Why Traditional Ortho-K Fitting Was Holding My Practice Back
When I first started fitting orthokeratology, I was using multiple companies and a very traditional diagnostic fitting set approach. I had even worked with a couple other contact lens companies as a consultant to try an improve algorithms for designs, so I was deeply involved in the specialty lens space. But over time, I started realizing that the process I was using just wasn’t efficient for my practice or my patients.
I was relying heavily on diagnostic fitting sets and dispensing kits in-office, and troubleshooting became extremely time-consuming. We were making multiple lens changes just to achieve a good fit with stable optics. Every adjustment meant more chair time, more follow-ups, more waiting on lenses, and more frustration for both my team and most importantly, my patients. I knew there had to be a better way to approach ortho-k fitting.
Why I Switched to Euclid for Orthokeratology
The turning point came during a conversation with a trusted colleague who does a high volume of ortho-k fitting. I was explaining the challenges I was having, and he stopped me and said, “Just go with Euclid. Period.” He told me the first-lens success rate was excellent, the consultants were easy to work with, and the workflow was much more streamlined.
I thought there is no way that that if you simply send over keratometry readings, topography, refraction, and HVID measurements that the success rate could be that much higher. So I decided to try it for myself.
First-Lens Success Rate: What the Results Showed
I started gradually with a few new ortho-k patients into Euclid first. I wanted to see how the lenses performed before making a larger shift in my practice. Honestly, the results were pretty incredible right away. The success rate on first-time fits was dramatically better than what I had experienced previously.
After seeing those results, I started transitioning some of my more difficult existing ortho-k patients over to Euclid as well — especially the ones I had struggled to stabilize with other lens designs. In some cases, we allowed patients to wash out for a few weeks before refitting. Other times, we started with their previous lens parameters combined with their original keratometry and refraction data. Either way, the Euclid consultants were able to make the transition surprisingly smooth. As any experienced ortho-k fitter (or consultant) knows – this is often the worst kind of case to deal with as a measuring stick – but they did it well.
That’s one of the things that has impressed me the most: how easy it has been to convert patients from other brands into Euclid lenses.
How Euclid Cut Our Ortho-K Chair Time
For new fits, my experience has been around a 90% first-lens success rate, which has been a game changer for my practice. Ortho-k can easily become one of the most chair-time-intensive services in an office if you’re constantly refitting lenses and restarting follow-up schedules. Since transitioning to Euclid, I would estimate my overall ortho-k chair time has dropped by more than 50%.
Now, most patients complete insertion and removal training, return for a one-day follow-up, a one-week follow-up, and a one-month visit — and then we’re simply monitoring treatment and axial length progression. In many cases, I’m already ordering a backup pair within the first month because things are going so smoothly.
Euclid’s Consultant Support Makes the Difference
The consultant support has also been outstanding. When changes are needed, they ask thoughtful questions, request additional information when appropriate, and explain their recommendations clearly. Most of the time, their recommendations are so accurate that I simply approve what they suggest without modification.
From a patient experience standpoint, the difference has been huge. Patients and parents appreciate having fewer visits, fewer delays, and a smoother process overall. Instead of feeling like an extended troubleshooting project, ortho-k now feels predictable and manageable.
Ortho-K as the Gold Standard for Myopia Management
As someone who speaks frequently on practice management and workflow efficiency, I honestly consider this one of the most impactful workflow improvements our practice has made in the last several years.
What I would tell another eye care professional is simple: Euclid makes ortho-k approachable.
If you already fit ortho-k and are frustrated with inefficiency or inconsistent outcomes, the transition is much easier than you might expect. And if you’ve never fit ortho-k before, Euclid removes much of the intimidation factor. If you have topography, an autorefractor, a good refraction, and basic patient measurements, you can start fitting empirically from day one.
You don’t need an overly complicated process to get started.
More importantly, myopia management is quickly becoming the standard of care in our profession. We have an opportunity to meaningfully impact children’s long-term ocular health, and I believe Euclid has made ortho-k accessible enough that virtually every practitioner can confidently offer it in practice. In our practice when discussing Myopia Management, Ortho-K is the Gold Standard. In practice, compliance is far better than other methods, which means that outcomes are better. By getting as many practitioners fitting orthokeratology lenses as possible, we can prevent future retinal detachments, myopic maculopathy, etc and ensure the long term health of our patients. As an optometrist, I find very few things that are more important than taking care of the kids in our practices.
About the Author
This article was contributed by Dr. Nick McColley at Hancock Eye Associates in Greenfield and McCordsville, IN. Specializing in pediatric eye care including myopia management, Dr. McColley utilizes the Euclid designs to give patients the best experience and health benefits that orthokeratology has to offer.
