By Nigel Little 

Contact lenses for sport  designed using the optical science of orthokeratology - or ortho-k for short - have helped 19 year old Adam Burgess achieve selection for both the Senior and Under 23 GBR World Championships in the two-man C2 Canoe Slalom category alongside his partner Greg Pitt. These special lenses are only worn at night while sleeping and after removing them in the morning, the wearer enjoys perfect natural vision all day long until reinserting the lenses at night. For short-sighted Adam, this has provided the perfect solution to ensure he can optimise his performance having had to give up on conventional daytime contact lenses because of the risk of losing lenses during races given the constant barrage of spray.

Adam first looked at laser surgery but rejected this option given his concerns about possible risks before then discovering ortho-k which he quickly realised offered the perfect solution for him. "To begin with I was very sceptical of the idea but after further research I began to believe that it really could work", says Adam and he was delighted to find that he would be suitable to wear the custom-designed ortho-k contact lenses for sport . Being in the front of the boat and therefore responsible for steering the canoe through the fast flowing white waters of a slalom course, Adam needs very sharp vision so it was a huge boost for him when he found he could see perfectly after starting ortho-k treatment.

These special contact lenses for sport  can be worn by any short-sighted person whose prescription is no greater than -8.0 diopters and they work by gently flattening the surface of the eye overnight using the pressure from closed eyelids during sleep. This corrects the angle at which light enters the eye and ensures it focuses directly on the retina rather than in front of it. The correction lasts for over 24 hours so the wearer has complete freedom - and great natural eyesight - all day long. As Adam says: "I'm around 4 months on from starting ortho-k and I now have perfect vision all day long, every day and I'm loving the benefits of wearing my special overnight lenses."

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