removed, the improved eyesight lasts eight to 20 hours. Doctors create the contacts by using a machine that measures as many as 15,000 points on the cornea so that each new lens can be customized with precision, and then worn overnight. A Food and Drug Administration panel recently recommended approval of these new lenses and a final decision is expected later this year." Read more.