By Nigel Little 

Contact lenses for sport  worn only while sleeping provide a genuine alternative option to laser vision correction for sports participants who suffer from myopia (otherwise known as shortsightedness) where distant objects appear to be out of focus. These new contact lenses are custom-designed for each individual and work by gently flattening the surface of the eye during sleep to correct the individual's focusing distance so that he or she has perfect natural vision once the lenses are removed each morning. The correction lasts for over 24 hours so the individual retains full visual acuity throughout the day until the lenses are reinserted at night thus providing all the vision benefits of laser surgery - but without the surgery.

Whilst laser surgery - and specifically LASIK, the most common version of the treatment - is clearly an effective way of correcting vision defects such as myopia, there are a number of issues which sports participants should be aware of before opting for the procedure. A key issue relates to the flap created in the cornea during LASIK which allows the laser to reshape the cornea to achieve the targeted correction. Sports participants who return to playing sports immediately after surgery - especially physical contact sports like rugby - may dislodge this flap before it has had time to properly heal. This would not only cause pain but inflict damage that must be repaired through a follow-up LASIK procedure. This issue does not arise with ortho-k contact lenses for sport .

A further issue is that of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) where sports participants are constantly changing their visual focus during play. REM can stress the eyes causing irritation and together with pressure around the eyes post-surgery, this could mean sports participants are prevented from getting the targeted result from their LASIK procedure. Obviously, high profile sports stars such as Tiger Woods have praised the benefits of LASIK in terms of helping them to improve their performance and for non-contact sports such as golf where REM is also not a factor then this procedure may me ideal. However, for many other sports where physical contact is a factor or for those sports involving a fast-moving object (eg most ball games), it is likely that ortho-k contact lenses for sport  may provide a better solution.

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