Ortho-K for Athletes
Ortho-K for athletes: see clearly all game, with nothing in your eyes.
Glasses fog on a cold morning, slide on sweat, and break on contact. Daytime contacts dry out by the third quarter, fall out at the worst possible moment, and don't mix with pool water. Ortho-k takes the equipment problem off the field entirely.
You wear a custom lens only while you sleep, take it out in the morning, and compete all day with clear, unaided vision and nothing in your eyes.
Why athletes love it.
Five reasons ortho-k works for sports where glasses and daytime contacts get in the way:
Which athletes it fits best.
Ortho-k is a strong fit for:
It's also ideal for young athletes whose nearsightedness is still progressing, because ortho-k slows that progression while it corrects vision.
How it works for your schedule.
You put the lenses in at bedtime and take them out when you wake up. That means your eyes are corrected and lens-free during every practice, game, and meet, no matter the time of day. Travel, early meets, late games, and water all stop being a vision problem. If you stop for a season, your eyes simply return to their normal shape.
Young athletes and myopia.
For a school-age athlete whose prescription climbs every year, ortho-k does double duty: glasses-free performance now, and slowing the progression of nearsightedness for the long run. That second part matters, because higher myopia raises the lifetime risk of serious eye problems. Many of our ortho-k families start for the sports freedom and stay for the myopia control.
Getting fitted.
Ortho-k is a custom fit. We map the cornea on a topographer, confirm the prescription and eye health, and Dr. Karres designs the lenses to that map, drawing on years of ortho-k fitting at COVE. The first clear mornings usually come within the first week or two, and we follow up to confirm the result holds through a full practice-and-game day. Patients travel to COVE from across Central Ohio and beyond for specialty lens fitting.
Common questions.
Q.01 Can I really swim without worrying about my contacts? +
Yes. Because ortho-k corrects your vision overnight, you're not wearing anything in the water during the day. That removes the contamination and rinse-out risk of swimming in daytime contacts.
Q.02 Will my vision last a whole tournament day? +
For most well-fit wearers, yes, a full day. If your vision fades late in the day at first, that's something we adjust during follow-up.
Q.03 Is my child old enough? +
Many kids do well with ortho-k, often earlier than people expect, because the lenses are only handled at home morning and night with a parent's help. We assess readiness at the evaluation.
Q.04 What happens if we stop for the off-season? +
Your eyes return to their natural shape within days. That said, we usually recommend keeping up nightly wear even in the off-season, so your vision stays steady year-round. If you do pause, you'd resume nightly wear before the next season to get back to clear daytime vision.
Q.05 Is it safe for sports? +
Overnight ortho-k has been used for decades, and the gas-permeable materials worn while you sleep are FDA-approved for overnight wear. Because you wear the lenses only overnight and nothing during the day, there's nothing in the eye to dislodge or damage on the field. As with any contact lens, the fit includes a wear-and-care plan and follow-up.
Compete with clear vision and nothing in your eyes.
Ask us whether ortho-k is a fit for you or your athlete. The evaluation and candidacy scans are at no charge, and they tell us for sure. One note: if it's been roughly six months or more since the last eye exam, a current exam (a normal billed visit) may need to come first so we know where the eyes are starting from.