Orthokeratology, also referred to as ortho-k, is a noninvasive and nonsurgical process, during which specially designed contacts are fitted to a patient. This process temporarily reshapes the cornea to improve vision. It is often compared to dental braces, which are used to reshape teeth much as ortho-k is used to reshape the cornea. While these improvements to your vision are reversible, they can be maintained as long as you wear the contacts as directed.
Ortho-k is primarily used to improve myopia: i.e., near-sightedness. Other methods of correcting myopia include wearing eyeglasses, regular contact lenses, laser eye surgery (also known as LASIK), or photorefractive keratectomy (also known as PRK).
Since both LASIK and PRK are surgical methods, some patients prefer to forgo those procedures and instead undergo nonsurgical corrections such as ortho-k. This process allows patients freedom from wearing their glasses and contact lenses all the time without having to have surgery.
Since there is no orthokeratology age limit, sometimes, ortho-k is suggested to improve a child’s vision. Since vision continues to change into early adulthood for some children, surgical procedures such as LASIK and PRK are not recommended for children.
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Source: What Is Orthokeratology?
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