Scotlens Blog
Why we must stop using ‘Ortho-K’ with patients
Scott Brown, Optometrist | Scotlens Clinical Director & Lens Designer
Orthokeratology, or the various abbreviations or brand names of it, are a fundamental barrier to patient understanding of what it is. “Ortho-k” is even becoming a too generic and inappropriate word for us to use in the industry. I believe it is time to drop “Ortho-k” as our common term, as it confuses patients and is actively holding back what many patients feel to be a truly life changing correction.
The term “Night lenses” does the opposite to “Ortho-K”. It helps communication, grows awareness and …
Time for a UK Government Myopia Strategy to take on our myopia epidemic?
After the Wang report in January 2021 about the rise in Myopia in UK children as a direct result of increased sceen time due to Covid lockdown, we saw many headlines in the UK, but relatively little Government reaction to what was a startling warning. Granted that the DHSC and the Ministers have been (rightly) focused on the Covid crisis. However, the question about whether it is time for a UK Government Myopia Strategy to take on the UK myopia epidemic (as part of the global Myopia pandemic of 50% of the world by 2050) is now centre stage…
Ortho-K assessment: bubbles, slit lamps and patient technique
By Scott Brown, Optometrist | Scotlens Clinical Director & Lens Designer
How much should we depend on slit lamp assessment of ortho-k lenses? The accuracy of Scotlens topography fitting means we don’t depend on the open eye fluorescein (NaF) assessment for lens design. A lens on eye assessment is worthwhile during the application and removal appointment to see if lenses are being applied without trapping a bubble. The information we can get is very limited, so I don’t subject patients to a long slit lamp assessment…
Why you should always use anaesthetic during contact lens A&R
By Scott Brown, Optometrist | Scotlens Clinical Director & Lens Designer
“FIRST AFTER CARE: To remove lenses, or not to remove lenses … that is the question!”
By Scott Brown, Optometrist | Scotlens Clinical Director & Lens Designer
I am often asked this question and have noticed more and more Optometrists asking patients to come to their first appointment with their lenses in. My advice is to attend the first appointment with their lenses out. Patients are best to remove their lenses when they wake for all after cares. When the eye is open, lenses always sit in a different position to behind the closed lid. If they are awake for an hour or two before you see them…
Using ‘Ortho-k’ or ‘Night lenses’ terms with patients
By Scott Brown, Optometrist | Scotlens Clinical Director & Lens Designer
I have been asked this question a lot recently, so I thought I’d put my answer down in a blog post to share with others – whether to continue using the medical terms ‘Orthokeratology’ and ‘Ortho-K lenses’ (which, to be honest, has been one of the major factors that has lead to these incredible lenses not growing as they should have done by now) … or whether to use the colloquial term ‘Night lenses’
How to grow the Ortho-K market? Call them ‘Night Lenses’
By Tom Griffiths, Managing Director, Scotlens
Nobody discusses their successful Photorefractive Keratectomy with friends… they talk about ‘Laser eye surgery’
… written down it read as ‘Or’ ‘Thok’ which sounded odd. Only those in the know pronounce Orthok as ‘Ortho’ ‘K’… it was short for a big medical term – Orthokeratology – which is hard to say, remember and then tell others about
… [time to] deliver the life-changing night lens sizzle that they want, not the medically unappealing Ortho-K sausage we are currently serving up.