The Antares Corneal Topgrapher, and other similar instruments, can revolutionise care for contact lens and dry eye patients, enabling an appreciation of the cornea in three dimensions, showing high points, overall and localised curvature, just like an ordinance survery map of the land, but on a micro-scale. This can enable contact lenses to be designed for each individual patient, as each cornea has unique characteristics, just like a finger print. Simply Ortho-K treatment (see below) is not possible without corneal topograhy. It also has great imaging potential for dry eye patients, enabling infra-red imaging of the vital meibomian glands and tear film analysis. Watch the highly interesting video, then email
What is Ortho-K Treatment Programme and does it mean I'm contact lens and spectacle free through the day?
Orthokeratology is the programmed application of treatment contact lenses that gently change the shape of the cornea, in a controlled way, while asleep! On removing the over-night treatments when waking, the cornea retains its new programmed corrected shape allowing clear vision for the rest of the day, without (this is the clever part) surgery, contact lenses or glasses. Then before going to sleep again at night the treatments are worn once more. This has many advantages, some of which are:
• Non-surgical vision improvement without glasses or contact lenses
• Easy, safe and effective in use
• Comfortable, convenient and reversible
• Suitable for certain careers/sports/activities in which need to be glasses-free or contact lens-free like: swimming, water sports, athletes, pilots, police etc. or when in dusty environments
• Feel free to shower, swim, use sauna as normal
• No end of day contact lens discomfort or blur
• No contact lens dehydration or spectacle fogging due to face mask wear
It may sound a little amazing, it can be explained another way. Something that most people have heard of and can relate to. That is orthodontic treatment for teeth? Most will know or have heard of this especially in regard to teenage children. In orthokeratology, a treatment lens (retainer) is worn at night during which it adjusts the shape of the cornea. As in orthodontics, you take out the retainer and your vision remains newly adjusted throughout the day. To maintain good day time vision, the ‘vision treatment’ is simply worn at night. To discuss if this may be suitable in advance of a visit to Andrew D Price at the Nantwich or Glossop clinics email
Is it new, safe and effective?
Like orthodontics, orthokeratology treatment has been around a long time - it just not as mainstream. It is completly reversible and as safe as other forms of contact lens wear, it is a real alternative to other forms of vision correction, including Laser Vision Correction. Stop your over-night therapy and your eyes return to the normal, pre-treatment prescription in around five days.
Many previous contact lens wearers find overnight orthokeratology treatments more comfortable and altogether more satisfactory than conventional lenses. Many choose this because of dry eye or other comfort related issues present with their existing lenses which doesn't happen with orthokeratology. Wearers experience a different lifestyle feeling free from adverse effects of normal contact lenses that can occur, such as problems with hay fever, dryness, air conditioning, wind, dust or slippage... leaving them free to focus on enjoying a modern, active lifestyle. Active sports and recreation is helped since participation without wearing lenses means there are no issues of lens loss.
Could I be suitable?
It is generally considered that orthokeratology treament is only available for low to moderate short sight with low degrees of astigmatism. While this has been the main area of correction, the last decade has seen the range of correctable prescriptions expanded. Much higher amounts of astigmatism are also being successfully corrected. This has the greater advantage of providing more stable vision than conventional lenses. Just as with all contact lenses a thorough examination is required, then an extremey specialised instrument called a corneal topographer is used to map the exact contours of the cornea using thousands of points of reference. This data is then used to produce individually tailored lenses to suit your precise needs. These lenses are unique, no one else in the world will have lenses to the same design!
Are they painful at night and what happens if I get up in the night?
The vast majority of patients cannot feel the treatment while they are asleep at all and another clever aspect is vision is good with or without them, so at night if awake and during the day after taking them out!
How does the Ortho-K Treatment Programme treatment work?
Handling, wearing, cleaning lenses results in a degree of wear and tear to the lens surfaces. There are minute adjustments to the cornea’s surface to make these vision changes possible. Small changes to the lens surface affect these changes over time. So there will be need to need to be issued with new retainer lenses periodically, the determining factors are the type of retainer lens worn and the how the individual eye reacts to the procedure. Normally annual replacement works well for the majority of wearers.
The Ortho-K Treatment Programme is not funded by the NHS. It involves a great deal of time with professional staff and may require changes of lenses – this is included in the programme fees. More detailed programme charges can be given on request.
What do I do next?
If you would like to discuss Ortho-K treatment as may relate specifcally to you or contact us for non-urgent eye care discussions related to dry eyes or contact lenses you can by email:
- Mr Andrew D Price (Nantwich or Glossop or general enquiries)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Mr Colin Jones (Widnes)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Mr Mohamed Ayyaz Kasmani BSc(Hons) MCOptom (North London)
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Personal portfolios can be found here:
Tear Film Analysis - what is that?
It is vital a definitive diagnosis is made on dry eye, is it that or something else and if dry eye (an umbrella term that covers diffrent conditions) what type is it? The very spophisticated tear fim anaylsis can do this, measuring the tear quantity and quality by computerised technology. The analysis includes infra-red imaging of the vital meibomian glands (as in the image below), detecting not only the reason for any current conditions, but also identifying where future problems will occur, rather like the dental profession can identify gum disease and how it may adversely effect oral health.
Missing and Truncated Meibomian Glands
Extremely useful is the ability to directly see where and how quickly the tears break-up on the eye surface, normally if this test is done a dye is added to the tear film to show the when tear quality fails while the clinician counts the seconds, now with specialist intruments such as the Antares the ability to see the tears quantity and quaility is available while they are in their natural state, unaffected by dyes or anything invasive, during the computerised video the instrument can automatically detect and record the changes to a precise fraction of a second!
