Orthokeratology is a unique technology for overnight vision correction of myopia (short sightedness) and is performed by optometrist Anthony Liska. Ortho-k is an easy alternative and non surgical process that uses custom fitted rigid contact lenses to reshape the cornea of your eye while you sleep. Also called corneal molding, CRT, or Corneal Refractive Therapy. After you remove the lenses in the morning, the result is clear vision the whole day, at work, school, while playing sports or outdoor activities, or at home.

The ortho-k contact lens is a specially designed oxygen permeable, therapeutic contact lens making it safe to wear at night. By wearing rigid gas permeable contact lenses during sleep time, it ensures that neither glasses or contact lenses are required during the day. Most importantly, while the lens is worn during sleeping hours to reshape the cornea, it has no permanent ocular change, giving you ultimate control and flexibility of your vision correction.

How can a contact lens change the shape of my eye?

A regular contact lens cannot change the shape of your eye, they only work as a prescription vision aid. Only a custom fitted ortho-k lens can reshape your cornea, but it does not physically push on the eye to change its shape. Instead it induces hydrostatic pressures in the tear film between the contact lens and the eye to redistribute the cells on the surface of the cornea (Corneal Epithelium) resulting in a change to the surface shape of the eye, and therefore change the focussing power of the eye.




Most importantly, the integrity and structure of the cornea is not affected, making it a safer process than a permanent procedure like refractive surgery.

Furthermore, if you discontinue using the orthok lenses, the cells return to their normal distribution within a few days. Ortho-k is not permanent, so if you stop wearing the lenses, your vision will return to normal.

Also, your vision will still be clear at night through the Ortho-K lenses if you need to get out of bed.

What happens if I forget to put the lenses in before I go to sleep?

In many cases, the effects of corneal molding lasts more than one day, so forgetting once may not make much difference. However, ortho-k is not permanent, so the shape of the eye will be slowly returning to normal resulting in a gradual return to your original level of shortsightedness or myopia.

How long does orthokeratology take to work?

Even after the first night of wearing the ortho-k lenses, you'll see a big difference, however the full effect for vision correction may take a week to achieve.

“A corneal topographer is used in Ortho-K to measure the curvature of the front of the eye (cornea) to enable the optometrist to select the right lens to fit your eye.”

If you have considered refractive surgery because of the freedom it can give, and you hate wearing eye glasses, or get dry eyes from contact lenses, then consider Orthokeratology. Ortho-k is suitable for myopic (shortsighted) with or without astigmatism in children and adults, preferably between the ages of 12-55.

Ortho-k fitting is available at Caroline Springs in the North-Western suburbs of Melbourne.