{"id":9300,"date":"2021-01-05T17:48:59","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T17:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=9300"},"modified":"2021-07-19T11:54:19","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T11:54:19","slug":"how-does-ortho-k-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/how-does-ortho-k-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Ortho-K Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Ortho-k contact lenses gently reshape the focus of the eye to improve vision and control myopia progression.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Nearly 30 percent of Americans suffer from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/what-is-myopia\/\">myopia<\/a>.<\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Myopia, also known as nearsightedness and shortsightedness, is a refractive error that affects the ability to see distant images clearly.<\/p>\n<p>Myopia occurs when light enters the eye and focuses <i>in front of the retina<\/i>, rather than directly on the retina.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If your child has myopia, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1626724076622000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHrUhu52NyH13FS3D9bltKIwUYr2A\">contact an eye doctor<\/a> near you, who can discuss the best options for myopia management.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/why-do-adults-choose-ortho-k\/\">Why Do Adults Choose Ortho-K?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h3><b>How does ortho-k correct vision?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/ortho-k-top-10-faqs\/\">Ortho-k lenses<\/a> are designed to float on top of the eye\u2019s tear film and apply gentle water-based (hydraulic) pressure to the front layer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/ocular-anatomy-the-front-of-the-eye\/\">cornea<\/a>, called the epithelium.\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-9303 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-300x98.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"505\" height=\"165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0.png 614w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 505px) 100vw, 505px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The hydraulic pressure causes the cells of the epithelium to move from the center of the cornea to the periphery. This migration of corneal cells leads to a <i>temporary <\/i>reshaping of the cornea and correction of the refractive error.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Overnight vision correction<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Ortho-k lenses are gas-permeable contact lenses that are designed to be worn overnight and removed in the morning.\u00a0 After the ortho-k lenses are removed, improved vision is generally noticed for 24 to 72 hours.<\/p>\n<p><i>Your eye doctor will inform you how often you will need to wear your ortho-k lenses\u2014 some patients require nightly wear, while others may only need to wear them every other night.<\/i><\/p>\n<h2><b>How does ortho-k control myopia progression?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Ortho-k has been proven to reduce the rate of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/why-is-my-childs-myopia-worsening\/\">myopia progression<\/a> in children by up to 50 percent.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Conventional methods to correct myopia and improve distance vision include eyeglasses and contact lenses\u2014 though over time, many patients experience a gradual increase in their optical prescriptions with these traditional methods.<\/p>\n<p>Studies show that although distance-only glasses and contact lenses improve vision clarity, they focus light onto the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-anatomy-the-back-of-the-eye\/\">retina<\/a> in a way that can actually increase the axial length of the eye\u2014 the primary cause of myopia progression<b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In contrast, by <i>reshaping<\/i> the cornea for vision correction, ortho-k can help to reduce the rate of myopia progression.<\/p>\n<p><b>As a result of its safety, efficacy, and convenience, ortho-k has become one of the most recommended methods for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/what-is-myopia-management\/\">myopia management<\/a> and vision correction.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/\">Guide to Myopia Management<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule an appointment with an optometrist<\/a> to learn more about ortho-k and if you or your child can benefit from these lenses.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ortho-k lenses are designed to float on top of the eye\u2019s tear film and apply gentle water-based (hydraulic) pressure to the front layer of the cornea, called the epithelium.\u00a0The hydraulic pressure causes the cells of the epithelium to move from the center of the cornea to the periphery. This migration of corneal cells leads to a temporary reshaping of the cornea and correction of the refractive error.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1206,"featured_media":9302,"parent":12480,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[229,90,396,238],"class_list":["post-9300","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-contact-lenses","tag-myopia","tag-myopia-management","tag-ortho-k"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Does Ortho-K Work? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/how-does-ortho-k-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Does Ortho-K Work? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ortho-k lenses are designed to float on top of the eye\u2019s tear film and apply gentle water-based (hydraulic) pressure to the front layer of the cornea, called the epithelium.\u00a0The hydraulic pressure causes the cells of the epithelium to move from the center of the cornea to the periphery. 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