By Jacqui Mayhew 

Ortho-k contact lenses  worn only while sleeping are an important new treatment option for short-sighted drivers at a time when a new research study by Brake, the road safety charity has concluded that a third of drivers are unable to see properly when driving. The study was commissioned by Ultralase, the laser surgery company and surveyed 2,000 drivers across the UK yielding results which have led to a nationwide campaign for compulsory eye tests for all UK drivers. The research found that 20% of Britons have had at least one driving incident as a result of poor vision, whether that be damaging their vehicle or a road accident. Ultralase has now launched an online petition for mandatory eye tests, a move they say 89% of Britain supports.

Martin Howard, spokesperson at Brake, says: "It's shocking that so many drivers with poor vision are risking lives by not taking the simple step of wearing their glasses or lenses at the wheel." One-fifth of UK drivers have failed to take an eye test in the past two years, if at all, to determine whether their vision is good enough for driving and one-third admits to taking at least two journeys each week without the glasses or lenses they have been prescribed to wear. Since ortho-k contact lenses  are only worn overnight while sleeping then removed each morning, drivers who opt for this treatment would not be at risk of forgetting to wear their glasses or daytime contact lenses and would be able to drive safely at all times.

For short-sighted people, the new ortho-k contact lenses provide an excellent treatment alternative to glasses, daytime contact lenses and laser surgery. Indeed, they offer all the benefits of laser surgery but without the surgery since after they are removed each morning, the wearer enjoys perfect natural vision all day long until the lenses are reinserted at night. Ortho-k contact lenses  work by gently flattening the surface of the eye during sleep to correct the focusing distance so that light lands directly on the retina rather than in front of it. The effect lasts fully for over 24 hours so there is no loss of vision between taking the lenses out each morning and reinserting them at night. Most importantly, drivers who opt for ortho-k contact lenses will drive safely at all times.

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