Innovative Vision's well equipped Edinburgh city centre optometry and contact lens practice offers excellence in eyecare, and a number of innovative treatments and services.

You can find out more about some of the specialised services offered below.

Why would I want to have Ortho-K treatment instead of laser surgery?

Have a look at the table below to compare at glance the advantages of having Ortho-K treatment instead of Laser Vision Correction.

• Laser Vision Correction eliminates the outer part of the cornea and once this is performed, it is an irreversible process. Ortho-K only displaces the tissue, which will return to its original position if the use of lenses is discontinued.
  
  
• Ortho-K does not hurt, whilst patients who have surgery often report post-treatment pain.

• Ortho-K does not leave the hazy vision often experienced by patients following laser surgery.

• Unlike surgery, Ortho-K causes no loss of Bowman's membrane (the tough protective layer just under the corneal surface).

• Surgery is not an option for children or people whose vision is changing. Ortho-K allows the practitioner to deal with changes in prescription at any time.

• Surgery does not stop the progression of myopia in children or adults. Ortho-K has been documented to have a stabilising and delaying effect on the progression of the myopia, which makes Ortho-K particularly suitable for children with rapidly-progressing myopia.

About Orthokeratology

ORTHOKERATOLOGY consists in the reduction, variation or even elimination of myopia. Contact lenses for ORTHOKERATOLOGY (abbreviated sometimes in ORTHO-K and known as well as Corneal Refractive Therapy) produce a variable reduction of short-sightedness (myopia) through a reshaping program of the cornea. The fitting of these custom made contact lenses is planned in order to modify the corneal profile in a predictable way.

When the ORTHOKERATOLOGY contact lens is on the eye, your vision is as clear as though you were using conventional contact lenses. After the ORTHOKERATOLOGY contact lens is removed, the cornea maintains its modified shape for a variable period of time and your vision is still clear, even without ORTHOKERATOLOGY contact lenses.

Initially, the clear vision without these contact lenses is of short duration, but then it tends to normalise as the reshaping program progresses. Following a few days of treatment, the clear vision without any contact lenses tends to last for the entire day. ORTHOKERATOLOGY, especially if practiced through a “night program”, where you make the lenses reshape the cornea whilst you sleep, could allow significant lifestyle changes for selected patients.

ORTHOKERATOLOGY is a non-surgical, FDA-approved and fully-reversible treatment of myopia which may mean freedom from spectacles and contact lenses for the practice of sports, at work and for your leisure time.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about ORTHO-K

What is Ortho-K and how does it work?
Orthokeratology can be defined as “the reduction, modification or elimination of a refractive error by the programmed fitting of contact lenses” (Kerns, 1976).

Nowadays, orthokeratology, especially if carried out with lenses that are worn overnight, can allow consistent changes in the lifestyles of selected myopic patients. Freedom from optical aids for sports, professional activities, hobbies or just for your day-to-day life is the key reason that prompts patients to choose this non-surgical treatment. 

ESAlens Ortho-6® contact lenses for orthokeratology induce a temporary reduction of myopia by changing the shape of the cornea, which has a certain degree of plasticity. Flattening the cornea reduces the focusing power of the eye, and if the amount of corneal flattening is properly controlled, it is possible to bring the eye into correct focus to compensate the myopia. To maintain the level of vision achieved you only need to wear your Ortho-K lenses overnight, in accordance with the treatment plan.

Why have I never heard about Ortho-K before?
The practice of Ortho-K requires specific skills, costly equipment and a considerable amount of chair time. Many opticians do not consider Ortho-K worth the time and effort. Also, if an optician is not skilled in or aware of Ortho-K, they will not suggest it as an option for your sight correction.

Why should I choose Innovative Vision for my Ortho-K treatment?
The Innovative Vision practice was set up with the precise intention of delivering excellence in Ortho-K services. Whilst you may find that other opticians will sell you lenses for Ortho-K, at Innovative Vision you will be offered full Ortho-K treatment. We take the practice of Ortho-K very seriously and believe that it deserves more than just the small,  dark back room of a high street optician. We operate an unrestricted consultation time as standard. By operating from an office building in the centre of Edinburgh, as opposed to a high street outlet, we offer personalised eye care at all times. At present we are the only practice in Scotland to treat up to -7.00 of myopia and the only practice in the whole of the UK to treat patients using the revolutionary ESAlens Ortho-6® contact lens.

I have heard that -4.00 is the upper limit currently offered by other opticians. How can you treat up to -7.00?
Nearly all opticians in the UK who offer Ortho-K work with a central laboratory, where all the relevant information is sent to design the patient’s lenses. As a result, the lenses are “remotely” fitted on simulated or reproduced patient’s eyes. This means that is actually the central laboratory in control of the fitting rather than the opticians themselves. In fact, should the lenses fail to work twice, the central laboratory arbitrarily stops sending more lenses and you are deemed unsuitable for Ortho-K. At Innovative Vision, the fitting takes place using an Ortho-K trial contact lens set. Working with an Ortho-K trial set is critical for achieving both the best treatment accuracy and outcome. Treating a -7.00 is not impossible, merely more challenging. These challenges can only be addressed by using a proper trial set where all lens parameters can be controlled and customised in order to achieve a predictable result. At Innovative Visio, we often successfully treat patients who were classed as ”unsuitable“ for Ortho-K by other opticians.

The revolutionary ESAlens Ortho-6®
ESAlens Ortho-6® contact lens for orthokeratology is a rigid gas-permeable lens with a third generation hexa-curve reverse geometry design. It is made from a highly oxygen-permeable material, and it is specifically validated for overnight corneal moulding. ESAlens Ortho-6® is fitted from a trial set through a computer-guided trial and error process. Unlike the majority of other Ortho-K systems, all ESAlens Ortho-6® contact lens parameters can be changed until the desired results are achieved.

What are the costs involved with an Ortho-K treatment?
The fitting of ESAlens Ortho-6® requires a specialised service and therefore the fee structure follows scalable criteria that depend on your specific requirements. This will be discussed with you at the time of your initial consultation. However, we are able to determine the price of your treatment according to the amount of prescription that we want to correct. An initial £45 consultation fee is paid on the day of examination.

Note: Fees and conditions may change according to current practice promotions
and availability.

What do the fees cover?
You pay an up-front charge which varies from £200 to £620, depending on the amount of myopia (target power) we want to correct (as explained in the table above). This fee covers any contact lenses you may need to achieve the final result of your treatment. Thereafter, an ongoing monthly payment of £18 will be arranged (normally when you are about to be brought to your treatment regime). This is a minimum 12-month contract. This monthly fee covers:

• Your routine contact lens check-ups (normally every 6-8 months) and lens replacement (normally every 12-18 months);
  
• Unlimited free access to practice services such as sight tests and non-routine contact lens aftercare;

Lost, broken or spare lenses are charged at a flat-rate fee of £90 each.

What happens if I decide not to proceed with the treatment?
All our Ortho-K patients benefit from a 6-week cooling-off period where they are given the chance to stop the treatment for any reason and be entitled to a 30% refund of the up-front payment. The initial consultation fee and any monthly payments already made are non-refundable.

What should I expect when I book my consultation for Ortho-K treatment?

Read the published testimonial given by Julia Horton!

 EYE FOR DETAIL: Julia takes the Ortho-K plunge to beat her short sightedness.
Picture: ESME ALLEN

“I first started wearing glasses, and later contact lenses, about four years ago after developing short sight. I have a very mild prescription of -1.25 in each eye, which makes me an ideal candidate for Ortho-K because the lenses will not need to change my eye shape too much…

…At my first appointment Paolo begins with a standard eye test before taking photographs of my eyes with a digital camera attached to a microscope. He also uses a topographer machine to take an image of my eye showing the shape of my cornea…

…Next I wear the lenses for a half-hour trial. They feel uncomfortable, a bit like having grit in your eye, and cause my eyes to weep. But they are not designed for use with your eyes open and the discomfort fades in a few minutes…

…When I take them out I'm amazed by the effect. I feel as though I can see perfectly. Another sight test confirms that my right eye has 20:20 vision, with my left much improved…

…The next stage is to try them overnight and come back the following day with them in so that Paolo can assess their effect…

…Back at Innovative Vision, the tests show my eyes are still perfectly healthy and my vision "better than 20:20" in both.

…Being able to see perfectly almost all day unaided is fantastic. Because of my low prescription if I continue with the lenses I am likely to be able to get away with wearing them just a couple of nights a week to enjoy perfect vision every day”.

Read the article in full!

What do I do in the period of time between when I start the treatment and when I achieve my target power?
It is important to understand that for a time after you have begun the treatment but before sufficient treatment is achieved, your existing glasses will no longer give you clear vision. You will receive advice and offered bridging options for visual correction during that period of time.

How long does it take to reach good vision?
Most patients have rapid improvement in the first few days of treatment and have achieved nearly their optimum vision in 10 to 14 days. However, most of the final outcome will depend on the starting prescription and on the target power to be achieved. A small percentage of patients may not improve enough to function under all conditions without additional correction.

Can I see with my Ortho-K lenses in?
Yes.  One of the great features of the ESAlens Ortho-6® is that if you have to get up in the middle of the night, you will be able to see where you are going.  Or, if during the initial treatment phase, you find you need some form of vision correction, you can put in your EsaLens Ortho-6 lenses and see clearly.

Is the procedure safe?
There is always a small risk involved when any contact lens is worn. However, it is not expected that Ortho-K lenses will pose any risk greater than other rigid gas-permeable contact lenses. Other side effects that sometimes occur in all contact lens wearers are pain, redness, tearing, irritation, discharge, abrasion of the eye or distortion of vision. These are usually temporary conditions if the contact lenses are removed promptly and professional advice is sought.
The occurrence of these side effects can be minimised or eliminated completely if proper lens care is exercised and routine aftercare appointments are kept.

Is the treatment ever painful?
No. ESAlens Ortho-6® lenses are designed to be worn whilst you sleep therefore you will not feel anything.

Is there any age limit for patients wishing to undertake the treatment?
No. ESAlens Ortho-6® is suitable for patients of any age. Ortho-K possibly represents the ideal option for teenagers who are just becoming myopic, since the procedure appears to stabilise or delay the condition’s progression.

I suffer from “dry eyes” when I use my daily contact lenses. Am I a candidate for Ortho-K?
Many patients who experience dryness with their daily lenses often find relief with ESAlens Ortho-6®.  Since you only wear the lenses while sleeping, the closed eye state minimises evaporative tear loss and can give dry-eye patients suitable vision, avoiding the discomfort normally experienced while wearing contact lenses during the day.

Any more questions?
Book a free initial consultation to discuss the treatment with Paolo and receive an information pack on Ortho-K.