By Steve Roberts
Contact lenses for sport worn only while sleeping look to be the best solution for young Adam Clayton aged 9 years who wears expensive prescription glasses so that his short-sightedness won't stop him from playing his favourite sport which is rugby. However, despite his mum spending hundreds of pounds on these special glasses, Adam has been told he can no longer play the game he loves due to a ruling by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) which is reinforced by the International Rugby Board, the governing body for the sport worldwide. Yet Adam is clearly good at rugby having been voted player of the year for his team in Darlington so understandably his mother Emma is devastated.
However, there is a solution available to Adam which will not only enable him to play rugby but will also stop his short-sightedness from getting any worse. The new ortho-k corrective contact lenses for sport which are only worn overnight while sleeping then removed each morning will give Adam perfect daytime vision and help him continue to excel on the rugby field. These special custom-designed lenses gently reshape the eye under the mild pressure of closed eyelids during sleep to ensure that light focuses directly on the retina at the back of the eye rather than in front of it. The effect lasts for over 24 hours so a lens wearer like Adam can see brilliantly all day long until he reinserts the lenses at bedtime each night.
A statement by the RFU said: 'Players of all age grades are permitted to wear spectacles, glasses or specifically designed sports goggles in all forms of non-contact rugby but not in any form of contact rugby. The RFU recognises that this prohibition is not socially inclusive and creates difficulties for children with impaired eyesight who are not yet able to wear contact lenses.' Adam's mother responded by saying that: 'Adam is devastated at not being able to play. He's keen and he wants to be active, which helps his asthma, but the regulations won't let him.' So ortho-k contact lenses for sport - which are worn by top players like Jo McGilchrist of Wasps and England - look like the best solution for all short-sighted players like Adam and can help the RFU avoid further embarrassment.
