Charles Babumba, the Consultant at City Eyes Ophthalmic Opticians and OrthoK Clinic, just returned from the annual educational conference of the ‘American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control’ (AAOMC) in Chicago, IL, USA. International speakers presented on a variety of orthoK topics but, the myopia epidemic, its impact on public health and new methods for slowing nearsightedness in children were the top priority. Over 500 doctors attended representing the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Columbia, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand,Netherlands,Taiwan, England, Thailand and Scotland.
The AAOMC is part of the International Academy of Orthokeratology (IAO), a worldwide organization of orthokeratologists who provide a non-surgical alternative for the correction of nearsightedness, astigmatism, hyperopia, presbyopia and myopia control. The AAOMC mission is to establish policy and to develop and update protocols and education for doctors performing corneal reshaping (orthokeratology) and myopia control.
Myopia (nearsightedness) is a progressive disease affecting 1.6 billion children and adults worldwide, with expectations that the number will hit 2.5 billion by 2020. Extensive research has proven that orthoK can slow the elongation of the eye which contributes to progressive nearsightedness as well as increases the risk of retinal detachments and glaucoma. 20/20 vision can be restored in as little as one day to one month depending on severity. The treatment involves the fitting of a specialized gentle mold, designed to reshape the eye surface during sleep refocusing/realigning the visual image to slow or stop eye growth. The image focused by glasses and conventional soft lenses actually contributes to the growth of the eye, increasing nearsightedness. For more information go to www.cityeyesopticians.com & www.orthokacademy.com.
~ Sarah Witt
Administrative Assistant
Orthokeratology Academy of America