Thomas Telford is 13 years old and a keen sports participant especially football and hockey. But until the autumn of 2010 he had to cope playing his favourite sports without the benefit of sharp eyesight - a key attribute for an aspiring goal scorer. Being short-sighted and a spectacles wearer, Thomas had to play football and hockey without any vision correction and whilst his prescription was relatively low, his adolescent short-sightedness was only going to get progressively worse throughout his teenage years. This would only make playing his favourite sports increasingly more challenging.
Then Thomas's mother Harriet heard about i-GO Overnight Vision Correction (OVC) which corrects short-sightedness using small bespoke contact lenses which are only worn while sleeping. For Thomas and Harriet, i-GO OVC seemed too good to be true since the treatment not only promised clear natural vision throughout the day but also that it would stop his adolescent short-sightedness from getting any worse. Nevertheless, Thomas went for a consultation at his nearest accredited i-GO OVC optician, Lynne Fernandes Optometrists of Bristol. At this appointment, it was confirmed that Thomas was suitable for i-GO OVC and his lenses were duly ordered.
After having his lenses fitted for the first time, Thomas found wearing lenses for the first couple of nights a little uncomfortable but this was very quickly compensated by finding how good his daytime vision had now become without wearing any visual aid at all. Now he could head off for school each day without having to remember his glasses and could play his favourite sports knowing his vision was as good as any other player. As Thomas says, "I never liked wearing glasses and didn't like having to carry them around with me all the time. Now it's great because I don't need anything and I don't get into trouble for breaking my glasses. Also I have now been able to go scuba diving for the first time without needing prescription goggles and I could see brilliantly underwater."
For Harriet, it wasn't just the fact that Thomas was prone to breaking his glasses but that she knew his dislike of them meant he wasn't wearing them all the time. Coming from a family with a history of short-sightedness, she knew his eyesight was likely to get worse as he got older and not wearing his glasses wouldn't help. Harriet says, "I thought i-GO OVC would be ideal for Thomas because I could at least ensure he wore his lenses every night and knew he would then have no problems at school either in the classroom or on the sports field. When I also learnt that i-GO OVC would stop his short-sightedness getting any worse I felt it would be the ideal solution for him and I am really pleased with how it has worked out."
For Gerard Fernandes of Lynne Fernandes Optometrists in Bristol where Thomas Telford was fitted with his i-GO OVC lenses, the success of the treatment demonstrates the benefits of OVC: "Thomas is a great example of how OVC can allow a young man to achieve his full potential, in sport, socially and in life. Thomas' case will be added to growing evidence that OVC stops short-sight getting worse. As a short-sighted parent myself to three active young boys, I will definitely be considering OVC if they too become short-sighted in due course."
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Thomas was treated at
