
You may have read numerous articles that claim to have the tips to fitting ortho k lenses. Some of these articles have good information while others don’t. It is crucial to familiarise yourself with some recent concepts developed to take your lens fitting from a basic approach to a less basic approach. At this point, we cannot grant expert status to anyone. It is hard to explain why one patient with identical refractions and keratometric readings in each eye is successful in only one of the two lenses that are identical. Such things happen. All we can do is to try our best to adjust our lens to achieve good results. The following things will help you.
Corneal topography
If you want to have a serious fitting orthokeratology lens then you are going to need a topographer. It is very simple to have empirical fitting from different data points. However, it is difficult to troubleshoot when it does not work. Always remember that lenses are designed to make corneal thickness changes even as small as five microns. With a small margin of error, you would want detailed information about the ocular surface before the commencement of the lens design process. That is the important information you get from corneal topography.
It can take days and even weeks discussing the detailed features of all the topographers that are commercially available but that kind of time is not available now.
Clear communication
Let us put aside technical tid-bits. The main aim of ortho-k near me fitting is communication. It may seem boring to discuss communication at this point but it is very important. In most countries, there is a knowledge barrier that should be overcome to have a successful orthokeratology. A lot of people have never heard of orthokeratology. It would be very difficult prescribing glasses to someone who has never seen a pair of glasses before. It would be silly to explain that this contraption you see right here can be put on your face to help you see well. Very few people would believe such a statement if they have never heard of orthokeratology.
Make sure you highlight the positives
Convenience is the biggest benefit of orthokeratology. Parents don’t have to worry about sending their children off to school with contacts and glasses that can get torn or broken. It gives them a sense of security that their children will have clear sight throughout the day without any problems especially if they are active in physical activities.
Another advantage of orthokeratology is the myopia controlling effect. Orthokeratology is not officially approved to control myopia by the FDA. However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot educate parents and patients on the current literature.
Acknowledge unknowns and downsides
It is crucial that patients know everything they have to know about ortho k lenses. Whether good or bad, make sure your patients understand everything. You can save yourself from a surprise angry call from your patients if you tell them that the lenses will be uncomfortable on the first nights and that they may experience halos and glare in low light conditions.
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Established in 1980, Cooper & Lourie is one of Perth’s oldest independent specialists in Optometry.
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