The number one reason most people do not know about AOK is...

The number one reason most people do not know about AOK is...

Let's start at the beginning.  The first doctor to examine us is our pediatrician. During our early years we go for Well Visits and some Sick Visits. The pediatrician helps us by checking our health and treating most problems as they come up. For the most part, pediatricians do a good job at taking care of us when we are little. However, since they are the gate keepers of our well being, they are responsible for referring us to other doctors for conditions beyond their scope of practice. This is the point I believe all children should be referred to an orthokeratologist. All children should be first examined by an optometrist who specializes in orthokeratology. The reason is that optometrists are the best trained eye doctors for visual disorders and treat most eye diseases. Those optometrist that specialize in orthokeratology have advanced training in Myopia Control.  Myopia (Nearsightedness) has become worse over the span of only one generation .

Let's back track a bit. The pediatrician should be concerned about the problems associated with High Myopia (Nearsightedness) because It's prevention and control is best treated at a young age. Even though the problems of Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, and a whole bunch of Retinal problems are usually seen in adults, they are more common in highly myopic individuals. Now nearsightedness can not be reversed, but recent studies show that it can be curtailed to a point that it may not progress in to a health risk.

The real issue is that currently most pediatric ophthalmologists do not support the concept of Myopia Control. They tend go out of their way to discourage parents and pediatricians from embracing it. I see them refer to old studies and information, and hear them scare parents out of safe and effective treatments.

The good news is that more and more pediatricians are beginning to send their kids for orthokeratology consultations! So there you have it. My take on why most people do not know about AOK or Myopia Control.