In a previous blog post I mentioned the increase in Myopia that some have likened to an epidemic.
Apart from correcting the vision traditionally with spectacles or daily wear contact lenses what else is available – especially for children.
Refractive Surgery has been an option in various form since the mid 1960’s and whilst techniques have been improving it is still usually not recommended for those under the age of 21 (or at least until any prescription changes have stabilised).
For a lot of patients the thought of having any form of surgery will be enough to dissuade them from this option.
Another possibility is Orthokeratology – or Ortho K – a technique of overnight contact lens wear that gently reshapes the cornea by about the thickness of a hair. I have been using this technique in the practice for nearly 10 years. (Previous Blog Post on Ortho K)
Until recently I have used Ortho K mainly on adults but in the last 6 months I have been fitting the lenses more and more to children with excellent results.
One of the first youngsters that I fitted last summer was Isabella whose extended family have been with the practice for many years. Isabella had been wearing spectacles for six months and her myopia was increasing rapidly, her father is quite myopic so Isabella was concerned that she would follow a similar pattern. We discussed all of the options available and decided to fit Ortho K – with great success. Isabella has recently featured in a news article about Ortho K on ITV Meridian News.
Since Isabella’s success I have had an increasing number of children coming along and being fitted with Ortho K and it has proven to be a wonderful tool to enable children to cope with an active lifestyle without having to worry about vision, glasses or contact lenses during the day.
If you are interested in Ortho K or any aspect of either your eyes or your childs eyes then contact us to have a chat about it.
