Phoenix, AZ - Best Orthokeratology Experts Give Advice to Parents

Phoenix AZ

05 May, 2021

4:28 AM

Description

What is an Orthokeratology Overnight Contact? Orthokeratology, shortened as ortho k, is a specialty type of contact lens that reshapes the front surface of the eyes to improve vision. An optometrist prescribes and fits the ortho k lenses to each patient’s needs. Patients typically wear the ortho k lenses at night. The reason for this is that the ortho k lenses work to reshape the cornea of the eye while patients sleep. They will need to wear the ortho k lenses during sleep indefinitely to maintain the vision improvement. What is Myopia, and How Can Children Benefit from Myopia Control? Myopia is another name for nearsightedness. When someone has myopia, it means the eyes do not bend or refract light as they should. Images are unclear for people with myopia because light does not focus properly. Most cases of myopia are caused because the eyeball itself is too long. While close objects appear clear, objects further away look blurry. Approximately 43 percent of the American population has myopia, including millions of children. That is an increase of over 60% in the last 40 years. The American Academy of Ophthalmology predicts that number could reach 50 percent by 2050. Myopia has traditionally been considered just a focusing disorder. It tends to get worse over time, requiring stronger and stronger prescription eyeglasses. School-aged children with progressive myopia will continue to develop weaker and weaker eyes. If myopia continues to increase over the years, the damage to the health of the eye is greater than smoking is to the health of the heart! Parents often feel hesitant to approve treatment for their children with ortho k lenses. Some optometrists have likened getting ortho k lenses for kids with myopia to getting braces for kids with crooked teeth. Parents do not continue to bring their child with crooked teeth to the dentist and hope the condition gets better on its own. Optometrists try to make the point that getting thicker or stronger prescription glasses for their child every year is only delaying the inevitable, much like putting off the need for braces. What Else Can Optometrists Do to Convince Parents to Accept Ortho K Contacts? Presenting parents and children with a visual demonstration of what myopia does to the eyes can be extremely helpful in pushing past the hesitation. Some optometrists use a 3D model of the eyes to show the problem of axial elongation. After putting up the model and sliding the prescription from 0 to -10, optometrists explain through visual demonstration how myopia stretches the eyes. Eyes become fragile after years of stretching, causing even greater problems with visual clarity. People with fragile eyes are at a greater risk of developing serious eye conditions like glaucoma and retinal detachment, both of which can lead to blindness. According to the American Optometric Association, the risk factor of untreated myopia causing certain eye diseases is as follows: Cataracts: 2 to 12 times higherGlaucoma: 2 to 3 times higherMyopic Maculopathy: 2 to 127 times higherRetinal Detachment: 3 to 41 times higherThe exact risk depends on the degree of nearsightedness. When parents also have myopia, optometrists can appeal to them by asking them to consider what it would have been like to have the ortho k option available to them when they were younger. For most parents, the desire to provide their children with greater opportunities than they had is strong. That may be all it takes to convince hesitant parents to give this treatment a try Ortho K Doctors Near Me People interested in ortho k contacts for themselves or their child should navigate to the website of the American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control. The website lists doctors in the United States and internationally in alphabetical order. After all, what have you got to lose, except maybe your blurry vision. The Best Insights On How To Become An Ortho-k Expert - Invisalens What Is Orthokeratology? - American Academy of Ophthalmology (aao.org) Find An Ortho-K Doctor — AAOMC View Other Sources: www.invisalens.com//ortho-k-experts Invisalens 15215 S 48th St, Phoenix, AZ 85044, United States (877) 969-4226 www.invisalens.com