Innovative eye treatment helps short-sighted Hastings sports coach

Louis Bradbury is using a novel overnight treatment to sleep off his short-sightedness, called Ortho-k, which leaves him free of glasses and contact lenses all day.

The 26-year-old coach, who is quite short-sighted and an astigmatism, used to wear daily disposable contact lenses, but had problems with them drying out.

“Being out in the open air all day was quite a problem as the lenses tended to dry out,” he said.

“My optician Wilson Wilson and Hancock in Hastings suggested I tried Ortho-k, and I have never looked back: this overnight vision correction is brilliant.

“It has been a massive improvement for me.”

Louis’ optometrist, Paul McDonald, is increasingly offering this specialised form of vision correction to patients aged from 10 to 65, as there is now clear research data showing other benefits.

“Our patients can’t quite believe that Ortho-k can achieve this degree of vision correction as you sleep, until they try it,” he said.

“Apart from the benefits for sporting people, the other great advantage is the fact that a number of international studies are now showing something that we have believed for a long time: that Ortho-k reduces the rate at which children develop myopia.

“This is particularly valuable in very myopic families.

“The system of gently adjusting the cornea as you sleep works in much the same way as braces on children’s teeth, and this is the best means we have currently for helping to limit the degree of myopia developing.”

Following detailed topographical maps of each cornea, taken by the optometrist, individual tailor-made lenses are produced for each eye.

Moving the cornea by less than a hair’s width, the Ortho-k lenses are made in a specialist contact lens laboratory in Hastings.

“The technology behind Ortho-k means that is a reliable and consistent form of vision correction which we are increasingly offering to patients of all ages,” added Paul.

Find out more by visiting www.orthoklenses.com.

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