Sleep your way to Great Vision with CRTs
No Daytime Contacts. No Glasses. No Surgery. Just great vision!
“What is CRT?”
Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) uses specially designed contact lenses while you sleep to gently and gradually reshape the front surface of the eye (the cornea) to eliminate or reduce nearsightedness (myopia) or astigmatism. They are removed upon awakening to provide clear vision without using glasses, contact lenses or needing surgery! The CRT’s are comfortable and very easy to care for.
“Why think about CRT? Why not just wear eyeglasses or contact lenses?”
The main purpose of CRT is to be free from both contact lenses and eyeglasses during waking hours. While this is ideal for sports enthusiasts or those who work in dusty or dirty environments, for others CRT offers the appeal of being free from corrective lenses during the day. CRT also offers relief from the problems sometimes associated with full time contact lens wear like drying and things getting on or under the lenses.
“Is everyone able to wear CRT and can any doctor perform it?”
The answer to both questions is no. It does not work on every patient and needs to be performed in a very exact and meticulous manner. Dr. White has received special training and has the necessary diagnostic equipment, computer software and expertise to fit CRT lenses.
The procedure works best on mild to moderate amounts of nearsightedness or astigmatism. More severe cases can have their vision improved, but might still need some vision correction. The procedure also does not work well on certain shaped corneas. Also, there are several unmeasurable factors for each patient – most notably the cornea’s rigidity. Generally, but not always, less nearsighted patients respond faster than more nearsighted ones. There are no age barriers for CRT. It is safe for children and adults and is an excellent alternative for children who are just first becoming nearsighted as studies have shown that CRT may prevent or slow down any further nearsightedness from occurring!
“What does the CRT procedure involve?”
A comprehensive eye health examination is performed first. Then, a corneal topographer is used to obtain a very precise computerized “map” of the cornea’s shape. This information is placed into the CRT computer software and a diagnostic retainer is fit in the office. If at that time it is determined that you are a good candidate for CRT, your own CRT lenses will be ordered.
When you pick up your CRT lenses, you will be instructed on how to use and care for them. The maintenance is very easy and the insertion and removal of the lenses is somewhat similar to regular contacts. Our specially trained opticians will work with you to make sure you can insert and remove the CRTS on your own without any problems.
We will see you the first morning after you wear your CRTs. You should come to the office wearing them. We will remove them for you. Of course, should you experience any problems while at home with your CRTs, simply remove them.
Most of the visual changes occur rapidly over the first few days. As the cornea changes shape and vision improves, we will refit and reorder successive CRT lenses (if needed). During this interim period we will supply you with (no-charge) soft disposable contact lenses to be worn during the day. These are usually only needed for the first few days. For most patients, only one pair of CRTs is needed for multiple years.
The majority of patients achieve excellent vision in only a few days – many after only one night of wear. Even after you are seeing well, we will continue to see you a while longer to ensure your cornea is adapting to the CRTs. Most patients are done with their follow up care in about one month although some may take more or less time. Though the doctor plans on seeing you at the 1st day, 1st week, 1st month, 3rd month, and 6th month of wear to ensure your vision and eye health is good.
“What if I stop wearing the CRTs?”
If you stop wearing your CRT’s your vision will go back to your normal prescription, how you saw prior to using the CRTs.
“How do I get started?”
Call our office, Nova Vision Care at (937) 320-0300 or go online to schedule a consultation with Dr. White today.