6 Things to Know About Ortho-K Night Lens for Your Child

Myopia, also known as near-sightedness, is the most common eye condition affecting children in Singapore. The main parts of our eyes include the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina, and optic nerve. Myopia occurs when the light rays from distant objects focus in front of the retina, rather than directly on the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurred and prescription glasses are needed to correct the vision. However, wearing prescription glasses may be a hassle for most children, especially when they need to take part in sports activities.

Good news! With the innovation of Orthokeratology, your child no longer needs to wear glasses throughout the day!

What is Orthokeratology?

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K Night lens) is an FDA-approved non-surgical procedure using customised hard contact lenses to gently shape the curvature of the cornea to improve . Ortho-K Night Lens can temporarily correct refractive errors (mainly for myopia and astigmatism) and slows down the growth of our eyeball axial length. These hard lenses are worn at night when you are sleeping. It is suitable for both children and adults.

Benefits of Ortho-K Night Lens:

• Simply wear the hard lenses at night to sleep and remove the lens the next morning. You do not need to wear any glasses to school or to work after that.
• Most wearers can see clearly all day long without the need for glasses or contact lenses.
• For children and those who have progressive myopia worsening year after year, the Ortho-K Night lens has been shown in various clinical studies to slow down myopia progression significantly. Read more here.

Ortho-K Night Lens is perfectly safe for your kids  

Ortho-K Night lens is FDA approved for night use. It does not permanently alter your cornea shape and is reversible once you stop wearing them. Ortho-K (cornea reshaping) started over 70 years ago. Modern technology in design and production makes it a reliable and precise way of safe vision correction.

Each pair of Ortho-K Night Lens last up to 1 year

Each pair of night lenses may last up to 1 year and differs individually due to handling and aftercare. Your child needs to wear the lenses almost every night to maintain the required eye shape for optimal vision.

Ortho-K Night Lens can be fitted for children as young as 5 years old

Children as young as 5 years old can be fitted with the lens. In some cases, Ortho-K Night Lens may not be suitable such as if you have an underlying eye disease such as Keratoconus. Thus, an Ortho-K assessment is needed to ensure your eye health is optimal to onboard the program; a few diagnostic scans and tests such as Optical Biometer AL Scan, Corneal Topography Test and Lifestyle Test need to be done to find out your suitability. 

Tips for effective management of myopia with Ortho-K Night Lens:

• Following up with your Ortho-K appointment is essential to ensure the lenses are in good shape.
• Ensure that your child is practising the necessary aftercare processes at home such as cleaning routine of the hard lenses at home.
• Monitor your child’s prescription regularly.
• Each pair of Ortho-K Night lenses can last up to 12 months and will need to be changed after that time period.

Kids’ myopia is a manageable condition if it is detected early. Regular, six-monthly eye checks are an absolute must for all children. You can now book an appointment for your kid’s myopia control assessment via the W Optics app. W Optics app is free to download on Apple and Android devices.