Laser Vision Correction Faces Competition From Implantable And Orthok Corrective Contact Lenses

Laser vision correction has traditionally been regarded as the only way of achieving clear, natural daytime vision without the need for glasses or conventional contact lenses. Now alternative treatments are becoming widely available which offer a way of achieving the same outcome but without the need for laser surgery. For short-sighted people with a low to medium prescription, orthok corrective contact lenses which are worn only while sleeping then removed each morning enable wearers to enjoy the same daytime benefits as those who have had laser treatment but without surgery. Orthok is also fully reversible – if the wearer stops using the special corrective contact lenses then their eyesight quickly returns to the original prescription.

For long-sighted people and especially those who also suffer with astigmatism, one of the latest developments in vision correction is that of an implantable contact lens designed specifically for each patient. The operation takes about ten minutes, once the patient’s pupil is dilated. Working under a microscope, the special lens is folded up, injected into a 3mm incision where the cornea joins the white of the eye and unfurls in the space in front of the lens. The lens is then manoeuvred into position to complete the procedure and the tiny incision closes naturally. Recovery is usually fast and painless, so people can go to work and drive after only one day.

Whilst laser vision correction has become an established treatment in the UK with some 100,000 procedures typically completed every year, many people who are short-sighted or long-sighted choose not to undertake the treatment due to an apprehension that something may go wrong. This reflects the evidence from many surveys that of all the senses people value their sight the most. Hence the emergence of new alternative treatments such as implantable and orthok corrective contact lenses provides a way for people with such vision problems to be able to experience the freedom of natural daytime vision without requiring laser treatment.