Custom Ortho-K Lenses in Sydney and Parramatta

What is Ortho-K?

Orthokeratology (also known as Ortho-K) is a safe, non invasive treatment used to correct myopia (short-sightedness) and hyperopia (long sightedness) without needing surgery. Ortho-K involves the fitting of specially designed rigid contact lenses that you wear overnight. While you are asleep, the lenses gently reshape the front surface of your eye (cornea) so you can see clearly the next day after you remove the lenses when you wake up.  

This process of night-time corneal reshaping can be thought of as braces for the eyes. As well as controlling myopia progression, orthokeratology is a safe and reliable alternative to glasses, soft contact lenses and laser eye surgery. It is completely reversible by discontinuing wear. It is also a proven method for reducing myopia progression and is available to both adults and children. 

Ortho-K lenses are also called “corneal reshaping contact lenses”, “CRT” or “overnight contact lenses.” Our practice is Paragon CRT certified to fit Ortho-K lenses.

Why Ortho-K?

Freedom & Convenience

Traditonally, glasses and disposable contact lenses have been the only options to correct vision. Theses all have their limitations. Ortho-K lenses will restore you or your child’s vision which means glasses are not needed during the day or at school. That gives you or your child the freedom to participate in sports, swimming and all their other activities without the inconvenience of wearing glasses or daytime contact lenses. 

Ortho-K is also beneficial if you suffer from dry or itchy eyes when wearing soft contact lenses.

Control Myopia Progression

If you have increasing myopia (short-sightedness), Ortho K has been proven to be the most effective way to control this. Many clinical studies published over time have demonstrated Ortho-K to be effective in reducing the rate of myopia progression by about 50% in suitable children. 

A Non-surgical, Reversible Alternative

Ortho K is an excellent alternative to laser surgery treatment such as LASIK. Surgery is an invasive and expensive procedure, and comes with some level of risk, whereas OrthoK is completely reversible if you decide not to continue. It is also much more affordable. 

Customised Ortho-K Lens Design and Ongoing Care

Ortho-K fitting requires specialised equipment and postgraduate training. Fitting ortho-K lenses is a more time consuming process and requires more expertise than fitting regular contact lenses. All our ortho-K lenses are custom designed individually by us using data of the specific shape of the eye from our corneal topographer and the latest computer assisted design software. We do not use off the shelf designs to fit our patients.

To have the best chance of reducing myopia progression, every patient must be treated as an individual and the parameters of each ortho-K lens must be able to be modified. If you have tried ortho-K in the past or are currently wearing ortho-K and still show signs of continued progression in power, we are able to design smaller ortho-K treatment zones. This has been shown to have better control of myopia progression and is only able to be done with a customised ortho-K lens design. For successful orthokeratology and best results, it is best to see the same practitioner for all your follow up visits, and a practitioner who specialises in specialty contact lenses.   

If you are interested in Orthokeratology in Sydney or Parramatta, or would like to speak to our optometrist you can contact us here.  

Am I suitable for Ortho-K?

Orthokeratology is suitable for people who are myopic (short-sighted), hyperopic (long-sighted) and with astigmatism.

There is no age limit or restriction on Ortho-K. We often fit short-sighted children as young as 6 years old and adults as old as 60. The lower age limit depends on maturity, motivation, willingness and ability of the child to insert, remove &  clean the lenses. Sometimes, parents are required to handle the lenses for their children.  

We are equipped with the latest instruments to allow Ortho-K lenses to be specially designed and custom-made to fit each individual eye. 

The Best Candidates for Ortho-K: 

• Mild to moderate amounts of myopia (nearsightedness). -0.75 to -6.00 is ideal. Higher degrees of myopia and astigmatism can be corrected with less predictability. We routinely fit prescriptions up to -9.00 but this depends on the individual eye and patient expectations. Partial correction with ortho-k for higher powers has also been proven to slow myopia progression.  
• Mild astigmatism can be also be corrected. We can correct astigmatism amounts of up to -4.00 
• Mild amounts of hyperopia (longsightedness) +1.00 to + 4.00 can be corrected.  
• Children or young adults who are at risk of myopia progressing (especially those who have an increase of -1.00 or  more in one year)  
• People who do not want to wear contacts or glasses during the day e.g. people who engage in water sports or work in  dusty environments. 
• People who find soft contact lenses irritating 
• People who are considering LASIK but want a reversible treatment 

To be suitable for Ortho-k you must have a healthy cornea. This will be examined prior to fitting you with an ortho-K  lens . Fitting of your ortho-k lenses requires multiple scheduled visits and may involve a number of lens changes. The  process can take anywhere from one to three months to complete.  If you are interested in Ortho-K in Sydney or around Parramattta please call us.

What are the costs of Ortho-K?

We charge a package fee which includes all the consultations involved for the initial lens fitting process, one pair of customised orthokeratology lenses and a lens care kit to get you started. One set of ortho- K lenses can typically last 2 years if they are well looked after. Our prices for orthokeratology start from $1850 (inclusive of lens and fitting costs). We are also one of the few practices that offer a 3 month replacement warranty if you accidentally break your lens.

If you have private health insurance with extras cover — such as Medibank Private, BUPA, or others — part of the cost  of the initial package or replacement lenses may be claimable. The health fund item number is 874 for a pair of lenses.  

In the case where your prescription or eye shape changes in the future and a lens re design is required, there will be an associated fee. This is to cover the design of your lenses and any consultations within a 3 month warranty period.  

In the event that Ortho-K is not effective or it needs to be discontinued within our 3 month warranty period, we offer a 50% credit of the lens costs towards another optical appliance (approx $727.50). This amount will be given to you as a credit on your account at Westmead Eyes. The cost of our consultations are non refundable.