Ortho-k lenses are rigid, gas-permeable contacts you wear only at night. While you sleep, they gently flatten the cornea into a new shape. You remove them in the morning and see clearly all day — with nothing in your eyes. It works for nearsightedness, moderate astigmatism, and mixed prescriptions, and it has a second major benefit for kids: it's one of the most effective tools for slowing myopia progression.

COVE has been fitting ortho-k since we opened. Dr. Karres has years of clinical experience designing and fitting specialty contact lenses at COVE — scleral, gas-permeable, multifocal, and orthokeratology fits. When ortho-k is the right answer for your eyes, you're in the right place.

What orthokeratology actually does.

Ortho-k lenses are engineered to temporarily change the shape of your cornea. Your cornea is the clear dome at the front of the eye — it does most of the focusing work. In a nearsighted eye, the cornea is too steep, bending light to a focus point in front of the retina instead of on it. Ortho-k lenses apply a precise, gentle pressure while you sleep that flattens the central cornea into the right curvature. By morning, the new shape holds — for most patients, 16 to 24 hours of clear vision on a single night's wear.

The correction is fully reversible. If you stop wearing the lenses, your cornea returns to its original shape within a few days. There is no surgery, no recovery period, no permanent commitment.

For kids, ortho-k does something additional: wearing the lenses at night appears to slow the axial elongation — the eye growing longer — that drives myopia progression. This matters because a higher prescription in adulthood raises the lifetime risk of serious eye disease, including retinal detachment, maculopathy, and earlier cataracts. Slowing that progression now reduces that risk later.

Four audiences. Four deeper dives.

Ortho-k is not one-size-fits-all. The reason you'd choose it matters — and the considerations for a 10-year-old with progressing myopia are different from those for an adult swimmer or someone exploring LASIK alternatives. We've written a focused page for each audience.

Children & myopia control

Kids ages 6 and up can wear ortho-k lenses. For a child whose prescription is changing every year, ortho-k is a well-studied option — studies show it may meaningfully slow myopia progression compared to single-vision glasses. Dr. Keller has particular depth in pediatric care, and our myopia management program covers every option so you're comparing, not just choosing whatever one office happens to offer.

Non-surgical freedom

If you're tired of glasses and not ready for — or not eligible for — surgery, ortho-k is the clearest non-surgical alternative. Wear lenses at night, see clearly during the day, and do anything else without reaching for your glasses. The tradeoff is real: you do need to wear the lenses consistently every night to maintain the effect.

Nothing in your eyes all day

Ortho-k is one of the most practical vision-correction options for competitive swimmers, wrestlers, martial artists, and anyone else whose sport makes contacts impractical and glasses impossible. Nothing in your eyes during the day means nothing to lose, nothing to worry about, and no chlorine exposure on a contact lens.

Reversible correction

Some patients aren't LASIK candidates — thin corneas, dry eye, prescription out of range. Others simply prefer a reversible option. Ortho-k can correct many common nearsighted prescriptions without surgery; LASIK covers a different and often broader surgical range. We walk through the comparison honestly — we don't perform LASIK and have no financial stake in pushing you toward it.

What the free consultation includes.

The first step is a complimentary 30-minute consultation that includes corneal topography. This is the imaging that makes a custom ortho-k fit possible — it maps your corneal curvature, elevation, and surface shape down to the micron. We use an Oculus Keratograph 5M for this, the same instrument we use for scleral lens fitting.

During the consultation, we'll confirm whether you're a good ortho-k candidate, walk through what the lenses feel like and what to expect in the first few weeks, and give you an honest cost estimate before you commit to anything.

If you decide to move forward: custom lenses are designed from your topography map and typically arrive from the lab within a week. We teach insertion and removal at a dispense visit — this takes as long as it takes. Follow-up appointments at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months are included in the first year's fee, and so are any lens refinements needed along the way.

Some patients notice significant vision improvement after a single night of wear. Most reach their stable prescription within 2 to 3 weeks. During the adjustment period, you can wear your glasses or daily soft lenses during the day.

What ortho-k costs at COVE.

The complete first-year package — two custom lenses, all follow-up appointments, and any lens modifications — typically ranges from $750 to $2,000, depending on your prescription and lens design. Vision insurance sometimes applies. We verify your benefits in advance and give you the clearest estimate we can before your consultation.

FSA and HSA funds are eligible for ortho-k costs.

Why patients choose us for ortho-k.

Dr. Karres has years of clinical experience designing and fitting specialty contact lenses at COVE, including orthokeratology. This is not a service COVE added to the menu; it's one of the things we do well.

Schedule your free ortho-k consultation.