Hi Kai
Just as a quick recap, orthokeratology (Ortho-K) means wearing a specially shaped rigid/hard contact lens to sleep - pressure exerted by the lens on the cornea while sleeping flattens it in certain areas thereby providing clear vision after the lens is removed during the day time. LASIK also flattens the cornea in certain areas, but uses an excimer laser to do so permanently.
In many ways, the pros of Ortho-K are similar to the pros of other contact lenses-ie no surgery, flexibility - option to change corrective power should there be any refractive change over time, reversibility-option to stop at any time and go with glasses or conventional contact lenses.
The pros of LASIK are convenience - no hassle of wearing and removing, no storage solutions or containers to replace or clean, and no risk of allergies or other (uncommon) contact lens related issues. There is only a one time risk of infection (extremely rare) with LASIK, versus recurrent risk with contact lenses everytime they are worn (also uncommon).
The cons of Ortho-K vs LASIK are partly related to the impermanence of the effect. Generally speaking, Ortho-K lenses need to be worn every night to maintain its effect. Sometimes with high spectacle powers, the effect may wear off towards the end of the day, so that by late afternoon or evening, vision starts to get a bit blurry. Also, if for whatever reason the lens cannot be worn, such as eye infection/irritation/allergy, there could be several days where the spectacle power is unstable and vision is not clear because there are no suitable glasses around. Wearing a contact lens to sleep also carries a somewhat higher risk of corneal infection than conventional contact lenses, because of reduced tear flow, absent blink and relative hypoxia of the surface of the eye while asleep.
The cons of LASIK vs Ortho-K? Perhaps the one time risk of surgical complications and the difficulty of reversing it should a rare complication causing visual blurring occur.
Many people would actually be suitable for both Ortho-K and LASIK. But comparing the 2,
1.Ortho-K can be used for people with unstable refractive power while LASIK only when spectacle power is stable
2. Ortho-K can be used in people who are otherwise ineligible for LASIK due to corneal thickness or other eye issues
3. LASIK is preferable for those who cannot wear contact lenses for whatever reason or who value the convenience offered by LASIK
As a final note, it is worth also mentioning conventional daily wear contact lenses in this answer. Personally, given a choice between Ortho-K and conventional contact lenses, I would prefer conventional contact lenses. But that would be an answer for another question on another day…..
