Southerners seeing clearly

Olympic snowboarder Bex Sinclair with Wanaka optometrist Danielle Pretty.

11 July 2013

Southerners seeing clearly

A specialist eye treatment that enables those with poor eyesight to see without having to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses is now available to people in Central Otago.

Wanaka optometrist Eyes on Ardmore is the first in the region to be offering the Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) procedure, which involves a person wearing special contact lenses overnight to correct their vision. The lenses are removed on waking and the newly reshaped cornea enables clear sight.

Eyes on Ardmore owner and principal optometrist Danielle Pretty says this is a great alternative for people who struggle to wear contacts, particularly those with an active lifestyle.

“It’s an incredible process that can restore some people’s eyesight back to 20/20 vision throughout the day, or in some cases it lasts for a couple of days.

“While the technology itself isn’t new, it has become safer and more effective within the past few years – so it’s still relatively unheard of.”

Pretty says the programme is simple to use and children are great candidates.

“When introduced to children, the Ortho-K technology can actually prevent their eyesight from getting any worse. So it effectively halts their prescription at the level that it was when the treatment started.”

Olympic snowboarder and local Wanaka resident Bex Sinclair has recently started the Ortho-K programme through Eyes on Ardmore and says it’s perfect for those who enjoy the outdoors, particularly water sports.

“As a professional athlete, I’m travelling a lot. Obviously I can’t wear glasses while snowboarding and my contacts dry out on planes and towards the end of the day up the mountain.

“The idea of having my eyes corrected overnight and then waking up with clear vision is awesome. I’m excited about the potential for it to improve my riding and for the freedom that will come with it,” says Sinclair.

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