Eye treatment may help young athletes

By John Kovach

COLUMBIANA — If children who participate in sports would like to do so without wearing glasses or contacts, they may want to find out what benefits can be gained from using Myopia Control and Myopia Reduction for kids, also called Ortho-K 4 Kids or Eye Shapers 4 kids.

Youngstown-native Dr. Gregory Fagert, a specialist in the Ortho-K (short for OrthoKeratology) Kids process and procedure, said overnight treatment of children with changing vision who are nearsighted (myopic) can begin to eliminate the need for corrective lenses while competing in sports the next day.

But he said the non-surgical and alternative Ortho-K treatment is not just for kids who play sports, but for anyone who just wants to shed glasses or contacts.

“Just as an orthodontist uses braces to reshape the teeth and soft palate, an orthokeratologist [such as I am] can fit eye braces or vision retainers to be worn only at night to reshape the cornea for [clearer vision the next day],” said Fagert, a graduate of St. Christine’s, Ursuline High and Ohio State University whose office is located in Columbiana.

He played baseball four years at Ursuline under coach Matt Giambattista, and two years of football with the freshman and junior varsity teams.

“With Ortho-K, kids can be totally free of glasses and contacts all day long. Their eyes are gently reshaped while they sleep overnight,” said Fagert, a practicing optometrist since 1989 who has been focusing on Ortho-K for about 10 years.

Ortho-K first was used 40 years ago but technological advances in materials, equipment and procedure have created more interest in the process.

“There is a great improvement after the first night, but it will take 7-10 days to have clear vision. I cannot guarantee 20-20 vision but that is that what I strive for.”

Fagert emphasized that, “Ortho-K is safe, FDA approved and completely reversible [after disuse],” and that many children are candidates for the procedure.

“Today, over 30 percent of our children have myopia or nearsightedness,” said Fagert, who has seen the increase firsthand.

Fagert said he is on a mission.

“The big thing is I see kids’ eyes getting worse every year and I want to do something about it. I want to make a difference. This procedure helps eyes improve overnight,” said Fagert who lives in New Middletown with wife, Carol and their three girls: Ashley, Megan and Emily.

He acknowledges that many optometrists don’t believe in the Ortho-k procedure, but he does because he has studied it and emphasizes that, “It’s up to each person to try it. They have to prove it to themselves. Every patient is different.”

Fagert described how the procedure works.

“I place [a contact] lens over the eye. It has been designed with a computer and helps the eyes retain their shapes.”

He said the lens he uses is specially-designed and created by a computer that has mapped the contour of the cornea and also contains the correction to the mapped cornea which, when applied to the eye, re-forms the cornea to improve vision.

Fagert believes the main advantage of using Ortho-K is “kids can be totally free of glasses and contacts all day long [which] can certainly improve their sports performance since they focus on the sport not their eyes.”

Because, “Any sport whether competitive or for recreation, both contacts and glasses can be a hassle.”

Fagert believes the procedure suits children because, “Kids with changing vision are not candidates for Lasik refractive surgery. Only stable eyes can be surgically repaired, cut and burned.”

He also noted that, “Ortho-K has no age restrictions but does depend on the maturity of the kids.”

Fagert said Ortho-K also can correct other eye conditions like farsightedness (hyperopia), presbyopia (visual condition of old age), mild and moderate astigmatism, and may be used by people over 40.

He offers a “free” consultation to see if Ortho-k is right for children at 330-482-4214. More information is available at Dr. Fagert’s website at www.ortho-k4kids.com.

kovach@vindy.com