CRT Lenses: An Alternative Therapy for Myopia
Myopia is one of the leading ocular issues, affecting a quarter of the world’s population today. With the epidemic on the rise, more treatment options are becoming available for those patients who are looking for a non-surgical vision corrective therapy.
Myopia
Myopia is the professional term for nearsightedness. Myopic eyes are longer than non-myopic eyes, meaning that light focuses in front of the retina instead of on top of it. This causes blurred vision at a distance.
Environmental factors as well as genetic predisposition are two leading causes of myopia. Patient cases of myopia have been increasing alongside the increase of computer use, cell phone use, and other close-range activities. If left untreated, myopia can and will lead to serious eye problems such as myopic macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, among others.
The number of people with myopia is on the rise. It is estimated that by the year 2020 the number of people who have myopia will increase from 1.45 billion people to 2.5 billion people: That’s one third of the world’s population!
What is CRT?
CRT stands for Corneal Refractive Therapy. CRT is designed to be an alternative for other more permanent and invasive vision corrective therapies. CRT is also designed to relieve contact wearers of dry eye symptoms resulting from contact lens discomfort.
CRT consists of specialized, non-surgical contact lenses that are worn while you sleep. These special lenses reshape the elongated myopic eyes to equal vision correction provided by traditional glasses or contact lenses. Studies have suggested that wearing lenses like those used in CRT helps slow or even stop the progression of myopia.
Myopia can be early or late onset, so it is important to find out if you or your child are at risk for developing the aforementioned ocular problems as complications of myopia. Nearsightedness can also affect a child’s ability to learn and develop. Since CRT lenses are non-surgical and are worn while you sleep, they are a great treatment option for children with nearsightedness.
Contact Us
Wearing CRT lenses is both safe and effective, and a great solution for children with myopia. If you think CRT is the right fit for you or your child, call us today to set up a consultation.