After 1.5 Years on Ortho-K, did Ayd's Myopia Stabilise?

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Ever since Ayd started on his Ortho-K journey last year, some of my readers have been emailing me to ask about his progress so far. It has been about 1.5 years since Ayd started on the treatment and one year since my last post, so I figured that an update was due.

In case you do not know what is Orthokeratology - or Ortho-K for short - it is a non-surgical, reversible process that uses therapeutic lenses to shape the cornea while the patient sleeps. Ortho-K lenses function as "orthodontics for the eye" - something like braces, but for the the eye - and provide clear vision without the use of contact lenses or glasses in the day.

Which means that all Ayd needed to do is to wear specially-designed cornea moulds, which look like hard lenses, to sleep every night. The lenses reshape the corneas and by the time he removes them in the morning, he/she can see clearly without glasses.

You can read more about Ayd's initial experience (and struggles) HERE and head back here after that.

Done? Good.

I have to admit that the treatment is not without struggles initially but with a little bit of patience, the benefits one can gain from it can be tremendous. Because since then, putting on the lenses before sleep is like second nature to Ayd. And he absolutely adores  the freedom that comes with him being spectacle-free!

Throughout the past year, Ayd has been regularly going back to Titus Wu at Titus Eye Care (TEC) every three months for check-ups. An Optometrist and Orthokeratologist,Titus is currently one of only two accredited Fellows of the International Academy of Ortho-K in Singapore while his clinic is also the first in Singapore to sub-specialize in Ortho-K for children and adults.

Ayd commenced on his Ortho-K treatment program when a 0.4mm increase in eye ball length over 1 year was detected. Although kids' eyes are supposed to grow, they should be growing at a healthy rate of approximately 0.1mm to 0.15mm per year. Anything more than that means that there is an increase in the myopia.

Titus performed checks on Ayd's eye balls during every visit, he was happy to report that since Ayd started Ortho-K, his right eye ball did not grow while his left eye ball only grew 0.08mm. Well within normal limits!

This clearly shows that Ortho-K has helped to stabilize the rapid growth of his eye balls and effectively controlled his myopia after 1.5 years. Ayd had myopia of 200 degrees when he first started. I shudder to imagine what his myopia degree would be if he had not started Ortho-K... maybe close to 400 degrees!

NOTE: Ortho-K is NOT permanent which means the myopia comes back if you do not put on the lenses at night. That said, it is effective in controlling myopia because this means that Ayd's myopia is still at 200 degrees instead of spiraling out of control.

Fortunately, Ayd is doing excellent in the treatment program as Titus puts it. Ayd is able to maintain perfect vision all day without spectacles and his molds (aka lenses) are still fitting him well as seen from the centred treatment zone in the topography image.

Right Eye

Left Eye

More importantly, his eyes remain healthy as his cornea pictures show.

If you wish to find out more about Ortho-K and whether it is suitable for your child (actually, even adults can go on the treatment too!), my advice is to just talk to Titus first. He will assess your child and as I have mentioned in my previous post, he is one of the most patient and knowledgeable optometrist I have ever met... because that is extremely important when it comes to coaxing and teaching kids how to put on the lenses correctly.

How much does the process cost?

The Ortho-K treatment starts from $2010 (Net Amount), with costs varying depending on the level of myopia. It includes:

- Initial Ortho-K evaluation, fitting and consultation

- ALL mold changes by the Orthokeratologist for the first 6 months to attain a perfect fit

- Two individual corneal molds

- All follow-up care for the first year

- All solutions for the first time

- All topography testing

Lenses have to be replaced after every 1.5 to 2 years.

Do fix an appointment with Titus if you are keen to find out more.

For me, I am extremely happy that Ortho-K had manage to retard Ayd's myopia progression and seeing how he enjoys his clear vision when swimming and snorkeling, I think he will agree with me.

Useful Information

Titus Eye Care

Address: 10 Jalan Serene Serene Centre, #02-15 Singapore 258748

Tel: +65 6467 6338

Opening hours:

Mondays to Fridays – 9:30 am to 6:00 pm

Wednesdays – 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Saturdays – 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Sundays and Public Holidays – Closed

Lunch hour – 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

Website: tituseyecare.com