Friday 5 June 2009

Orthokeratology

No, not the latest fad religion but the strangely magical process that has meant I don't have to wear glasses anymore! Not that I wore them as much as I should have anyway. I've long been used to squinting at signs in cafes, and standing right underneath the boards in train stations trying to decide whether I'm headed for platform 6 or 9. That doesn't always work out as well as it might...

So now for the science bit- Orthokeratology is the process of temporarily re-shaping the surface of the eye using contact lenses. Here's the clever bit. You wear them at night. Spooky, but it works. They only work for the short sighted, and only up to a certain prescription but they really do work! You have to wear them every night, but if you stop wearing them your sight returns to what it was previously so you're not doing anything permanent to your eyes.


The picture shows a cornea before and after, the blue showing the steep surface that is flattened.






I've been driving to work all week without my glasses, something that feels deeply wrong and I still go to take them off every time I stop the car. Reading signs in shops, and being able to make out people in the street is also a bit of a revelation! I have now lost my excuse for walking straight past people I know though, hmmm.

7 comments:

Lane Mathias said...

Isn't technology wonderful - even if it does make feel a bit squeamish:-)

And I still can't pronounce that word, without saying it v-e-r-y slowly:-)

Karen said...

How clever! Never heard of it before. I wear contact lenses and glasses (not at the same time) so maybe it's worth a try :o)

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

That is so clever. It must be strange being able to see so clearly without your glasses too.

Anonymous said...

So the "lenses" just temporarily squash the cornea, thereby reducing it's focussing power, and therefore your short-sightedness.

Have I got that right?

Denise said...

Lane - Apparently lots of people call it ortho-k!

Karen - Definitely worth asking if you can do it. Is about 30 quid a month though!

Debs - It's very odd! Seem to spend all day staring at things that aren't usually in focus for me. People must think I've gone a bit strange...

Cap'n - Yup, exactly. It pushes the cells on the surface to the edges in order to flatten it. Odd but effective!

Shaune said...

I love orthokeratology. I am even venturing into ortho-k for farsightedness. I am glad that it is working for you. Clear View Eye Care

goldie said...

Anyone wanting to look a bit more into this go to www.igolenses.com I had these lenses fitted last year and they are faaabb. Can't think why anyone would want to wear lenses during the day. There are so many benefits. I could'nt go back to specs or day lenses now.