By Nigel Little 

Contact lenses for dry eyes  worn only while sleeping could have helped Emmerdale star Linda Lusardi avoid years of discomfort with severe dry eye. While her Emmerdale character might have been known for fluttering her eyelashes, Linda was masking an ongoing battle with a condition she has suffered from for the past 20 years. It caused her eyelids and sockets to inflame, leading to a constant stream of tears and made filming in the windy Yorkshire Dales very challenging. "I'd have to ask the camera team to shoot me from the left or position myself so my streaming red, right eye was hidden from the camera," recalls Linda, 54, who left the show in 2008.

Dry eye syndrome occurs when the eye does not produce enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly because the oil gland is blocked or abnormal leading to inflammation of the eye. Symptoms include dry or sore eyes, blurred vision, the feeling of a foreign object such as grit in your eye and a burning sensation. The most common causes include being in a hot or windy environment, hormonal changes, age and - a key factor in today's business environment - working in air-conditioned offices. This is where ortho-k corrective contact lenses for dry eyes  are so effective for sufferers since they correct short-sight overnight and enable wearers to enjoy perfect natural vision all day long after the lenses are removed each morning.

Linda had laser eye surgery five years ago to correct her deteriorating vision without realising that this could exacerbate her dry eye condition. "I had to use eye drops every day," says Linda. "They helped to a degree but if I spent too long watching TV or was out in the wind, my eyes would become red and start watering. Dry eye sufferers often experience excess tears in response to the irritation caused by the dryness - "the tears would wash away my makeup," says the former Page Three girl. Had Linda opted for ortho-k contact lenses for dry eyes , she could have corrected her short-sight and alleviated her dry eye condition.

Check if you are suitable for ortho-k corrective contact lenses  for dry eyes.