ORTHO-K FOR ATHLETES
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Ortho-K, a Little Known Contact Lens Alternative for Athletes
Imagine the frustration of an athlete who can’t see clearly when glasses break or contacts slip out mid game.
There is a nonsurgical solution that lets you ditch glasses and contacts altogether while still enjoying crisp vision all day. Orthokeratology, known as ortho k, uses specially designed overnight lenses to gently reshape your cornea as you sleep so you wake up seeing sharply without any eyewear.
If you want reliable, clear vision from morning to night, get in touch with the Myopia Management Center at Atkinson Eye Care. We provide a thorough eye exam and custom ortho k fitting to keep your vision at its best on and off the field.
What Is Orthokeratology?
Orthokeratology, also called corneal reshaping therapy or CRT, offers a safe, reversible alternative to surgery for correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. It relies on a custom-designed rigid gas-permeable lens that matches the curve of your cornea, the eye’s front surface. You wear the lens overnight and, as you sleep, it gently molds the cornea into the ideal shape. When you remove the lens each morning, your vision stays clear all day without glasses or contacts. By late evening, the cornea naturally returns to its original curve, so there is no permanent change.
Why Athletes With Myopia Should Look for Alternatives
Myopia can put athletes at a real disadvantage. Glasses often get in the way by slipping on your face, fogging up when you sweat, or blocking your peripheral vision. Contacts may seem like a better choice but they too can shift out of place or dry out, causing intermittent blurriness. Outdoor sports also bring challenges such as sand or sweat irritating your eyes.
Orthokeratology offers a true alternative. With ortho k you wear custom overnight lenses that gently reshape your cornea as you sleep giving you clear comfortable and stable vision all day long without glasses or contacts. For a young athlete seeking peak performance on the field ortho k could be the perfect solution:
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No slipping straps or fogged lenses that block side vision
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Consistent clarity without lenses shifting or drying out
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Protection from environmental irritants such as sand sweat or dust
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Increased confidence and focus so you can play at your best
How Can Athletes Benefit From Ortho-K?
For the first time, athletes of any age can enjoy perfect vision without surgery or reliance on glasses or contact lenses. Ortho-k delivers all of these advantages:
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Clear sharp stable vision from morning until night
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No more worries about glasses or contacts shifting knocked off broken or lost
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Fewer distractions from fluctuating sight sand in your eyes or other sources of discomfort
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Freedom from carrying spare contacts glasses or solution
Contact the Myopia Management Center at Atkinson Eye Care to learn more about how Ortho-k can elevate your game.
Why Should Athletes Start Ortho-K During Childhood?
Ortho-k is also a proven way to control nearsightedness in children by slowing its progression and preventing the prescription from rising. When kids and teens wear Ortho-k lenses, they often end up with a lower degree of myopia as adults. That matters because severe nearsightedness raises the risk of serious eye conditions later on, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and retinal detachment.
Advantages of Ortho-K Over Regular Contact Lenses
Contact lenses can be a solid option for many sports but they often cause problems during extended play. Athletes who focus intensely tend to blink less and lenses dry out, leading to fluctuating or foggy vision. Impacts, sudden movements or water can shift lenses out of place and worsen focus. Allergy sufferers may find contacts trap irritants, making eyes feel itchy dry and gritty.
Common contact lens challenges in sports
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Reduced blinking in sports such as baseball or tennis causes lenses to dry and vision to blur
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High impact activities like football martial arts or hockey can knock lenses off center
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Quick head turns or water exposure may displace lenses and disrupt focus
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Allergy symptoms become worse when contacts trap pollen sweat or dust against the eye
Orthokeratology removes these obstacles and delivers clear stable vision all day without daytime lenses.
Advantages of Ortho-K Over LASIK Surgery
Many adult athletes turn to surgical options such as LASIK to correct astigmatism myopia and hyperopia. Surgery always carries risk. Possible complications include:
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sensitivity to light
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glare
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irregular astigmatism
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chronic dry eye
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delayed corneal healing
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corneal thinning that can lead to permanent vision changes
Any of these issues can undermine athletic performance and in severe cases bring a sports career to an end.
Additional considerations for young athletes:
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LASIK is generally not performed until age twenty one because the eye is still developing before then
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Early athletic training relies on clear reliable vision for skill development and safety
Orthokeratology offers an excellent alternative. It delivers clear comfortable and stable vision all day without surgery and lets athletes perform at their best from morning through night.
How Can You Obtain Ortho-K Lenses?
An optometrist who specializes in myopia management can fit and monitor ortho k lenses. At the Myopia Management Center at Atkinson Eye Care we:
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Perform a comprehensive eye exam tailored for athletes
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Capture a detailed topographic map of your cornea with advanced imaging equipment
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Design and order custom ortho k lenses based on your unique corneal shape
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Provide hands-on training for proper lens insertion removal and cleaning
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Schedule regular follow-up visits to track your vision and corneal health
Don’t let glasses or daytime contacts hold you back on the field or court. If you or your child need clear comfortable vision without eyewear during play, contact our team at Myopia Management Center at Atkinson Eye Care to book your ortho k consultation today.
We serve athletes and families from Algonquin Chicagoland the Northwest Suburbs Rockford and across Illinois.
MEET OUR EYE CARE TEAM
With over 30 years of experience, our doctors and staff partner correct treatments with personable care.
Atkinson Eye Care provides innovative eye care services to patients from in and around Algonquin. We offer comprehensive eye health assessments, ocular disease diagnosis and treatment, contact lens evaluation and fitting, and prescriptions.
The team at Atkinson Eye Care aims to provide the best possible solution for the patient's eye health and vision needs. By utilizing the latest technologies and evidence-based treatments, we can ensure that each patient maintains optimal eye health. We welcome new patients and accept most major forms of insurance.
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