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IMPROVE YOUR VISION WHILE YOU SLEEP! NON-SURGICAL MYOPIA REDUCTION (EYE RETAINERS)
"What the heck are they talking about?" The most exciting thing happening in eyecare today is Orthokeratology (Ortho-K), the procedure of re-shaping the cornea with specially designed semi- rigid gas permeable contact lenses to reduce or eliminate nearsight and astigmatism. Developed over the past 44 years, it is now gaining recognition as a much safer and much less expensive alternative to refractive surgery. It goes by a number of different names, among them Orthokeratology (Ortho-K), Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT), and the newest Wavefront Corneal Molding. All of the corneal re-shaping techniques utilize specially designed semi-rigid contact lenses that are worn for short periods of time to temporarily flatten the central cornea. Upon removing the lens, the re-shaped cornea then focuses objects onto the retina, instead of in front of it, resulting in clear vision. The effect usually lasts 1-4 days.
Corneal molding is safe and completely reversible. Dr Jeruss is one of only 90 practitioners in the world who are trained to perform Wavefront Corneal Molding (WCM), the newest and most advanced version. Using the same wavefront technology as in Wavefront Guided LASIK, a corneal mapping topographer captures 14,000 measurements of the entire corneal shape, and imports them into a highly sophisticated computer software lens design program. Dr. Jeruss then designs an exact corneal mold of your eye. This results in faster and more accurate myopia reduction, and therefore better vision.
"What can I expect?" Typically, the lenses are worn during sleep, and removed upon waking; although they do have your Rx built in, thus allowing you to see clearly with them on as well. Patients should expect to go through an initial measurement/fitting visit that may last 1 hour, a dispensing visit to teach you how to use and care for your lenses, and several follow-up visits, each lasting approximately 15 minutes: 1-7 days after dispensing, 1-2 weeks later, and perhaps 1-3 months later. The vision improvement with corneal molding is temporary (although the FDA is currently testing an eye drop that may make it permanent), and may tend, in the first few days, to lessen toward evening. This can be alleviated by re-inserting the lenses for a brief time during the day. All day clear vision is usually achieved within 3-4 days. The number of sleep hours may affect the results at first, but over time it will not make much of a difference. Please keep in mind that there is no such thing as "perfect" vision. The closest thing to perfect is obtained while wearing eyeglasses or rigid gas permeable lenses. LASIK won't do it, despite the misleading advertising. We recommend, for all of our "retainer" patients, a comprehensive eye examination every 1 year, and lens replacement every 2 years. Rigid gas permeable lenses deteriorate slowly over time, due to normal "wear and tear", causing scratches and deposits to appear on the lens surface. As this lens deterioration occurs, the cornea receives less oxygen, which will cause serious eye health problems, if not dealt with in a timely manner. The cost to replace the molds at the present time is $150/lens x 2 = $300. Prices may be subject to change. "What are the risks?" As with all contact lenses there are risks of abrasions, inflammation, infections, and reactions to some of the chemicals in the solutions used for cleaning and storage. The risk of semi-rigid gas permeable lens wear is much less than that of soft lenses, because of a number of advantages the material used: less adherence of bacteria, less protein, mucous, lipid, and calcium deposit accumulation, higher oxygen transmission, smaller lens size, and less need for lens care solutions. There is also an increased risk in wearing any contact lens overnight compared to daily wear only. This risk is less with semi- rigid lenses than with soft, for the same reasons stated above. With corneal retainers, because the molds are made of "super-high" oxygen materials, and because they are worn only at night, and not 24 hours/day (as in extended wear) the risk is less. Also, the risk of "wearing time abuse" is MUCH less with corneal retainers. Many soft lens wearers either do not know the safe and correct disposal schedule of their lenses, or they try to save money by stretching out the recommended wearing limit. In both cases, the risk of having permanent corneal health problems is much higher than with corneal retainers. All told, the risk of wearing corneal retainers is considerably less than soft lens wear, and minimal at most. Compared to LASIK, the risk of a bad result that damages the eye with permanent vision loss is much less! "What are the benefits?" Besides the obvious freedom from the hassle of glasses or contact lenses during the day, wearing corneal retainers has one other amazing benefit. Studies have shown that they slow down and even halt the progression of nearsightedness, especially in children! Imagine your kids not having to wear "coke bottle" glasses! Despite the initial expense of eye retainers, the long-term economic benefit is significant. Please see our Corneal Molding Cost Comparison Sheet for details. The bottom line is that you will save money by not having to replace your old soft disposable lenses every year, and by not needing to buy glasses. Dr. Jeruss has been successfully performing Ortho-K for over 25 years, longer than anyone in the Atlanta area. Call us and see for yourself why we are so excited about this procedure. For more information, please see the following sites: The Ortho-K Network Paragon CRT WAVE Contact Lens System |
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