An eye opener

Most of us are familiar with contact lenses, even if we haven't used them. Probably one of the best things to happen in the field of eye care and vision enhancement, contact lenses are used as an optical aid for myopia (short sight), hypermetropia (far sightedness), astigmatism and presbyopia (blurred near vision).
The medical community believes that factors such as prolonged work and computer use, spending time indoors, and even underexposure to sunlight are significant factors in the progression of myopia. Studies were conducted on the prevalence of myopia in East Asia, the US and Europe, and in one 30-year comparative study conducted on subjects aged 12-54, they found a 17 per cent increase in myopia. The significant &increase in prevalence took place in 1999-2004 (when the younger generation started using mobile phones and hand-held devices in large numbers), at 47 per cent.
So with the increasing vision problems in young people these days, the medical community is on the lookout for better and more comfortable solutions, and one of the newer methods to be introduced in the UAE is the Ortho K lens, a simple but revolutionary solution. These lenses are worn overnight to correct the wearer's vision in the daytime! "Orthokeratology, also called Ortho-K, is a non-surgical FDA-app-roved procedure that uses specially designed contact lenses to gently resha-pe the curvature of the anterior portion of the eye, to improve vision," says &Dr. Joserine Samson, contact lens specialist, Gulf Eye Center, Dubai.
Patients undergoing the treatment wear these special lenses at night before going to sleep, and remove them when they wake up, to enjoy clear vision during the day without the aid of eyeglasses or other contact lenses! Sounds miraculous, but it's true. "The lenses we provide are custom-designed specifically for each patient," says Dr. Joserine.
There are some guaranteed benefits to the Ortho-K method, compared to other vision-correcting treatments like laser surgery. For one, it's both reversible and non-surgical. A patient as young as eight can try out Ortho-K. And adults and kids alike can enjoy their daytime activities and sports, without wearing glasses or contact lenses. And if the patient wants to discontinue the treatment, they can go back to wearing their regular glasses or lenses.
The easy guide to contact lens-wearing
Since many people find it difficult - at least initially - to slip in those little glass discs into the eye, Dr. Joserine &offers some tips to make it easier. Lenses, both soft and rigid ones, come in different diameters: the smallest being 8.7mm to as large as 18mm. "When it comes to insertion and removal, the key is how you hold your eyelids open (do wash your hands beforehand) while inserting your lenses. One problem is reflex blinking, so hold on to both the upper and lower eyelid properly," she says. "Place the contact lens on the tip of your finger and make sure it's in the 'correct' position before inserting into your eyes."
Even with the Ortho-K lenses, insertion, removal and proper handling is discussed with the patient and their parents/guardians. "Frequent follow-up checks in the first year of treatment is essential, and advised, to ensure best eye health practice during the course &of treatment. After a year, a bi-annual check is advised to make sure that the child gets all the benefits from the treatment to control the progression of his/her myopia and to ensure that his/her eye health is not compromised in the process," says Dr. Joserine.