Date: Thu 29-Jan-1998

Publication: Hea

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Eye-Bracing-Vision-Higgins

Full Text:

20/20 Vision Restored Through `Eye Bracing' Technique

(with cut)

NEW BRITAIN (AP) - The 43-year-old woman had experienced three post-surgical

refractive surgeries for reduced myopia (nearsightedness).

She was left with a distorted cornea. After it was reshaped and her eyesight

returned, her first word was "miraculous."

Another patient, a teenager on her high school swim team, had difficulty

seeing under water with her soft lenses, and had to remove them before diving.

She was fitted with retainer contact lenses for night wear.

While she slept, non-invasive changes shaped the surface of the cornea,

reducing its curvature, and restoring her original 20/20 vision.

Orthokeratology, also called "Ortho-K," is becoming an option for corrective

vision.

Though this procedure has been known among optometrists since 1962; its

popularity only began to rise when recent breakthrough technology made it

safer and faster.

The science of gently reshaping the cornea by using specially designed contact

lenses, orthokeratology is becoming the non-surgical alternative to refractive

surgery, glasses or contact lenses.

The concept is similar to orthodontics (braces); however, this brace is for a

person's eyes.

The cornea is the first refractive element of the eye and its shape is

responsible for up to 80 percent of the refractive power of the eye.

Dr Donald J. Higgins, a Plainville optometrist, has practiced optometry with

his brother David for 16 years. A specialist in advanced contact lens design,

Higgins is one of three doctors in the state believed to be practicing

Ortho-K. The other two are Dr. Robert Bauman of Waterbury and Dr Donald Teig

of Ridgefield.

Dr Higgins has studied with Dr Newton Wesley of Chicago, considered by some to

be the father of modern day contact lenses.

"I've always been a contact lens specialist, but when I saw the (case study)

results that's when I became a believer," says Dr Higgins of his work with

Wesley on Ortho-K.

The procedure begins by creating a detailed corneal map. The optometrist does

this on a specially designed computerized imaging system that captures the

shape of the eye.

The computer then analyzes the information and matches it to the patient's

refractive error.

"We then determine the changes needed to be made to the shape of your eyes so

you can see without the aid of glasses or contact lenses," says Dr Higgins.

While the patient sleeps, specially designed rigid gas-permeable lenses gently

reshape the patient's cornea. These retainer lens maintain the required cornea

shape and the patient wakes to clear vision.

During this one- to seven-day transition period, only a few patients have to

wear their glasses. Some patients only need to wear lenses every third night.

Ortho-K is not a panacea. It won't work, for example, with people whose eyes

have sustained deep and internal injuries.

Orthokeratology, however, is thought to slow the progression of myopia,

especially with children.

"And in some instances," says Dr Higgins, "we can halt the process."

Dr Bauman & Associates, with offices in Waterbury, Cheshire and Torrington

have treated approximately 150 patients and claim a 93 percent success rate.

Dr Bauman, who is also enthusiastic about the procedure, says that while not a

lot of people in Connecticut know about Ortho-K now, they will.

"The technology is evolving almost daily," he says. He intends to inform more

of his patients about this option.

Ortho-K is better known West of the Mississippi where much of the research has

taken place and more members of optometry association live.

As eye patients learn about its benefits, Ortho-K is becoming an even more

logical option to invasive surgery, eye glasses and regular contact lens.

"What I like about this procedure is the fact that it's reversible if you

decide it's not for you. With surgery, if you're unhappy with the results,

you're often stuck with them. If you're unhappy with Ortho-K, you can stop

wearing contact lens and we can guide your vision back to where it was

originally," says Dr Higgins.

Dr Higgins wore retainer lens himself to test their comfort and was impressed.

Their high oxygen transmissibility allows one's eyes to breathe.

Dr Higgins was recently awarded the title of Fellow of the International

Orthokeratology Section of the National Eye Research Foundation and is taking

part in a ten-doctor FDA study on the safety and efficacy of orthokeratology.

The study is sponsored by Euclid, a Florida contact lens company. Dr Higgins

is looking for specific information that can be standardized, such as patient

follow-up procedures, and he is recording patient comments.

So far, typical remarks have been "this (procedure) is unbelievable" and "I

can't wait to tell my friends about it."

In addition to learning about procedure details optometrists were, he said,

interested in learning about the cost of the procedure.

Treatment can run anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 for both eyes, depending on

the difficulty of the case. This is half the cost of refractive surgery. The

optometrist's fee includes unlimited office visits.

"Ortho-K is going to become widely accepted and popular," Dr Higgins says. "I

believe I'm sitting on the crest wave that's only going to get bigger.