Can you imagine the joy of waking up in the morning and being able to see without the aid of glasses or daily wear contacts? Imagine participating in your favorite pastime, free to play to your full potential without having to worry about sliding glasses or suddenly uncomfortable contacts. No longer will issues like dry eye or contact lens intolerance limit your success.

Advanced Orthokeratology (AOK, Ortho-K) is a revolutionary non-surgical therapeutic contact lens based treatment modality that improves your vision while you sleep. AOK can treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism with its advanced technology made possible through computer driven lens fabrication. Even baby boomers who have experienced near point blur (presbyopia) can now receive relief in the form of clear seamless vision with advanced progressive molding technology. With just one night of wear with these therapeutic designs, vision can be improved dramatically.

The AOK procedure is achieved in a unique way.  While you sleep these therapeutic lenses gently change the shape of your cornea (the front curvature of your eye) that improves your vision.  This marvelous safe and efficacious therapeutic treatment can be accomplished in just one overnight wearing but may take a period of weeks to attain the best vision.  AOK is safe, effective and best of all non-surgical.

Mapping Your Cornea

Before therapeutic AOK lenses are applied to your eyes, a measurment of the curvatures of your cornea is done.  This high tech procedure, corneal mapping, is painless and done with a sophisticated computerized instrument called a Corneal Topographer.  The elevation, shape and power changes of the cornea are displayed with colored maps along with a variety of other computerized displays.  This latest methode of measuring the cornea is true state-of-the-art analysis for initial topography of the cornea and subsequent changes as the therapeutic corneal molding progresses.

How Does The AOK Lens Work?

Many ask, "How can carefully designed and customized lenses possibly improve my unaided vision without surgery?"  As mentioned, skillful computer assisted design and fabrication of the lenses that are worn while sleeping, gently mold the central curvature of the front of the eye (cornea).  In this way, better vision is achieved safely without removal of any of the corneal tissue.  The reshaping reduces the light refracting power of the cornea, in the case of myopia correction, that causes the reduction of nearsightedness and astigmatism.

The high tech, therapeutic AOK lenses are manufactured by using advanced hi-speed lathes.  The lathes use special computer programs to create the rigid, gas-permeable lenses that allow high amounts of oxygen into the cornea.  The oxygen ensures healthy eyes while sleeping in the lenses.  Until a few years ago the technology to manufacture these high tech lenses had not been developed fully.  Today, the AOK lenses can dramatically improve vision after the first night of wearing them.  Ortho-K which has been available for the last thirty years has truly benefited from the advancement in computer technology, advanced accurate high speed lathes and new high oxygen rigid gas permeable materials.

Myopia Control

What are the problems with being nearsighted? The obvious one is easy to see, you can't see well. Did you know that being nearsighted also cause more serious problems as we age? Nearsightedness is also called Myopia, and may lead to problems with the retina, macula, and glaucoma. Controlling the progression of myopia has been a very challenging task for both Optometrists and Ophthalmologist world wide. One method that has been shown to have some success is the use of Atropine eye drops. The problem with these drops are many. Atropine is a strong drug with risky side effects, it blurs the near vision so the use of bi-focal eyeglasses is required even in children, it cause extreme sensitivity to light and increase the potential of UV related damage to the eye. Atropine eye drops are not used very often because of all their side effects. 

Fortunately there is another method that has been shown in recent pilot studies to also slow down the rapid change in myopia for kids. Optometrists are now leading the way for a solution. A drug free method has been show to slow or stop the progression of myopia in children. It not only helps control the nearsightedness, it also temporarily reduces it. This means that children who are candidates usually stop using glasses and contacts as a result of the treatment. Orthokeratology, first developed in the early 1960's has been modernized to a state of the art specialty for Optometrists. Innovations in retainer design and materials allow Othokeratologists to treat patients in an efficient and more predictable way than ever before. According to The Children's Overnight Orthokeratology Investigation (COOKI) Pilot Study, “About 25% of the U.S. adult population is myopic, yet only 2% of the children entering elementary school are nearsighted. About 15% of children become myopic between the ages of 6 and 14 years, and myopia progression generally continues until about age 15 years for females and 16 years for males. Slowing the progression of myopia in this age group could ultimately impact the lives of roughly 42 million adults in the United States, because there are fewer ocular health risks associated with low myopia”. For the purpose of this article I will try to keep it less technical. The important points I want to make are: • The treatment is drug free • AOK retainers are used during sleep • Vision is clear with or without the retainers • Safety is similar to contact lenses • Treatment is temporary and reversible. 

Additional Studies:

CANDY   SMART   CRAYON   CLAMP

Now I get to tell you why AOK retainers are even better! Aside from the long term health benefits of keeping myopia low, just imagine how a nearsighted child would benefit. Glasses and contact lenses would be put away and almost never needed again. Sports like Ice Hockey and Swimming would become a pleasure. Most all other sports would also benefit. Social development and confidence improves without the stigma of glasses (even with today's cool eyewear). AOK (Advanced Orthokeratology) is also for Adults. It is a safer alternative to LASIK. AOK is also a better choice than LASIK for women in child bearing age. Women may have a change in their prescription during pregnancy. Currently the FDA has approved this treatment for myopia and astigmatism for any age. 

Schedule an appointment today 212-724-8855 NYC or 914-472-5932 Scarsdale

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Orthokeratology Academy of America

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