By Nigel Little 

Contact lenses for dry eyes  worn only while sleeping which enable short-sighted people to enjoy perfect natural vision all day long represent an effective and economic way of dealing with an increasingly serious problem. Dry eye affects around three million Britons and is typically caused by a lack of tear fluid which is needed to moisten and clean the front of the eye when we blink. This condition tends to worsen with age and particularly affects people who wear daytime contact lenses because the lens reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the eye surface. Working in air-conditioned office environments and spending too much time staring at screens - PCs, smartphones and TVs - only serves to worsen the problem.

Now a new 12-minute treatment which can be provided by a suitably qualified optician is being promoted as a means of relieving the problem of chronically dry eyes. The new device, the LipiFlow system, works by warming and compressing the eyelids using special goggles to clear the meibomian glands and improve flow. In around 65 per cent of cases, dry eye is caused by a lack of protective oil in the tear fluid and this clear oil known as meibum prevents the watery tear film evaporating. The oil itself is produced in the 30-40 tiny meibomian glands in the eyelids which the special goggles compress to achieve improved flow. However, the treatment at £595 per eye is not cheap which is why the new ortho-k overnight contact lenses for dry eyes  are being seen as an attractive alternative solution.

Many dry eye sufferers who also wear daytime contact lenses find that their condition can often force them to switch to glasses when their eyes become itchy and irritable. Additionally, their condition can make them less suitable for laser surgery which can severely exacerbate a dry eye problem. However, with overnight ortho-k contact lenses for dry eyes , the advantage is that the small bespoke lenses are designed to only be worn at night while sleeping. Using the mild pressure of closed eyelids during sleep, the lenses gently flatten the surface of the eye overnight to ensure that light entering the eye focuses directly on the retina rather than in front of it. This effect lasts for over 24 hours so the overnight lens wearer enjoys perfect natural vision all day long from when lenses are removed each morning until when they are reinserted at night.

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