From Sydney, Australia: My nine year old daughter has type 1
diabetes. A few days ago, we found she is also slightly
nearsighted. Her mom and I are also both nearsighted. We have
heard of orthokeratology, a non-surgical contact lens program to
control the progression of or temporarily reduce or eliminate
myopia. Do you think people with diabetes can try this? This is
an excellent question. Orthokeratology has been around for about
35 years, but improvements in rigid contact lens design and
manufacture have made the process much better. In the U.S.,
several different lenses are Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approved for overnight corneal reshaping (e.g. Paragon Vision
Science's CRT lenses). Patients sleep in the lenses and are able
to see clearly throughout the day before lenses are re-inserted
the next night and, after a while, several nights later.
Nearsightedness (myopia) is due, in part, to the cornea (the
clear windshield of tissue at the front of the eye) being too
convex (too curved) and these lens