Service
Myopia Management & Orthokeratology (OrthoK)
If your child's short-sightedness keeps increasing year on year, myopia management is about more than updating the glasses prescription. It's about actively slowing that change down. OrthoK (orthokeratology) is the option Dr Chea has been fitting for over 10 years, and it's usually the first thing worth understanding properly if you've been told your child needs myopia management.
What is OrthoK?
OrthoK (short for orthokeratology) is a set of custom-fitted contact lenses your child wears overnight while they sleep. Rather than being worn during the day, OrthoK lenses gently and temporarily reshape the surface of the cornea overnight, so your child sees clearly the next day without needing glasses or daytime contact lenses. Beyond correcting vision, OrthoK is also used as part of an ongoing myopia management program, with progress tracked over time rather than reviewed once and left. Dr Chea has been fitting OrthoK lenses for more than 10 years.
10+
years fitting OrthoK lenses
Equipment used to track progress
Dr Chea uses a biometer to measure axial length, the front-to-back length of the eye, at regular check-ins. Alongside your child's glasses prescription, it's the most direct way to see whether myopia is progressing or holding steady.
A corneal topographer maps the precise curvature of your child's cornea. It's what allows an OrthoK lens to be custom-designed for their eyes, and it's used again at fittings and reviews to check the lens is doing what it should.
Treatment options
Not every option for short-sightedness is aimed at slowing its progression. Some simply correct the vision your child has today. Here's how OrthoK compares to standard correction:
| Option | How it works | Worn |
|---|---|---|
| Orthokeratology (OrthoK) | Custom lenses reshape the cornea overnight. Vision is corrected the next day without daytime glasses or contacts, and progress is tracked as part of an ongoing myopia management program. | Overnight, while asleep |
| Standard glasses or daytime contact lenses | Corrects blurry distance vision, but isn't fitted with myopia progression in mind. | During the day |
Why early intervention matters
Short-sightedness typically continues to increase through childhood and the teenage years unless something is actively done to manage it. The earlier a myopia management program starts, and the more consistently axial length and prescription are tracked with OrthoK, the more opportunity there is to influence how much the eye changes over time. It's why regular check-ins matter as much as the initial OrthoK fitting.
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Ready to talk myopia management or OrthoK?
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