| By :
Adrianna Noton
If you are ever in a position where you're faced with the possibility of LASIK or another type of refractive eye surgery, you may end up hearing the word orthokeratology. Some doctors who specialize in the fitting of contact lenses, practice orthokeratology as a means of correcting nearsightedness without surgery. This type of therapy or procedure is available, although you may have to ask about it specifically to be sent in the right direction. Orthokeratology is also known as ortho-k and for people who aren't keen on having any type of surgery, it may be a viable alternative. Basically, ortho-k involves the design and fitting of specially made gas permeable contact lenses. These contacts are used to gently reshape your cornea, so corrective lenses are no longer needed. Ortho-k is only effective for nearsightedness, which occurs when your cornea is too steep. When the special contact lenses reshape the cornea, the light that enters the eye is focused on the retina with more accuracy and the issue is resolved. The difference with ortho-k as opposed to surgery is that the results form your contact lenses are only temporary, and the process must be repeated in order to maintain the same degree of corneal shape and sight. The process of ortho-k was simplified in 2002, when the FDA in the US gave approval for contacts that helped to shape the cornea while patients were asleep. This development has made wearing the contacts much more convenient and has increased popularity of the procedure. With the sleep approved ortho-k contact lenses, you can reshape the cornea overnight and spend your days without glasses or contacts. Once you're able to locate a suitable orthokeratology specialist, you can ask all the pertinent questions and find out if the overnight version contacts are the best for your lifestyle. Be sure to mention that you're leaning strongly toward wearing the contacts overnight, so you can be free from using anything during the day. Your doctor should try to accommodate you and make you happy. Orthokeratology is generally available for people of all ages who are nearsighted. You will need a thorough eye exam to determine if your eyes are healthy enough to use the ortho-k contact lenses. Treatments such as ortho-k tend to appeal to people who have problems with their contact lenses due to their jobs or lifestyle. If you work in a particularly dusty environment, or play a lot of sports, the ability to go without contacts completely is a big benefit. Regular contacts are generally more effective for playing sports than glasses, but if you're able to use nothing at all and still have the same degree of vision, your performance may improve even more. Younger people who may not be eligible for LASIK surgery yet, might also find the ortho-k treatment appealing. Just make sure you discuss the use of the ortho-k contacts with the eye doctor for allowing a teen to wear them.
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