Dr. Hafiz H. Walji has been providing his patients with excellent Ortho-Keratology treatment since 1988. Below is an Markham Economist and Sun article featuring Dr. H. H. Walji’s Ortho-Keratology advice and experience. Interested in Ortho-K, and/or have any questions? Contact us today!
To find out more about Ortho-Keratology, please check out the “Ortho-K” category on the right for more information.
Ortho-K: See the world through your own eyes! (Markham Economist and Sun article)
If you’re tired of the inconvenience of wearing glasses, but you are not interested in eye surgery, Ortho-K may be able to bring your world into focus.
Ortho-Kertaology is a proven, safe, non-surgical contact lens process to reduce or eliminate nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. Since its development in 1963, Ortho-K has helped over a million patients through the therapeutic use of contact lenses.
“Ortho-K is the only way I know to stop the spiral of increasing myopia,” said Dr. Hafiz H. Walji, a local optometrist who has earned the title of Fellow of the International Orthokeratology Society. Comparing it to a more common procedure in the field of dentisty, he added: “It’s like having braces for the eyes.”
The most common cause of myopia is a bulging cornea, and astigmatism is caused by an irregular or warped cornea. In the same way that teeth may be straightened through the use of braces, these structural irregularities of the eye can be corrected through Ortho-K, resulting in often dramatically improved vision.
The Ortho-K procedure involves a series of special semi-rigid, highly pas-permeable contact lenses, fitted in progressive stages to gently re-shape the pliable cornea towards less curvature and more spherical shape. The procedure normally takes three to six months, with adjustments in the lenses occurring every two to eight weeks. Once the vision has been improved to its optimum level, retainer lenses are worn part-time to keep the cornea in its new shape, while you sleep. The procedure is painless, and the lenses are often more comfortable than regular contact lenses, Dr. Walji stated.
The Ortho-K process is safe for children, and in fact, can often stop the degenerative process of myopia for life. Adults can usually expect to have their myopia reversed, and in most cases, eliminated. Patients with more severe vision problems of this type can expect a dramatic improvement in their prescription eyeglasses or contacts.
According to Dr. Walji, Ortho-K has allowed many patients to pursue careers that were otherwise not available to them due to their eyesight. Professionals such as firefighters, police officers, and pilots have benefited from the non-surgical technique.
“It’s like giving up a handicap of some kind,” said Dr. Walji. Other than better vision, there are no side effects. And unlike Laser or LASIK surgery, which have not been around long enough to do long-term studies, Ortho-K has been proven safe and effective in four university research studies for nearly fourty years.
“If you have considered surgery for myopia, you owe it to yourself to look into this procedure,” said Dr. Walji. It is considerably less expensive than surgery, and “it shows much respect for the eyes”, he pointed out.
“Nearsightedness is not a disease. Why would you have surgery on healthy eyes?” he asked. “Like a camera that is out of focus, they just need a little adjustment.”
Dr. Walji’s office is conveniently located right on Highway 7, just west of the Ninth Line.