Can't Have LASIK? CRT Lenses May Be Your Answer

Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind

If you're like me, you've been wearing glasses and/or contact lenses for nearsightedness for many, many years to see even the slightest distance from your face. When you roll out of bed, the first thing you grab is a pair of vision correctors just to use the bathroom, see yourself in the mirror, even to make sure you're wearing matching shoes!

As someone who's never had any type of surgical procedure done before, the idea of eye surgery made me very apprehensive about the ever-popular Lasik procedure. I was also skeptical of its effectiveness since I knew of a woman at work who'd had LASIK but still needed to wear her glasses occasionally. Still, I was convinced that this would be the only way to be free of my hereditary and binding vision problems. So I made an appointment and paid $90.00 for a consultation at a clinic that specializes in this procedure to see if there was any way I could finally be rid of the effects of my nearsightedness and astigmatism. To my chagrin, I was told that I could not have the procedure done because the examination revealed that my corneas are too thin to create the LASIK 'flap' for successful vision correction.

"It's genetic," the doctor said. "There's nothing you could have done to cause it and nothing that could have prevented this."

She then informed me of another procedure their clinic could perform called surface ablation that still involves a surgical procedure but, instead of creating a flap on the surface of the cornea, a layer of cells called the epithelium is removed from the cornea for the same effect. The doctor further explained that this process would require recovery time between each surgery as each eye must be done separately--unlike LASIK. I didn't feel completely defeated until she warned me that both LASIK and surface ablation could very likely increase my risk of developing a condition that would cause my vision to gradually deteriorate anyway. I left the clinic resigned to wearing my glasses or contacts every day--forever.

Shortly after this consultation, I went to visit my regular eye doctor for a routine eye exam and recounted my experience at the other clinic and what I was told about LASIK. He proceeded to give me information about orthokeratology, or corneal refractive therapy (CRT) lenses. The only information I really retained was that they are lenses to be worn while sleeping for vision correction. I took the pamphlet, but didn't even bother reading it. I thought very little about it over the next year.

Just recently, however, I visted my eye doctor for another eye exam and he reminded me about Paragon CRT lenses. This time, I inquired more about them. My doctor assured me that this corneal molding procedure requires no surgery whatsoever and is completely reversible. After careful measurements were taken that included topography of the surface of each cornea and the levels of dryness in my eyes, he fitted me with the appropriate prescription hard (gas permeable) lenses that, when worn at night while I slept, would temporarily reshape the surface of my corneas. It seemed too good to be true, but I decided to give it a go.

For about the same price as LASIK, I was given a pair of Paragon CRT lenses to wear that night. My doctor also gave me contact solution, preservative-free eye drops to put into each eye before inserting my CRT lenses. Also, since it is typical that crystal clear vision is not experienced until after the first week or so, I was given about 10 pairs of soft daily wear contact lenses with weaker prescriptions than my usual ones. When I asked, my doctor also gave me increased confidence in this new vision correction method as Paragon CRT is FDA approved.

Trial and Error

I wore the CRT lenses to bed the first night for exactly 8 hours and was instructed to return to my eye doctor for a follow-up the next day with the lenses still in. When I removed the lenses in the office, I could make out signs 100 ft. away from me across the lobby! It was immediately noticeable how much my vision had improved overnight. I didn't even need to wear the daily disposable lenses the next day to work and had very clear vision for about 7 hours. In the early evening hours, I noticed my vision getting a little blurry and had a pair of daily lenses handy. I popped those in for the drive home just to be safe.

For the next few weeks, I wore my CRT lenses every night and returned to my eye doctor several times by his request to check the progression. He told me that I would possibly see 'halos' around lights at night, but that this would eventually decrease over the first month or so. In the third week, I noticed that I was seeing clearly at a distance, but reading was difficult. During my next visit to the eye doctor, he assessed that my vision was slightly over-corrected and caused a little farsightedness so he gave me another lens for my left eye with a slightly weaker prescription. Since then, I have been seeing perfectly if I wear my CRT lenses every night or every other night. My doctor assured me that one pair of lenses should last for at least 1 year and has already given me another pair to replace them for no additional cost.

Of course, CRT lens wearers will likely have different experiences, but I've experienced the following:
1) If I wear my lenses for less than 6-8 hours each night, there is a marked difference in how well I'll be able to see the next day; 2) I have not gone more than 2 consecutive nights without wearing my CRT lenses since I started wearing them, but when I tried my old glasses, they were still too strong!; 3) if I have not cleaned my lenses thoroughly or if I have not filled the contact lens case with enough solution to cover the lenses, they will burn when I re-insert them; 4) the discomfort I feel while wearing the lenses at night feels similar to having dust particles in my eyes or if I were to insert my soft contact lenses inside out (i.e., the lens appears to have a ridge near the edge when it's on the top of my finger; more like a mushroom shape than a dome); 5) the halos I was seeing at night have definitely diminished over the past month; and 6) there is absolutely NO irritation or increased dryness when I remove my CRT lenses each morning.

Now, because of what I consider the miracle of Paragon CRT lenses, I no longer have reservations about wearing eye makeup! I don't dread going swimming because I won't be able to see when I remove my glasses or because I cannot get water in my eyes while wearing soft contact lenses. It's also great to be able to put on my sunglasses on any sunny day and not only if I was able to wear my soft lenses without irritation or dryness on a particular day.

Take a look at the FAQ section at www.paragonCRT.com for more information. You will find answers to questions here about the strongest prescription that CRT lenses can correct, whether you can see at night while you're wearing the lenses, if your vision will return to normal if you choose to stop CRT, and more.

Paragon CRT lenses may not be a desirable solution for everyone, but for me they are a godsend. I'm going to put them in right now!

(Visit the following site for more information about CRT and other types of vision correction methods: http://www.surevision.com/index.cfm)