How to see better without eyeglasses or eye surgery

It has been six whole years since I started using my Paragon CRT contact lens, and I think it's time that I wrote about this amazing technology and the people who prescribe it with expertise, care and compassion. 

We who have been wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses are only too aware of the trials and tribulations that they can cause. A few words come to mind: painful, inconvenient, time consuming, restrictive, expensive.

I had been wearing eyeglasses since I graduated from high school in 1978. To arrest my visual acuity's steady decline, I switched to soft contact lenses a few years later. But as I got older, presbyopia set in, and my contact lenses prevented me from seeing nearby objects clearly. Not willing to switch back to eyeglasses, I decided to undergo laser eye surgery in 2009.

Unfortunately, the result of the surgery was not so good. Although my nearsightedness was reduced significantly, my astigmatism got a lot worse. What's more, it became more difficult for me to see at night. I had no choice but to wear glasses again.

Then, in July 2011, I discovered a technology called Corneal Refractive Therapy, or CRT, when my wife and I visited the Abesamis Vision Care Center at the Medical Plaza Makati. Simply put, it’s a special contact lens that I wear before going to bed and take off upon waking up the next day. The CRT lens is designed to reshape the cornea of my eye while I sleep. As I continued to wear my CRT lens to bed, my vision got better and better.

Fast forward to today. For six straight years now, I can see clearly without the aid of daytime contacts or eyeglasses. The CRT lens gave me what glasses, daytime contacts and laser surgery could not! Oh, the joy of being unimpaired and unhampered. Whenever I think about it, I get nearly unhinged!

My 16-year old son has been using CRT lenses for almost a year, with equally impressive results. Having been set free from his eyeglasses, he is much more able to enjoy his daily life. For him, swimming and other sports are all back on the table. What’s more, the CRT prevents his myopia from getting worse.

One of the great things about CRT is that its effect is temporary and completely reversible. If, for any reason, you decide on a different way to correct your vision, such as by undergoing surgery or by wearing glasses or regular lenses, you can! Simply stop using your CRT lenses and your eyes will return to their untreated state within a few weeks.

Will CRT work for you, too? The best way to find out is to call or visit the Abesamis Vision Care Center. They have the expertise, experience and equipment required to thoroughly evaluate your condition and recommend the best treatment. For example, after conducting an extensive series of measurements, tests, and examinations, the doctor (Dr. Carmen Abesamis-Dichoso) determined that I should wear a CRT lens on my left eye only and leave my right eye untreated. Was she right? You bet!

If you are living outside the Philippines, you can find a qualified eye doctor by visiting the Paragon Vision Sciences web site.