C.R.T. | Orthokeratology
Corneal Refractive Therapy | Latin for "Reshaping of the Cornea"
No Age Restriction
It's ideal for children between the ages of 6 years old to 18. Because at a young age, their myopia has not yet matured and we have the best opportunity to arrest it's progression. This has been the number one reason why my patients will chose Orthokeratology. But I have patients of all ages who have benefited from this treatment, myself included.
No Day time Glasses or Contacts
In regards to the quality of life for our kids... Especially living in the valley where pollen and poor air quality (grass fires) is something we have to contend with in the community at all times. Without having to wear soft contacts during the day time, that's a huge factor removed from the equation of being able to experience comfortable vision if someone has allergies or sensitive eyes. If your child is physically active, the elimination of worrying about losing a contact lens during the day or breaking glasses is huge when it comes to competition on the soccer field or water sports. Back in highschool at Del Campo in Carmichael, during wrestling, there would be matches where I would get my soft contact lens rubbed off my eye and we would have to stop the match to try to find it and even worse, try to stick it back in (DO NOT DO THAT).
No Surgery Needed
Surgery adversed or not an ideal Lasik candidate? Or even someone who has had Lasik in the past and does not or should not get further surgery. This treatment could work for you too. We can do this treatment on early Keratoconus patients as well..
Over 1 Million Users Worldwide!
This treatment has been well established and refined for over 30 years. It is very safe and some companies such as Paragon CRT are FDA approved. We use mainly CRT tech for our lenses and have great success.
Here's a general description of what happens and how it works...
Orthokeratology is the practice of fitting a rigid gas permeable (rgp) contact lens of a flatter curvature onto the surface of your cornea to reshape the corneal epithelium. It is mainly used while you sleep so that after approximately 6-8 hours of time, your cornea will be re-shaped into a "corrected" curvature so that you can see without corrective lenses. The higher your myopia, the more flattening needs to occur.
After the initial 2-3 weeks of reshaping, the result will often be a clear, crisp 20/20 vision out of each eye as soon as you wake up and remove the contacts until bed time. The results will be like getting LASIK without the actual surgery.
However, the effects of corneal reshaping are temporary. It will last through out the day, and can last up to 2-3 days without having to wear the lens again overnight. Most people will want to wear the lenses every night to experience optimal vision daily. You could think of the CRT lenses as a retainer, such as one you would wear to keep your teeth straight after braces. It does not eliminate all the hassles of eye maintenance, but it caters very well to the individual who is active with sports, has dry eyes, allergies, is too young for or does not want surgery. There are plenty of old and recent studies that show a decreased progression of myopia (near-sightedness) from wearing rigid gas permeable lenses in children. Link to some of those studies here..
After the initial 2-3 weeks of reshaping, the result will often be a clear, crisp 20/20 vision out of each eye as soon as you wake up and remove the contacts until bed time. The results will be like getting LASIK without the actual surgery.
However, the effects of corneal reshaping are temporary. It will last through out the day, and can last up to 2-3 days without having to wear the lens again overnight. Most people will want to wear the lenses every night to experience optimal vision daily. You could think of the CRT lenses as a retainer, such as one you would wear to keep your teeth straight after braces. It does not eliminate all the hassles of eye maintenance, but it caters very well to the individual who is active with sports, has dry eyes, allergies, is too young for or does not want surgery. There are plenty of old and recent studies that show a decreased progression of myopia (near-sightedness) from wearing rigid gas permeable lenses in children. Link to some of those studies here..
Paragon CRT® Contact Lenses were FDA approved in June 2002 to temporarily correct myopia up to -6.00D, with or without up to 1.75D cylinder, and with no age restrictions. Fourteen years later, over 1.3 million lens have been sold and people are safely correcting their vision while they sleep with Paragon CRT® Contact Lenses. This non-invasive, non-surgical procedure provides great vision during the day without wearing daytime contacts or glasses.
If I have peaked your interest, then it's time to call our office and ask for an eye exam with me, Dr Jing Han and we can talk in person regarding if it is the right move for you or your children. Mention that you are interested in CRT/Ortho-K when calling. We have had a few hundred children grow up with CRT lenses in the Folsom and El Dorado Hills community. Chances are high that some of them are in your child's classes.