The effect of treatment zone diameter in hyperopic orthokeratology

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the time course of treatment zone (TZ) diameter changes in hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) lens wear from 1 h in the open eye through to seven nights in the closed eye. Methods: Twelve subjects were fitted with rigid hyperopic OK lenses. Lenses were worn in the open eye for 1 h then one night in the closed eye, separated by a washout period of 4 days. Changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and corneal topography (Medmont E-300) were measured on lens removal. The TZ, comprising the central steepened zone (CSZ) and surrounding annular flattened zone (AFZ), was measured from corneal topography. Subsequently, ten subjects wore the same lens design overnight for seven nights, and measurements were taken on lens removal and 8 h later on Days 1 and 7. Results: Both CSZ and AFZ were apparent after 1 h of hyperopic OK lens wear. CSZ decreased while AFZ increased with longer periods of lens wear. BCVA reduced with longer periods of lens wear and was associated with decreasing CSZ (r = -0.866, p < 0.001) and increasing AFZ (r = 0.447, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The association of changes of treatment zone size with reductions in BCVA suggests that increasing CSZ may lead to better visual outcomes in hyperopic OK. © 2009 The College of Optometrists.