Ortho Keratology — Clear Daytime Vision Without Glasses
Imagine waking up each morning with clear vision — no glasses, no daytime contact lenses and no surgery. Ortho Keratology, often called ortho-k, makes this possible. Using specially designed overnight contact lenses, ortho-k gently reshapes the front surface of your eye while you sleep, giving you clear sight throughout the day.
How Ortho Keratology Works
Ortho Keratology uses advanced rigid gas-permeable lenses worn overnight. While you sleep, the lenses reshape the cornea into a more optimal curvature, allowing light to focus correctly on the retina.
At Lamas & Brown Optometrists, we provide safe, precise and professionally managed ortho-k treatments for patients across Alstonville, Casino, Ballina, Lismore, Lennox Head, Wollongbar, Evans Head and surrounding areas.
Key Benefits
- Clear daytime vision
- No need for glasses
- No daytime contact lenses
- Comfortable overnight wear
- Non-surgical and reversible
- Myopia control
- Effective for short-sightedness, mild long-sightedness and some astigmatism
Patients searching for Ortho Keratology, ortho-k or non-surgical vision correction often find this to be an ideal option, especially if they want freedom from glasses at work, sport or school.
Is Ortho-K Safe?
Yes. Ortho Keratology is safe when fitted correctly and cared for properly. It does not involve any surgery, lasers or permanent changes to the cornea. Instead, it temporarily reshapes the surface layer of the eye.
Proper cleaning and lens care are essential to minimise the risk of abrasions, ulcers or infections. Our clinicians provide full training to ensure you feel confident caring for your lenses, and we schedule regular reviews to check eye health and lens performance.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
- Teenagers and children needing myopia control
- Adults wanting freedom from glasses
- People who work in dusty, windy or active environments
- Patients with intolerance to soft lenses
- Those who want a non-surgical option for vision correction
Suitability depends on prescription range, corneal shape and eye health. A full eye test and detailed corneal topography will determine whether Ortho Keratology is the right solution for you.
Ortho Keratology for Children — Myopia Control
Ortho Keratology is clinically recognised as an effective method for slowing the progression of childhood short-sightedness. Parents searching for children’s eye tests, myopia control or eye test for kids often choose ortho-k as part of their child’s long-term vision plan.
By controlling myopia progression, we help reduce future risks of eye disease associated with high short-sightedness, supporting your child’s lifelong eye health.
Ortho Keratology is a process using contact lenses that progressively reshape the front surface of the eye(the cornea) whilst sleeping. The effects are similar to laser surgery in correcting visual prescriptions.
The contact lenses are worn whilst you sleep. In the morning you remove the contact lenses and enjoy the benefits of clear vision without correction during the day
No! While orthokeratlogy can help most individuals (including long-sightedness, short-sightedness and astigmatism), the procedure is effective to prescriptions falling within a specific range. Additional factors may include individual corneal rigidity, ability to wear contact lenses, allergies and dry eyes. A thorough consultation and examination at Lamas and Brown Optometrists, using advanced computerised diagnostic instrumentation can easily determine if orthokeratology is suitable.
Ortho-k is believed to safe when appropriately fitted and managed properly. Unlike surgical procedures like radial keratotomy(RK), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and laser assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK), the corneal tissue (the front surface of the eye) is not incised or vaporised by a laser or scalpel. As with all contact lenses, proper lens care and handling must be performed to maintain eye health. The state-of-the-art, high permeability GP materials now available provide adequate amounts of oxygen to the tissues of the eye.
No. If you stop wearing the lenses, your prescription gradually returns to its original level within one to two weeks. Long-term results require regular overnight wear. This reversibility is one of the reasons many patients prefer ortho-k over surgery.
As with any contact lenses, there are small risks, including mild irritation, dryness or infection. The risks are higher if lenses are not cleaned correctly or worn longer than recommended. Our team monitors you closely during the initial months and provides ongoing care to ensure safe wear.
Most patients experience improved vision within the first few nights. Functional vision typically stabilises within five to seven nights, with full results after around four weeks. Your optometrist will guide you through this adaptation period and adjust your lens design if needed.
Overnight wearing of the lenses is surprisingly comfortable, as the process of blinking is generally what leads to discomfort with contact lenses. Most patients are unaware of their presence within a very short time after insertion.
Once the effect stabilises, most patients enjoy clear daytime vision without glasses or contact lenses. Some may still require reading glasses or occasional part-time correction, especially for close work as they get older.
Most people will need to wear lenses six to seven consecutive nights in order to enjoy good, unaided vision during the day. Some patients with a lesser degree of myopia (short-sightedness) may find that wearing them every other night is satisfactory.
The wearer’s eyes will return to their pre-treatment prescription after about 2 weeks. Depending on how long ortho-k lenses have been worn, this process may be as long as 30-90 days.