Ortho-K Optometrist in Bellevue, WA
Clearer vision without surgery or glasses. Call (425) 746-9914 to schedule a consultation.
If you would like clearer vision all day without the hassle of glasses or contacts, make an appointment to discuss orthokeratology with the eye care professionals at Eyecare Elements.
Our eye doctors have undergone extensive training and are certified in several Ortho-K lens technologies. We proudly offer the NiteVision Ortho-K System to our patients. Make your appointment for clearer vision today by calling (425) 746-9914 today.
Learn More About Orthokeratology
What is Ortho-K?
Orthokeratology is a non-surgical treatment to reduce nearsightedness. Also known as Ortho-K, it uses specially designed contact lenses to reshape your eye gently, correcting nearsightedness while you sleep. When you awaken in the morning, simply remove the Ortho-K lenses for clearer vision all day—without the use of prescription eyeglasses or daily contact lenses.
What conditions does Ortho-K treat?
Orthokeratology is useful for correcting certain eye conditions, known as refractive errors, which affect your vision.
One of the most common refractive errors corrected by Ortho-K is nearsightedness, also known as myopia, which means you cannot see far away objects well.
Orthokeratology also treats astigmatism, a vision problem caused by a defect in the curvature of your eye, and farsightedness that prevents you from seeing close-up objects.
What is a refractive error?
Light can bend as it passes from one substance to another. Your eyes bend light to focus the image of the objects you are trying to see, for example. Scientists refer to this bending of light as “refraction.”
A refractive error is a condition where the shape of your eye causes it to bend light incorrectly, causing you to have blurry vision.
A transparent layer of tissue, known as the cornea, covers your eye. Together with the lens of your eye, your cornea bends light so that the light focuses on a precise point at the back of your eye. The focused light strikes a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye, known as the retina, which converts the light into signals then sends those signals to your brain for processing.
Your cornea must have a perfect shape in order to refract the light so that it strikes your retina at the right spot for clear vision. A cornea that bulges out makes the eye too long, and this causes the light to focus in the middle of the eye instead of on the retina. A bulging or steep cornea causes the refractive error, myopia.
How does Ortho-K treat myopia?
Ortho-K features the use of specialized rigid oxygen-permeable contact lenses or ‘retainers’ that apply gentle pressure to reshape your cornea so that it bends light correctly.
Simply put in your specially designed, FDA-approved Ortho-K contact lenses before you go to sleep and remove them in the morning for clear vision. Wearing the lenses every night will reset the shape and vision for the next day. At any time if you wish to not wear the lenses your vision and corneal shape will return back to normal over the course of days of not wearing the lenses.
It takes a little time for the treatment to provide clearer vision. Complete vision correction usually occurs within 1 to 2 weeks.
What are the benefits of Ortho-K treatment?
Ortho-K gently corrects your nearsightedness while you sleep – no need for surgery, daytime contacts or glasses.
Orthokeratology can be a great option for people with eyes that are too dry to wear daytime contact lenses or who cannot wear daytime lenses for activities such as swimming.
Orthokeratology can even slow the progression of myopia, which can worsen as you age. For kids who have parents with large prescriptions or who have glasses prescriptions that seem to be getting larger every year, Ortho-K offers hope to slow down those changes. Ortho-K is even great for kids who are too young for surgery and too active to wear contacts or glasses.
What if I don’t like Ortho-K?
Simply stop wearing the special lenses at night and return to using your regular contacts or glasses again.
How do I get orthokeratology in Bellevue?
Make an appointment with the eye care professionals at Eyecare Elements.
Originally founded in 1975 with the mission of providing quality eye care and vision products in Bellevue, Eyecare Elements is proud to now offer Ortho-K in Bellevue. Eyecare Elements is conveniently located at 15650 NE 24th St, Suite B in Bellevue, WA.
Make your appointment for clearer vision by calling (425) 746-9914. We look forward to hearing from you!
