Finding out you need reading glasses comes as quite a shock to many people, particular for those who have spent their entire lives with great sight.  It is an unfortunate sign that we are no longer as young as we once were, and there are a whole lot of myths that go hand in hand with needing reading glasses once you are in your 40’s.

Naturally, people look for alternatives to the frustrations that glasses bring. Some look for the magic bullet that will bring back youthful vision.  Well, eye exercises might improve visual efficiency when you have eye teaming problems, but don’t reverse eye aging, and unfortunately laser eye surgery is only a short term “fix” for the problem, with the effect only lasting about 2 years before vision changes again.  There are two non-surgical alternatives to glasses.

1. Orthokeratology – “Ortho-what!?” you may ask.  Orthokeratology or Ortho-K is an advanced corneal lens that reshapes your eyes while you sleep, enabling you to achieve clear sight during the day usually without need for further correction from glasses or contact lenses.  Ortho-K has been around for some time now to correct myopia or short-sightedness, and recent advancements in technology means that low degrees of longsight can be corrected too.

What are the advantages of Ortho-K over other forms of correction?

• Freedom from glasses
• No eye dryness
• Reversible and adjustable as your prescription changes
• Non-surgical

Not all degrees of longsight can be corrected and it does depend on your individual eye shape.

2.  Contact Lenses – There are a wide range of lenses available to use as a part-time or full-time alternative to reading glasses.  Some people decide that they might only want them for special occasions, others want to wear them as a day to day alternative to glasses.

How do I know if I am suitable?

We conduct an assessment of your vision, prescription, eye health, and most importantly a detailed digital measurement of your eye shape to determine your suitability for Ortho-K and/or contacts.  After determining your suitability, we discuss the pro’s, cons’s and safety with you.

At Harmony Vision , we have many years of experience both fitting and wearing Ortho K lenses and other contact lens options.  To discuss further call our office on 07 5520 5900.

Contact lenses provide the freedom of good sight and great peripheral vision without the annoyance of spectacle frames. However some people find contact lens wear uncomfortable, either putting up with constant irritation or quitting contact lens wear altogether. Understanding the more common reasons for dry eye symptoms and the options available will help you manage your comfort. Let’s have a look at the causes, drops and nutrition and alternative contact lens options including Orthokeratology.

Causes

Meibomian Gland Deficiency – the Meibomian Glands are oil secreting glands located in the upper and lower eyelids. As you blink a fine film of oil is spread across the tear film. As we know from seeing photos of the recent big ocean oil spills, oil and water don’t mix. Oil sits on top of water. In the tear-film this reduces how quick the tears evaporate between blinks. When the Meibomian glands produce less oils, the tears start to evaporate more quickly.  There are treatments available to improve the function of these glands and if successful, and when combined with lubricant drops, contact lens wear comfort has a chance to improve.

Age – This oil production reduces with age, but so does aqueous production. Aqueous is that watery part of the tear film.

Environmental Causes – Air-conditioning and windy environments make the tear film evaporate more quickly. So does computer use. When you use your computer your blink rate slows and the distance between your eyelids widens – both factors increase the chance of the tears evaporating to the point where your eyes feel dry eye.

Contact Lenses – contact lenses increase the demand on the tear film, thereby increasing the need to have good tear quality and quantity.

Assistance for dry eyes
Lifestyle – rest and hydration.

1. Take a break – Remove your contact lenses for midday soak in your regular multipurpose cleaning solution (not possible if you use a peroxide based system or single use lenses).
2. Lubricants – commercially prepared, non-preserved eye lubricants are recommended, the more frequent the better – you can’t overuse these!
3. Dry Eye Treatments – there are a number of dry eye treatments that your optometrist can provide.  If you are using  a lot of lubricants or have residual symptoms, talk to your optometrist.
4. Protection – sunglasses in windy environments and turning air-vents away from your face reduce the effects of air-conditioning.
5. Nutrition – your optometrist can investigate the nature of your symptoms and may recommend nutritional support that might assist with dry eye relief.

Contact Lens & Ortho-K Options

The material, design and wearing schedule can greatly improve (or reduce!) your contact lens comfort. Many contact lens related dry eye issues by simply switching to a lens material that is designed to reduce or avoid dryness – a little bit of effort and patience here is required to find the right lens, but has the reward of enabling someone to enjoy contact lenses for longer.

Ortho-K is a great option for those who find contact lens wear uncomfortable but want good vision without resorting to laser eye surgery. Ortho-K means wearing a lens only while you sleep. It gently reshapes your eye overnight so that when you take it out in the morning, you have comfortable and clear vision all day – no more daytime contact lens dryness.