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Corneal Refractive
Therapy (CRT) What’s Corneal Refractive Therapy? Corneal
Refractive Therapy overnight contact lens or Orthokeratology (ortho-k) lens is a non-surgical,
non-invasive and reversible process which reshapes (flattens) the cornea of the eye using Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses to reduce short-sightedness and astigmatism. Flattening the cornea
reduces the focusing power of the eye. Since the amount of corneal flattening
can be accurately controlled, it is possible to bring the eye into correct
focus. After the contact lens is removed, the cornea retains its flattened
shape for part or all of the remainder of the day. A retainer lens must be used each night to maintain the corneal
flattening, or the eye will revert to the pre-treatment level. Who Is a Candidate? ·
Healthy eyes
with low degrees of myopia/shortsightedness
(up to -6 dioptres) and astigmatism. ·
People who
participate in sports (for
examples rugby, cycling and swimming), or who work in windy, dusty, dirty environments that can cause problems for
regular contact lenses. ·
Some
long term contact lens wearers develop
sensitivity to their lenses which results in reduced wearing time. ·
People
who are not eligible for LSIK
refractive surgery. ·
For children and adults with rapid progressing short-sightedness
(Myopia), CRT has been shown to slow
or retard myopic progression. This may result in a lower prescription, so the
child won't have to wear the thick lenses he might otherwise require by the
time he/she is a teenager. What Results Can You Expect from CRT? 93 percent of suitable
candidates achieved 20/32 vision or better, and 67 percent achieved 20/20 or
better occurs in few months. Few adjustments of the CRT lens may be required
to achieve this result. During this process, daily soft contact lenses can be
used until 100% corneal reshaping occurs. Most of the visual changes
occur rapidly in the first few days and stabilization procedures then follow
at a slower pace over the next few months. The program length varies between
3 and 6 months depending upon the degree of visual error. When the maximum results are
achieved, the final pair of lenses are worn to
stabilize the new corneal shape. The final wearing time depends on many
variables, but the treatment aim is to have good unaided vision all or most
waking hours, with Lenses being worn overnight. Some patients will be able to
wear their Lenses every other night. Does CRT hurt? CRT lenses are worn during
sleep and behind closed eyelids (i.e. no lid interaction with the lenses), hence most people have no comfort issues. Is CRT permanent? No, it is not.
Discontinuing lens wear allows your eyes (corneas) to gradually regress to
their original shape. The effect of CRT is reversible. Should You Have CRT Instead of LASIK?
CRT works best for people who don't want
to wear glasses or contact lenses all day, every day — but don't mind
wearing contact lenses at night, or occasionally during the day. If your primary goal is to be glasses- and
contacts-free during the day, then
CRT might be a good alternative for you. However, if you want to eliminate
the bother of contacts altogether, then CRT is not likely to satisfy you. CRT may be a good option if you suffer from dry eyes. It's been found that this condition is sometimes worsened by LASIK. Unlike LASIK, CRT is reversible. If you try CRT lenses and later
decide you want laser eye surgery instead, you can do that. The advantages of CRT are non-invasive,
reversible, does not hurt, affordable, slows down the progression of
short-sightedness, can be performed on people of any age.
Cost To find out
whether your eyes are suitable for CRT, please book an appointment with
Vicky, our NZ trained and registered optometrist and the authorized CRT
specialist. The cost of the
initial appointment will be $90. If you are a
suitable candidate, then the cost of the initial appointment will contribute
to the total cost of the treatment. If you are not a
suitable candidate, then we will discuss about other options of visual
corrections. The standard CRT
treatment includes ·
Initial visual
assessment and corneal contour measurements ·
Fitting and
instruction appointments (second and subsequent appointments) ·
4 to 6 morning
follow-up appointments ·
One pair of custom
designed CRT retainer contact lenses. The lenses will
usually last 1 - 2 years, depending on the mode of wear, condition of the
lens and also the type of lens material (few options available). The premium
lens material is highly permeable to oxygen and hence it provides the best
results in visual correction result and it also reduces the risks of eye
infection. The total cost of
CRT treatment starts from $1480 (standard lens material). When you ring us,
please tell the receptionist that you are booking an initial CRT appointment
which will take up to 60-90 minutes. Now you can enjoy
clear and comfortable vision with No need of Laser
Refractive surgery ! No more Glasses ! No more Dry eyes or
Allergy with Contact Lenses ! Eden Eye Optometrists info@edeneye.co.nz or Ph 09 3093900 We are proudly to be the
certified CRT treatment provider, so you can choose us with great confidence.
We are also members of the Orthokeratology society of To find out more about
CRT, please visit www.paragoncrt.com
and www.osa.net.au. ©2010 Eden Eye Optometrists |
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