Sixteen Questions Worth Asking Before You Commit

Questions About Your Candidacy

1. 1What does my corneal topography show, and can you walk me through it? A good answer points at the screen and explains your shape, symmetry, and eccentricity.
2. 2Is my prescription within the range where full correction is realistic, or should I expect a residual? The honest answer for higher prescriptions is often that some residual is likely.
3. 3How large are my pupils in dim light, and what does that mean for night driving? If pupil size has not been measured, ask why not.
4. 4Is there anything in my eye health, tear film, or history that makes this harder? Dryness and allergy in particular.

Questions About the Fitting Protocol

1. 1Will corneal topography be performed before lenses are ordered? This should be a straightforward yes. Fitting from keratometry alone is guessing at the surface the lens actually rests on.
2. 2Will the lenses be custom designed for each eye from my own data? Two different designs is the norm, because two identical corneas are not.
3. 3Will I be seen the morning after my first night? A day-one check, ideally early and sometimes with lenses in, is a strong marker of a serious protocol.
4. 4Will topography be repeated after the first night to check centration? Without this, decentration can go unnoticed while chart acuity looks acceptable.
5. 5How many Ortho-K patients does this practice fit in a year? Pattern recognition in this field comes from repetition.

The clinical reasoning behind each of these is set out in why professional fitting matters for safety.

Questions About the Expected Outcome

1. 1What is a realistic expectation for my vision at the end of a long day, not just first thing in the morning? Diurnal stability is the honest measure.
2. 2How long should I expect before things settle, given my prescription? Answers should differ for a low prescription and a high one.
3. 3What happens if the first lens does not give the result we want? Ask specifically whether redesigns are included and how many.
4. 4What would make you tell me to stop? A practitioner who has a clear answer to this has thought about it. One who cannot imagine stopping has not.

For a child, add a fifth: how will we know whether the myopia control part is working? The answer should involve baseline and serial axial length measurement, not prescription checks alone. See what axial length tells you.

Questions About Cost

Cost questions are where the most avoidable unpleasantness lives, and the useful question is not how much but what is not included.

1. 1What is the total programme cost, in writing, before I commit? At this practice a complete Ortho-K programme starts at $1,800 and a candidacy consultation starts at $250, credited toward the programme. You receive your exact figure in writing before you commit.
2. 2How many follow-up visits are included, and over what period? A programme with follow-up bundled behaves very differently from one billing per visit.
3. 3What does a replacement lens cost if one is lost or damaged? This is the most common unplanned expense.
4. 4What are the ongoing annual costs after year one? For a child in myopia control, the ongoing programme starts at $1,200 per year.

The full breakdown of what is and is not included is on what is included, and the pricing philosophy is on transparent pricing.

Questions About Support and Access

1. 1Who do I call at seven in the morning with a red eye, and how fast will I be seen? There should be a specific answer, not a general reassurance.
2. 2How will insertion and removal training be delivered, and how do you know when I have got it? The right answer involves demonstration rather than explanation.
3. 3What written material will I take home? A care routine, a symptom escalation guide, and your lens specifications at minimum.

For parents there is one more worth adding: what does the practice expect of us at home, specifically? Understanding the supervision burden before starting prevents a great deal of friction later.

What to Bring With You

• Your current glasses and any contact lenses you wear, including the boxes or specifications.
• Previous prescriptions if you have them. A history of how the prescription has moved is genuinely useful, especially for a child.
• A list of medications, since several affect tear film.
• Your questions, written down. You will forget half of them otherwise.
• For a child, the child. Their willingness is a real input into the decision and it is easier to assess in person.

What the visit itself involves is described on consultation and candidacy.