Central and paracentral corneal curvature changes during orthokeratology.

Purpose: To investigate regional changes in corneal curvature and power induced by overnight orthokeratology (OK) contact lens wear over a period of 2 weeks.

Methods: Corneal topography data (Medmont E300) from 21 myopes (12 M, 9F, 20 to 40 years), who had worn BE OK lenses manufactured in Boston XO material for 14 nights, were analyzed retrospectively. Enrollment criteria were myopia up to 4.50 D and corneal toricity up to 1.50 D. Custom MATLAB programs were used to determine sectorial tangential curvature and refractive power, and to investigate changes from baseline after 1 and 14 nights, and between 1 and 14 nights of lens wear in the central circular zone (CCZ) and surrounding paracentral annular zone (PCZ), with each zone subdivided into nasal, superior, temporal, and inferior sectors.

Results: After OK, significant asymmetry was found in tangential curvature across sectors. In the CCZ, by day 14 there was greater flattening in the temporal (-1.27 ± 0.62 D, p < 0.001) than nasal sector (0.05 ± 0.62 D, p = 0.893). In the PCZ, by day 14 there was greater steepening in the temporal (2.37 ± 1.09 D, p < 0.001) than nasal sector (0.30 ± 1.36 D, p = 0.326). In both zones, vertical sectors did not show any asymmetry. The variation in corneal curvature across sectors and the mirror asymmetry was also reflected in variations in the corneal refractive power.

Conclusions: OK induces non-uniform corneal changes to the central and paracentral regions. This non-uniformity may influence peripheral refraction profiles reported with OK that have been suggested to be influential in myopia control.