AN INTRO TO ORTHOKERATOLOGY
Many people enjoy good vision because the field of medicine has made great strides in the treatment of eye diseases by surgery and the use of medication. However, most eye defects are not related to disease; they are the result of normal development problems associated with the structure of the eye or caused by the environment.
Eyeglasses or contact lenses are usually prescribed to compensate for these abnormalities (refractive errors). Although these devices allow us to function better, they do little or nothing to correct the underlying problem.
At one time, these irregularities (refractive errors) were considered permanent; some of them worsen with time, and no therapy was available to normalize them.
Today, things have changed. The ocular science, Orthokeratology, provides corrective eye care through the therapeutic use of contact lenses. In the same sense that teeth can be straightened by the use of braces in dentistry, structural irregularities of the eye and their resulting refractive errors can now be reduced and vision improved by the use of specially designed contact lenses.
Orthokeratology offers the ultimate in care for contact lens wearers. It can make imperfect vision significantly and dramatically better for everyone with healthy eyes but poor vision. For those with severe refractive errors, it opens up a new world they may have never seen before without reliance on strong corrective measures.
WHAT ARE REFRACTIVE ERRORS?
We have all heard the terms nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, but few people have actually taken the time to understand them. To appreciate Orthokeratology it is important to become familiar with the principles involved in these refractive errors.
To begin, we must know what is normal. In an eye with no refractive error, the light is sharply focused on the retina at the back of the eye. The retina is the light sensitive portion of the eye. This is the way light must focus to have the sharpest possible vision at all distances, without strain.
In the nearsighted eye, light focuses in front of the retina instead of upon it. As a result, the myopic or nearsighted eye will give clear vision at close range but blurred vision at a distance.
In the farsighted eye, the focal point is behind the retina, just the opposite of the nearsighted eye. In trying to focus the eye properly, the muscles within the eye must “overwork”, often causing eyestrain and headaches.
In its simplest form, astigmatism is a refractive error which causes light to be focused upon more than one area of the retina. Astigmatism may also exist in combination with nearsightedness or farsightedness, thus producing symptoms blurred vision, eyestrain, headaches, or all of these.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORTHO-K
Traditional Eyesight Correction
What has been done in the past, and is still being done, is to pre-focus the light rays by eyeglasses and conventional contact lenses. In most cases, this adequately solves the problem of blurred vision and eyestrain. What it does not do is attack the CAUSE of the problem. Is there any way to get to the source of the problem? YES, there is.
Contact lenses became popular because of a desire to get away from cumbersome eyeglasses, mostly for cosmetic reasons. As the practice developed, it was found that there was less distortion with contact lenses, they were a more natural way of seeing and did the job better.
Revolutionary Discovery
As the contact lens field grew, researchers began to study the side effects of wearing contact lenses. What they discovered was that in many cases the refractive error was actually decreasing in small amounts. Further studies showed that there was a direct relationship between these improvements and the corneal curvature changes. Armed with this new information, practitioners were able to attack the actual cause of the problem for the first time.
Obviously, there is nothing that can be done with the length of the eyeball. The only option is to concentrate on the cornea and its curvature. This is the basis of Orthokeratology. Simply stated, the purpose of Orthokeratology is to permanently alter the curvature of the cornea so that no external devices are necessary for good vision.
Through research and experimentation, Orthokeratologists have found that the cornea is a soft, pliable, yet very tough tissue. It will maintain its integrity and respond to changes imposed upon it by contact lenses that are specially designed for that purpose.
All-Day Correction with Ortho-K
Dr. Garber, one of the leading Orthokeratologists, has developed a proprietary DRUG-FREE procedure that utilizes specialized computers and equipment to map out the EXACT curvature of an individual’s eye. With this information a special contact lens can be created for each individual eye to correct the exact refractive error of that eye for a custom fit and maximum correction. Lenses are worn overnight and removed in the morning. This gives the eye good vision all day long!
Patient TESTIMONIALS
Ortho-K brochures and literature are available in both English and Chinese. Click here to request information.
Dr. Garber
Dr. Garber is an eye doctor in Old Westbury, New York. With more than 45 years of experience, no one is more qualified or respected in the field of Orthokeratology. Each patient’s lenses are fitted by Dr. Garber, personally. He is on several boards, and is a member of multiple institutes and organizations.
Contact Dr. Garber at (516) 626-1228 for an appointment with a celebrated eye doctor in Old Westbury, L.I., NY.
More Info
Dr. Garber
Dr. Garber is an eye doctor in Old Westbury, New York. With more than 45 years of experience, no one is more qualified or respected in the field of Orthokeratology. Each patient’s lenses are fitted by Dr. Garber, personally. He is on several boards, and is a member of multiple institutes and organizations.
Contact Dr. Garber at (516) 626-1228 for an appointment with a celebrated eye doctor in Old Westbury, L.I., NY.
More Info
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Copyright by Ortho-K of New York 2018-present. All rights reserved.
Web Hosting, Design & Development by Scottcrew Web Services.