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A new optometry technique may allow you to put your reading glasses in their case for good. Optometrists have developed a technique called hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) which shows hope for improving near vision in just one night, according to the study "Refractive Changes from the Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes" conducted by researchers at The University of South Wales in Sydney.

"The authors have shown the feasibility of correcting one eye for near vision through OK, in which overnight contact lens wear shapes the cornea of one eye to allow in-focus near vision for reading," said Anthony Adams, OD, PhD and Editor-in-Chief of Optometry and Vision Science.

The study included 16 middle-aged participants ranging from the ages of 43 to 59, all of whom had presbyopia, age-related loss of near vision. Participants wore a rigid, custom-made OK contact lens in one eye overnight over the course of a week to improve flexibility in the cornea. The other eye was left untreated in order to preserve normal distance vision. Vision improvement was evident after one night and progressively continued through the remainder of the week.  

Presbyopia is caused by the loss of elasticity in the cornea, which is brought on by age. The OK lens improved near vision in patients by correcting the shape of the cornea; however, the cornea did return to its previous shape after a week without wearing the overnight OK contact.

"This study demonstrates that OK is quite viable as a nonsurgical option for monovision that does not require wearing contact lenses during the day," said Adams. "This possibility will certainly appeal to many people, especially since the changes in the corneal curvature of the treated eye are fully reversible."

OK is not an entirely new technique, in fact it has been used to reduce nearsightedness in younger patients, known as myopia. Now patients suffering from presbyopia have an alternative to wearing one farsighted contact and one nearsighted contact which is hindering to accurate 3D vision.

The study was conducted by Paul Gifford, PhD, FAAO and Helen A. Swarbrick, PhD, FAAO of the University of South Wales and published in Optometry and Vision Science, the official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.