OrthoK in Cheadle — SleepSight Overnight Contact Lenses for Clear Daytime Vision

Independent specialist care at our Abra & Co Cheadle practice — 19 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, SK8 1DW. Book online or call 0161 428 3717.

📞 Call 0161 428 3717 — book a consultation

SleepSight OrthoK at Abra & Co, Cheadle

OrthoK (orthokeratology) is the technique of wearing a specialist rigid contact lens overnight while you sleep. The lens gently reshapes the cornea surface, and when you remove it in the morning your vision is corrected for the whole day — no glasses, no daytime contacts. By bedtime the cornea has returned to its original shape, so you wear the lens again that night. It sounds futuristic; it has been in clinical use for over 20 years. We fit it under our SleepSight programme at our Cheadle practice for two distinct groups: children whose myopia is progressing, and adults who want lens-free daytime vision.

How OrthoK works

The OrthoK lens sits on the front of your eye while you sleep. Its shape is the inverse of the corneal change you need — for short-sighted (myopic) patients, the lens flattens the central cornea very slightly during the night. When you wake and remove it, the cornea retains that flattened shape long enough to give you corrected vision through the day, gradually returning to its original shape over 12-16 hours. You insert the lens again that night and the cycle repeats. The corneal change is fully reversible — stop wearing the lens, and your prescription returns to baseline within a few days. OrthoK lenses are made from high-oxygen-permeable rigid material designed for overnight use, custom-designed using corneal topography (a contour map of your cornea). Lead time for the custom lens is 2-3 weeks from your fitting appointment.

OrthoK for children — myopia control

Beyond the glasses-free daytime benefit, OrthoK has been shown in multiple peer-reviewed studies to slow childhood myopia progression by approximately 30-50%. The mechanism is not fully understood, but the leading theory is that the lens reduces the peripheral defocus signal driving myopic eye elongation. We typically recommend OrthoK for myopia control in children aged 8-15 whose prescription is progressing more than -0.50 dioptres/year. It is one of three options in our MyoShield programme alongside MiSight 1-day soft lenses and low-dose atropine eyedrops. Many parents prefer OrthoK specifically because the child wears nothing during the day — important for sport, school PE, and self-consciousness.

OrthoK for adults — lens-free daytime vision

For adults, the appeal is freedom: no glasses, no daytime contacts, no concerns about lens dryness during long screen days, no fogging in the kitchen or coming in from the cold, no removing lenses to swim. Adults who choose OrthoK are typically: sports enthusiasts (rugby, cricket, swimming, motorsport), parents who do not want to bother with daytime lenses, contact-lens wearers with dry eye who find soft lenses uncomfortable by midday, professionals who present or speak publicly. OrthoK works best for prescriptions up to about -5.00 dioptres of short-sightedness; above that, a small residual prescription may remain.

The fitting process

Initial consultation (1 hour): we measure your prescription, perform corneal topography (a 30-second scan), assess your tear film, and confirm OrthoK is right for you. We order the first pair of lenses. 2-3 weeks later you return for the fitting appointment (1 hour), where we insert the lenses, check the fit on the cornea, and teach you to insert and remove them yourself. You wear the lenses overnight at home that first night with a phone follow-up the next morning. Two follow-up appointments at week 1 and week 4 to confirm everything is settled. Total: about 4 weeks from first appointment to fully-settled vision.

Pricing

SleepSight OrthoK programme: £950/year for adults, £750/year for children (NHS-eligible families may have part of the child price covered — we will check at the consultation). Includes all fitting appointments, both lenses, lens cleaning solutions for the year, all aftercare appointments, replacement lenses if you lose one, and the annual corneal topography review. There is no separate fitting fee plus subscription — OrthoK is a flat annual programme. Initial consultation to confirm suitability: free.

Frequently asked questions

Is OrthoK safe?

Yes. The infection risk profile is comparable to (or slightly better than) extended-wear soft contact lenses. The lenses are highly oxygen-permeable. Cleaning the lenses properly is important and we go through that in detail at the fitting.

Will I see immediately after the first night?

Most patients see clearly enough to drive by day 2-3 of overnight wear; full correction takes 1-2 weeks. We give you backup glasses for the first few days if you need to drive or work before the correction has fully developed.

What if I stop wearing the lenses?

Your prescription returns to baseline within a few days. OrthoK is fully reversible. Stopping is a normal option — some patients wear OrthoK in summer for swimming holidays and switch to glasses or daily contacts in winter.

Does my child need to insert lenses themselves?

For children under 11, a parent typically does insertion and removal at first. By around age 10-12, most take over with supervision. The lens stays in for the whole night so the insertion routine is once daily, not multiple times.

Visit us at our Cheadle practice

Abra & Co, 19 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, SK8 1DW. We see patients from Cheadle, Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, Wilmslow, Handforth, Hale, Hale Barns, Alderley Edge, Heaton Mersey, Didsbury, Wythenshawe, Hazel Grove, Marple, Poynton, and across South Manchester. Free street parking on Wilmslow Road and adjacent side streets.

📞 Call 0161 428 3717 — book a consultation