New technology makes it possible for patients to see clearly without the aid of glasses, contact lenses or laser surgery. By reshaping the front of the eyes using a special “retainer” lens worn at night, patients can eliminate the need for corrective lenses during the day.
The process is known as Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT), and it works much like a dental retainer functions to keep teeth aligned. A patient simply wears a custom-fit retainer lens on their eyes while they sleep, and in 3-5 nights their need for daytime lenses is completely eliminated.
Dr. David Bloch, an adult and pediatric eye doctor in Carlsbad, is a certified provider of Corneal Refractive Therapy. “The main purpose of this device is to reverse and prevent the progression of nearsightedness in children and teens, who are not eligible for laser vision correction,” Bloch says.
Due to the proliferation of digital device usage by children, nearsightedness has risen by 43% in the past decade. “My CRT program not only frees young patients from glasses and conventional contact lenses, it also protects them from debilitating blurred vision and eye-related disease.” Dr. Bloch added. Adults also benefit from this treatment as it is a great alternative to laser eye surgery and costs less than half the price.
While CRT is not available in all prescriptions, it does reverse the most common nearsighted prescriptions and some farsighted ones too. Bloch’s patients are ecstatic with the results as they can enjoy recreational and other activates without the inconvenience of glasses or contacts.
One of Dr. Bloch’s many satisfied patients, Kelley Manion, described how this program transformed her son’s ability to play sports more effectively. Her son is in a travel baseball program and started Dr. Bloch’s CRT corrective vision program to help him avoid the distraction of wearing contact lenses while playing. “He would lose a contact while playing or get dirt in his eyes, it was a hindrance to his performance.
After my son, Ayden, tried the program, within weeks he was able to play without any contacts or glasses,” Manion said. “We thought it would take a lot longer to work, but it was just a few days. We tell our friends about this program and have been surprised that not many people heard about CRT. It really is transformative.”
Another one of Dr. Bloch’s patients, Mary Kennedy, had similar results with the program. “I’ve been wearing soft contact lenses off and on for years for nearsightedness, and they had become increasingly difficult to wear for longer periods of time,“ she said. “Dr. Bloch felt I might be a good candidate for CRT as I was intimidated by laser surgery.
After measuring my eyes and testing what would work best for me for both near and far vision, the CRT lenses were made. Dr. Bloch made the transition to seeing without lenses very easy by giving me temporary disposable contacts during the gradual change, while reshaping my cornea at night.
Most of the change occurred within the first four days of wearing the overnight lenses. I’m very happy to wake up seeing in the morning and not having to deal with glasses or contacts for the whole day!”
To find out if CRT can work for you, schedule a meeting with Dr. Bloch. Computerized scans are necessary to map your eyes’ contours and create the retainer lenses. After the lenses are ordered, adjustments are included. Dr. Bloch is an expert in fitting contact lenses — no prescription is too big, including multifocal, contacts for astigmatism and post-surgical fits. You can get the happy eyes you deserve.
Call Dr. Bloch to schedule a consultation at 760-730-3733 or visit BlochVisionCare.com.
His office is located at 2814 Roosevelt St. in Carlsbad Village.
