Ortho keratology

Thursday, July 16, 2015 Jes Myself 2 Comments

A very chim word.

The short form of this is Ortho-k, which means to wear corrective lenses only at night and get perfect vision throughout the day. No surgery is needed and instead of wearing contact lenses during the working hours, you wear it to go to bed every night.

I am still amazed that the lenses can correct the shape of my cornea! (Source: wikipedia)

The main advantage is that there is no discomfort at all during the day!

I used to wear monthly disposable contact lenses during my schooling days. Sometimes my eyes become swollen as I put on the contact lenses for long hours. I had to go to the doctor to get eye drops or the faster solution is that he will poke a needle to discharge the pus. It was an excruciating process and I had to undergo it twice during the 6 years of wearing them.

Luckily, these do not happen frequently but I was very careful about putting on these disposable lenses. Swollen, irritated and dry eyes were common so I had to restrict the number of hours I put them on and cautious on how I handle them.

I did not consider lasik as it was not so common 6 years ago and cost was a huge concern.

Same lenses, just wearing it at different times! (Source: wikipedia)

Fortunately, my course mate shared this with me as she is wearing the corrective lenses since secondary school. She recommended this to me quite some time ago but I hesitated to give it a go.

The tipping point came once I started work, or rather long hours in an air-con room.

My eyes were so dry and irritated at the end of the day and eye drops were needed but I can feel the discomfort growing. In the end, I really had to find an alternative and that's when I tried out Ortho-k. The only clinic that offers this corrective lenses is Stan Isaacs. I was quite apprehensive about this because I did not know if it will disrupt my sleep or made me aware of it when I close my eyes.

So, they offered a trial program where I can wear the corrective lenses for an afternoon.

My advice? Do not go for the trial. It is so much more uncomfortable and dry that actually made me want to give up on the program. The procedure is to wear it before going to bed so it is pretty comfortable that I can usually read my book before I sleep. You vision may start to deteriorate at night at the beginning but after a while, you will totally have great eyesight for more than one whole day. Even if you forgot to put it on for a day, your eyesight will still be good enough, just not perfect.

Cost is not so cheap though. For people below -3.00, which is 300 degrees short-sightedness and minimal astigmatism, the price would be the lower range of around S$1600. However, this price is for a set of hard lenses that could last more than 5 years. I am on my sixth year now. If you happen to misplace or break it, it would cost $325 to replace one side and not a pair. Overall, it's still cheaper than lasik at $3000 for the initial part.

Ortho-k can also correct long sightedness! I hate wearing spectacles and disposable lenses really causes great discomfort yet I do not want to go for lasik surgery. If you think like me, then you should consider this.

Disclaimer: I do not take commission at all and I am just so satisfied with this program. I saw the lack of local information so I just want to share this great alternative with everyone!