And it's all down to the fact that she can see clearly again and no longer has to wear glasses or contact lenses in her everyday life.

Pam, who lives in Ripponden with her husband, Martin, is one of the five million short-sighted individuals in the UK today.

She has worn contact lenses and reading glasses for years but now is free of both thanks to a revolutionary new treatment that doesn't require any surgery.

Ortho K hit the market earlier this year. it involves clients wearing a pair of lenses made especially for their eyes in bed at night and removing them the next morning. The lenses help the cornea reshape, redistributing surface cells and improving vision, a bit like effects of laser surgery.

More than 70-per-cent of users have significantly restored vision after just eight hours and Pam is one of them. "They are a wonderful invention and I feel like I've shed at least 20 years thanks to them. My day to day life is so much easier. My distant vision is absolutely brilliant and I can walk around the supermarket now and see all the labels and read the prices without needing my glasses," says Pam.

She got her lenses from Yates & Suddell a Bury opticians where she worked in her 20s. They are one of 200 opticians across the UK offering the new treatment.

"I have tried lots of different contact lenses and was wearing daily disposables last year, but they started making my eyes itchy and dry so my optician at Yates & Suddell suggested Ortho K."

She had her assessment in January. An eye-mapping instrument analyses and measures 11,000 separate points in the eye and provides individual data. From this information, specially tailored contact lenses are made which last six months. The analysis indicates how long an individual should wear them each night and over what period of time. For ease, each lens is colour coded, one lilac and one blue to distinguish the left from the right.

Optician Nick Howard has worked in the profession for almost 30 years and says it is by far the most exciting and innovative development in the contact lens arena for years.

"It is ideal for short sighted people who find wearing lenses on a daily basis intolerable. Or, for people who find spectacles inconvenient in situations like swimming, walking on the beach or playing rugby. I've seen people jump for joy because the treatment has such a major impact on their lives."

Pam, who has always been weary of laser surgery, says she can't wait for her summer holiday to Greece later this year. "It will be amazing to get up in the morning and go swimming or hit the beach without the hassle of glasses or lenses. It's the freedom I love the most and the fact my vision is better than it has been for years."

The treatment costs £150 for the initial fitting and first pair of lenses, and then £42.50 a month.