Corneal Reshaping (CR)
Non-Surgical Vision Correction
Testimonies
| Background Corneal Reshaping (CR), is a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that is safe, effective, completely reversible and indefinitely "tunable," as vision changes. A specially designed hyper-oxygen permeable contact lens is used to gently reshape the front surface of the eye (the cornea) to correct myopia (nearsightedness) and mild astigmatism. CR has been called "braces for the eyes." Compared to LASIK surgery, there is no cutting of the corneal cap, no severing of the corneal nerves that are critically needed to maintain normal corneal physiology, and no lasing away of corneal tissue that thins and weakens the corneal structure. |
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The concept of CR has been around for many years (formally referred to as, "orthokeratology," and has evolved into an exact science. Recent technological advances in lens designs, materials and manufacturing have immensely improved the effectiveness and hence the popularity of the procedure. The procedure now allows the patient to wear the lenses overnight only, and remove them in the morning. This may correct their vision for up to several days without needing contact lenses or glasses at all! Initially, it can take as little as one to three days to correct a patient's vision and the ongoing wearing maintenance schedule may be as little as every other night.
Are You a Candidate?
There are limitations to CR, so not everyone can benefit from the
procedure. Good candidates are those who have a nearsighted spectacle
prescription of up to -4.00 diopters with up to -1.50 diopters of astigmatism.
There are many documented cases that have been successful with much higher
amounts of nearsightedness. Once we perform a full comprehensive exam, we can let you know if you are a candidate.
Recently, profound evidence has and is being accumulated from scientific studies
showing that intervening with corneal reshaping may be the most effective
process that halts the progression of myopia. Bear in mind that there is
no age limit for corneal reshaping so fitting a youngster 10 or 11 years old or
younger may be their only chance for not becoming significantly nearsighted.
| The Procedure At SVC, we use state-of-the-art instruments and computers to take several measurements to calculate the precise design of CR lens you need. First, we perform a complete examination to determine your spectacle prescriptions, to assess the health of your eyes, and to determine if you are a good candidate for CR. Assuming you are a candidate, we proceed by using a Keratron Corneal Topographer (see picture at right), which measures tens of thousands of data points to map the topographic curvature of the cornea for a baseline starting point. |
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We also take a second set of corneal readings using an Auto-Keratometer which takes the curvature measurement using infrared light. This digital curvature data, as well as your spectacle prescription, are then input into a software program written by Dr. Berke which analyzes the data, and designs the optimum, one eye-one-lens contact lens. The information can then be directly uploaded to the lathe which produces your tailor-made lenses. If you have never worn contact lenses before, we will train you to insert, remove, and care for the lenses. We will start you on a wearing schedule based on your specific correction and then schedule you for regular follow-ups to assess your vision improvement with and without lenses. Once we have achieved our goal in correcting your vision, we will determine an appropriate wearing schedule which will maintain that desired vision. For example, depending on your initial prescription, you may only be required to wear your lenses through the night to maintain your vision throughout the day. Or, you may be able to maintain your corrected vision for days without wearing lenses.
Cost
Cost varies from $1500 to $2500 for both eyes depending on the number of
follow-ups and the number of lenses required. We will inform you of
exactly what your individual cost will be after your comprehensive exam.
Schedule an Appointment
If you are interested in this procedure and would like a free consultation with
Dr. Berke, please call our
office at 714-979-2021.
