By Jacqui Mayhew 

Contact lenses for hay fever  which are only worn while sleeping can provide an important aid for short-sighted hay fever sufferers who dread the start of the pollen season with its attendant problems of itchy irritated eyes and a frequent need to switch back to prescription glasses from normal daytime contact lenses. The belated arrival of spring weather to the UK over the past week has enabled the soil to warm up thereby stimulating trees and making birch pollen ready for dispersal. Over 15 million people in the UK suffer from hay fever and around one-quarter of them - almost 4 million people - are sensitive to birch pollen which has an annual season lasting around four weeks.

According to Professor Jean Emberlin, Director of Pollen UK Information, the national monitoring network, a maintained temperature of 13c (55.4f) is enough to trigger birch pollen release. ‘The forecast is for drier than average weather which means very good dispersal conditions. It only needs a slight breeze to stir the catkins and get the pollen out and a minimum temperature of 13c, with 15c being ideal, for pollen over a wide area. The start of the season is likely to be sudden, so people allergic to birch pollen can have a sudden attack of hay fever with little or no warning.' For short-sighted hay fever sufferers who wear conventional daytime contact lens wearers, this seasonal bad news can now be addressed by switching to the new overnight ortho-k corrective contact lenses for hay fever  which are only worn while sleeping.

Climate change is extending pollen seasons and for sufferers who live in built-up areas rather than the countryside the effects of tree pollen are exacerbated by traffic pollution which intensifies the nitrates from the pollen. In a recent survey by Opticrom Hay Fever Eye Drops, a quarter of hay fever sufferers responded that their symptoms have worsened over the past few years and Professor Emberlin recommends that they start taking their medication now before their symptoms become evident and ahead of the separate oak and grass pollen seasons due in May and June respectively. And by switching to overnight ortho-k corrective contact lenses for hay fever , short-sighted sufferers will be able to enjoy clear natural daytime vision without needing prescription glasses.

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