contact lens discussion thread (merged) [Archive]

histon_iain

01-02-2005, 12:53 PM

Don't know what the law is, but I have my eyes checked at D&A and they tried to put me on their monthly scheme.
I buy my lenses and solutions from postoptics.com and all they require name & address of optician and the date of your last check. As long as your last check was less than 12 months ago then they can dispense lenses to you.
I can't remember if I asked D&A for my contact lens prescription. I didn't need to as all the information is on the lens packets that they supply to you.
D&A weren't too happy with me cancelling my direct debit in first month, but as I told them if they only charge £10 a month (rather than £25) I wouldn't have cancelled.

So if you know your lens details and date of last check is in last 12 months then there shouldn't be anything to stop you ordering on line.

baked_beans_lady

02-02-2005, 2:15 PM

I am afraid that I don't know if there is any law or regulator body that you can contact but speaking from my own experience. When I tried to order some lenses online without contact lense description I just gave them the lense details and requested the seller to contact my optician direct to verify the detail which they did and I had my lenses delivered within a week. I suppose you can do the same if D&A won't release your description detail to you.

svmitche

02-02-2005, 2:26 PM

If you check your direct debit agreement with D and A it should have your prescription on there.

They would not give me my prescription, so I joined the scheme and will be cancelling before they take the first payment.

They claimed to me that they could not give the prescription to me until they had checked me and knew that I was getting on ok, so after 6 months of your being in the scheme they should be sure that you are ok with the lenses. It is your right to have your prescription and, as I said, it should be in the direct debit form you signed. If not, as the poster above said, it will be on the end of the contact lense box.

On a related note, all these people who purchase on the 'net, what do you do about your aftercare? Which opticians will perform lense checks without your purchasing their lenses?

Patr100

02-02-2005, 3:18 PM

Surely your right to see your prescription comes under the Data Protection law or patient information access in that you are entitled by law to see information held about you eg doctors notes etc unless there is a good reason under the law to withold the info and I don't think here there is.

sunflower

02-02-2005, 5:15 PM

they do have to give you your prescription in writing and usually do this on the day of your eye exam

after that under data protection they have to give you the "details" of your prescription but this could be verbally.

as mentioned above - most internet companies will just contact the optician to confirm that the prescription you have ordered is correct.
i have never had any problems with this method and have never found any that expect you to send a signed prescription.

i have been wearing contact lenses for 15 year and its amazing how much they cost!
we need them to be able to see!!!
postoptics used to be cheap, but am not so impressed anymore.

the cheapest one i have found is in USA, but even after shipping its much cheaper than the UK ones.
i was paying £20 a month to D&A, i paid £37 for 6 pair from the USA including shipping!

try www.discountcontactlenses.com (http://www.discountcontactlenses.com)

they do everything for you with regards to contacting the optician etc, you just have to tell them where you had your eye test etc

:)

baked_beans_lady

02-02-2005, 10:42 PM

On a related note, all these people who purchase on the 'net, what do you do about your aftercare? Which opticians will perform lense checks without your purchasing their lenses?

I use specsaver onlineshop to purchase my contact lenses, so I can just book in any specsaver branch to have my aftercare, though there is a charge of £25, for me personally it's still cheaper than join the scheme at their branch.

My friends buy their lenses from some other online sellers. They told me that most responsible onlinesellers will recommand suitable opticians for aftercare if you shall need one. I assume that there will be a charge for the service.

johnk

04-02-2005, 4:33 PM

Many thanks for all the helpful hints.

i) D&A initially said that they could gave me the prescription after a check in 6 months time. But now (after the check) they changed and said they would not give me a signed contact lense prescription. They said that they could write me a note with my contact lenses details but that apparently would not enable me to order from online suppilers.

ii) The online supplier (Postoptics) contacted D&A for my prescription details but was refused citing data protection.

iii) I offered Postoptics with the DirectDebit form or the pack sheet which has my contact lense details but they said it is not sufficient as a prescription.

So much hassle made me wonder whether it's worthwhile to change. But I don't like D&A's attitute so try to find some concrete base to argue with them.

sunflower

04-02-2005, 6:50 PM

i think they must be losing a lot of money to internet suppliers, especially as it costs them to do the initial contact lens "fitting" etc

they do this for free on their monthly lenses scheme - so its not really fair for us to just get our prescription and cancel our order :(

however, they should think about ways around this
e.g. making us sign a contract to stay with them for a minimum period if we take the free fitting service

its not fair for them to be awkward!

did the original prescription you got when you had your test have a signature on it?
i cant remember any of mine being signed... but then again i have never checked

dont give up - why should you pay 4 times more for the same lenses...

even if u have to pay for another test - it will still be worth it ;)

ashmit

04-02-2005, 7:18 PM

I would suggest that people look round their local opticians and see if any of them have cheap lens schemes - I've found one locally (in Newcastle upon Tyne) that does monthly lenses for £11.95, which by the time you factor in the cost of the solutions on top of the lenses and paying for your eye tests makes it pretty much as cheap as the internet suppliers and much less hassle. They also offer you a free pair of glasses to the value of £75 - I've not taken them up on it yet as I want to contribute to the cost of high index lenses but still, it's a marvellous scheme. If anyone's in Ncl, it's Rowe opticians, near the library behind Northumberland Street :)

davejold

07-02-2005, 9:55 AM

Can anyone please help wih contact lenses?
At present I have perfect distant vision but use off the shelf reading glasses. Last week I had my first eye test (I'm 58). Tomorrow I am having a fitting for contact lenses, I am told I have a choice of varifocal or standard soft lenses with one lens for distance and one for close up. With varifocal at nearly treble the price are they worth paying the difference? And, is it possible to wear just one standard close up lens in one eye and nothing in the other as my distant sight is okay? I think that if I ask the optician he may suggest the dearest (more Profit).

Sheel

07-02-2005, 11:02 AM

Hi

I'm going to move this over to the Health board for you

regards , Sheel

lolly5648

07-02-2005, 1:12 PM

I have a friend who only wears one lens - she doesnt have any problems.

I wear one lens for distance and one for reading and it only took me a few days for my brain to realise what was going on. However I am very short sighted and now need reading glasses as well so this was the best option for me.

It is harder getting used to using varifocal lenses so I think you are probably better off with a standard lens in one eye and one for close up in the other. I think lenses are only sold in pairs, dont know if opticial will just let you order the close up lens but it is worth asking.

Bennifred

07-02-2005, 2:40 PM

I am short-sighted in one eye with O.K- longish sight in the other, and the optician wanted me to wear a different lens in each eye. Unfortunately this had the effect of making the short-sighted eye long-sighted and the other one short-sighted (i.e. just swapped the problem around!!) I find that the solution for me is to wear the lens correcting the short-sighted eye when I'm driving, at the cinema etc, and not at all if I have lots of reading to do.

SnowyOwl

07-02-2005, 3:22 PM

Hi there

If your optician tells you to wear your contact(s) for a maximum number of hours per day and max no of days per week...follow that advice!!! I got contacts a few years ago and loved them so much I wore them for lots longer than the recommendation. Stupid me! What happens is that with some types of contacts your eyes have to work a lot harder to get their oxygen supply - taking your lenses out when you're awake gives them a chance to rest and replenish. Leaving your lenses in too long day in and day out can cause damage to your eye - it doesn't hurt but it could mean bye bye to your lenses forever!

I know contacts have advanced a lot and some modern ones can even be worn while you sleep, but do follow your optician's advice. Things can go wrong if you don't and there possibly won't be any pain to tell you. My intention is not to put you off contacts, but just to share with you my mistake and the consequences in the hope that you don't do the same.

I am now a permanent speccy four eyes as I am too scared to put contacts into my eyes now. :(

davejold

07-02-2005, 4:57 PM

Thank you for your most helpful replies, it sounds as if one standard lens for close up may suit me. I now feel more confident for tomorrows visit to the optician and a little wiser.

Rex_Mundi

09-02-2005, 8:31 PM

I've been reading this thread with interest. My partner Debs wears contacts. She has been using the same village optician for years. I didn't realise till recently that you can order on the net. I looked into it and realised that we can save quite a bit of money. She currently orders three months of dailies at a time. This costs £90 each time. I've found exactly the same lenses online for £64.50. This is nearly £10 a month cheaper.

She phoned the opticians to make sure that they don't order the next three months worth, and told them she was going to order on the net. The opticians phoned up a while later and told her that the price of her six monthly checkup was going up from £27 to £47. She has always been told that for contacts she needs a checkup every six months and has been doing this for years. It's only now that we've found out that she only needs a check every 12 months. Her prescription doesn't change that often, so it doesn't seem like she has a special need for six monthly checkups.

I can understand the shop not wanting to lose a regular customer, but, not only does it seem that they have been scamming her for years by doing two checkups a year. The price rise seems completely ridiculous and plain bad blood on their part. They have now lost all of our custom.

Can they refuse her a copy of her prescription? I'm just starting the process of ordering on the net and although we know the type and strength of the lens, we don't have anything in writing. Her last checkup was two months ago and there was no change from the checkup before. I'm worried they may try to cause problems if a new supplier contacted them for her details.

panther

09-02-2005, 9:12 PM

kazzy

19-02-2005, 7:56 PM

I used to buy my lenses online from Holland which was cheaper but when I got an eye infection and needed to see an optician ,because I wasn't registered with anyone,every optician I went to wanted to charge me a horrendous amount-over £100.I therefore thought I wouldn't take the risk again so I am now with specsavers.

Rex_Mundi

19-02-2005, 8:47 PM

Thanks for the info panther. Very informative. In fact, it looks like the opticians may be in breach of their own code. The GOC deal with cases of inappropriate publicity.

Last week Debs received a letter from the opticians reminding her about her six monthly checkup. In the letter they state, and I quote "Current research has shown that soft lens wearers require an examination every six months, and this is recommended by the British College of Optometrists"

Just to double check on this I contacted Dr Susan Blakeney who is the Optometric Advisor at the College of Optometrists. She wrote back to confirm that their advice is that contact lens checkups should be conducted at least every twelve months.

This looks like the optician is trying to drum up extra business by giving out false information. If they are doing it here, I'm presuming they are doing this to all their customers. I've downloaded the complaint form from the GOC and we are going to complain about this. At £47 a test, they must be scamming a fortune off people.

On the other hand.....................

On Thursday we ordered three months worth of lenses from www.postoptics.co.uk This was our first order, and we weren't sure how long it would take for the lenses to arrive. Saturday morning and the lenses were at our door. Fantastic service!!! And a lot cheaper than we've been paying for years.

Patr100

20-02-2005, 1:13 PM

i currently pay about £55 for 6 months of 30 day disposables from my local optician . Allthough the prices on the sites are a bit cheaper for supply, the local Opticians that are part of the sites search facilty charge from £20 and often much more for follow up care - as a new patient that would be required, so it doesn't make such a saving. I am due my annual test I could ask my existing optician for my prescription but they are unlikey to provide free follow up care for new lenses they do not recommend or supply themselves if I have any problems.

So not always such a bargain.

frizz_head

20-02-2005, 1:53 PM

I have been wearing soft contact lenses for about 15 years now, and changed to daily disposables about 8 years ago. I have been toying with the idea of getting cheaper lenses online, but have never got round to it. I am with Specsavers and pay £25 a months for 30 pairs. As part of the scheme, I am entitled to free check ups twice a year. And, I get my eye tests paid for by work.

Would I be better of buying my lenses online?

kazzy

20-02-2005, 2:12 PM

i have 30 pairs of daily disposables every 3 months .I wear them for 3 days.I ALWAYS discinfect them every night in Aosept or similar.A friend of mine is an optician and says it's ok as long as they are disinfected.So I get 3/4 days out of one pair-much cheaper!!!!

Patr100

20-02-2005, 3:13 PM

I would assume lenses are tested for safety far beyond the suggested max time for monthly or daily wear. Although Ocassionally wearing for longer probably won't do you any harm - unless you are particularly sensitive - i do find that if i over wear my monthies longer by a few days they feel dryer and heavier - As for the possibility of infections - dailies are changed for often of course .

A possible cheap alternative is looking for second hand contact lenses - but I don't see them for sale, even on e-bay - .

#

Er.... that was a joke, by the way.

sarah1

20-02-2005, 8:48 PM

Patr100

20-02-2005, 10:04 PM

Lassr treatment is not without it's risks and while it can benefit some - even after the OP you are still lmay need to wear glasses anyway and as if you are over 45 you are likely to need glassess regardless of treatment.

duchy13

21-02-2005, 10:41 AM

Hi,
I have been ordering contact lenses from Visions Directs website for a couple of years now.
They don't ask you for any prescriptions, you just order and pay and that's it.
Their website is:

www.visiondirect.co.uk

Hope this helps.

sunflower

21-02-2005, 7:40 PM

Hi All, Has anyone considered laser correction treatment.
After wearing soft contact lenses for 12years, I had my eyes done last April (nearly a year ago) and my eyes are fantastic , the best thing that i have ever done by far.
I got fed up with contact lenses, dry eyes and not to mention eye infections now and again. The holidays were a nightmare taking contact lenses, solutions, prescription sunglasses , normal glasses, normal sunglasses ,all that lot was a travel bag on it's own.
Laser treatment was with Optimax and i would stongly reccomend them. Treatment took 20 seconds for one eye and 25 seconds for the other. and yes i could see straight away. but my eyes were a little sore for a few days afterwards.
If anyone out there is thinking of it i would tell them to book in straight away.
Treatment cost £960 for both eyes which included all aftercare and examinations.
Imagine how much you have paid on your lenses and glasses allready !!!!!!!!!
GO ON DO IT
Good Luck

a few year back i booked to get my eyes corrected by laser treatment
had all the consultations and the ops were both paid for
my first op was due in 2 weeks

but then a work colleague came in and i was telling her about it
she had the laser treatment done but never fully regained the sight in one of her eyes
she could only see blurred images

so i cancelled my ops

looking back... i wish i had gone ahead, as the ex was paying

http://smileys.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/cat/4/4_1_209.gif (http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZW)

HappySaver

21-02-2005, 8:07 PM

I recommend checking all the facts about laser surgery - My mother goes to Moorfields eye hospital regularly and the specialists there do not seem to endorse laser surgery at all - horror stories such as permanent bluriness ect seem to re occur- they reckon the process is still in its infancy. In fact, as i think some people may have mentioned it may not even be a permanent solution, as the follicles that they burn off can grow back making sight worse.

haven't got the exact articles to hand but as with any cosmetic/correctonal surgery it is worth researching all the possibilities so you are well informed before making the decision.

edit: not sure whose signature that is under here, but it aint mine.....

sarah1

21-02-2005, 8:41 PM

Well i'm fine .
At my last check up i had 20-20 vision , that's good enough to join the RAF.
I have never had any problems AT ALL since.
I'm a very happy bunny :-)

condyk

22-04-2005, 4:50 PM

I was hoping to get my eyes lasered using the ebay offer, but deemed unsuitable :-(

However, I was told that there are now daily soft contact lenses available for people with astigmatism, something that wasn't available when I last looked into it.

Can anyone kindly suggest a good brand and supplier online? I am getting eyes tested again next week and don't want to pay out retail. Rather order online and save.

I wore hard lenses for many years so know the whole general routine of wearing lenses. Just need a good supplier for my prescription.

condyk

23-04-2005, 10:45 AM

Does no one get their contacts online? Can't believe it!

Any help welcome ...

Thanks :-)

Luis

23-04-2005, 3:30 PM

Dunno about online, but the OH used to get his toric contacts from vision express for about £20 per month's supply of dailies (before he stopped wering them).

suroben

23-04-2005, 4:33 PM

£18 per month from Specsavers shops or cheaper if you buy annually. They have an online site so may be cheaper there.

Woby_Tide

25-04-2005, 12:24 PM

condyk

25-04-2005, 12:34 PM

Thanks, I'm off for a check up and fitting Tuesday AM at Specsavers, so we'll see what happens.

The monthly ones are not suitable for me as I hate the hassle. I just want dailies so I can put 'em in and then chuck 'em away at the end of the day. May as well stick to specs otherwise.

Bennifred

25-04-2005, 12:36 PM

Am surprised to read that daily lenses are available for astigmatism - my son has just (last week!) been told that they were unsuitable, and that he has to use the monthly ones. We would have preferred dailies because of the hassle of cleaning/possiblity of damage by 12yr-old and fewer spares etc, but were told not. Although, having said that, 15yr-old (not astigmatic) finds the fortnightly lenses more comfortable than dailies, he said they don't get so dry. He has been using contacts since he was ten with no problems, but 12yr-old struggles to get the left one in - much stress every morning, but he hates glasses and insists he wants to wear lenses :rolleyes:

25-04-2005, 9:37 PM

Not sure about dailies for torics, sounds like your eyes may be as bad as mine! I just did the Specsavers free trial on the monthlys, they had to order them in especially for me as they didn't stock that strong a prescription. I went in for my check up today and the price quoted was £52 for 3 montsh supply including solutions, i.e. £17.50 per month. Not sure how they compare online but when I did look a while back they seemed quite favourable considering how strong a prescription I was needing, even the US sites by the time tax etc was included were about the same. Specsavers do have an online website that can be cheaper but the lenses I needed weren't on there

I have just been fitted with monthly torics (free trial) at Optical Express. I have quite a bad astigmatism and although have 'good' vision with the lenses they don't currently do toric lenses string enough to give me 'perfect' vision.

I think there may be daily toric lenses out there, but only for very slight astigmatisms.

KG

25-04-2005, 9:41 PM

Focus do Daily Toric lenses. I know spec savers sells them because i had a free trial from them a few years ago. Only problem is they only do two axis dimensions(?): 90 and 180. I tried them and I did not like them at all. However they may suit other people.

condyk

25-04-2005, 9:45 PM

I noticed the Axis thing in a couple of internet provider sites. Sizes offered don't suit me either :-(

Woby_Tide

25-04-2005, 9:50 PM

loracan1

25-04-2005, 9:57 PM

I know what you mean about daily being preferable.

I first started wearing lenses over 20 years ago, first hard lenses, then gas permeable and then the revelation of daily disposables - changed my life they did. Having said that - I still get a thrill when I put contacts in.

I have slight astigmatism in one eye so a couple of years ago, when a normal prescription wasn't effective enough I had to change to a toric for that eye. That meant I had to go for monthlys (bah!), costs about 14 or 15 a month.I look around for daily torics every now and then but never found any suitable.

condyk

25-04-2005, 9:58 PM

thats why I suggested the monthlys in fairness, they have a greater product range and coverage of different prescriptions compared to dailies, I'm guessing the costs etc still aren't particularly viable for strong toric dailies. Got to say can't agree with the 'hassle' comment though, taking them out and then putting them in the all in one solution takes only marginally longer than taking them out and throwing them. certainly don't require the time like normal soft or hard lenses did to use the two stage solutions etc..

Ok ... I am only used to the 2 step approach as haven't worn lenses for quite a few years. Maybe that's a solution then ... to go for monthly lenses atvery best online price, but also to chuck them as soon as they start to get itchy. When I had monthly ones years ago direct from opticion (expensive) then they never lasted a month: too itchy, too quick! Had to replace them every 10 days or so. If I can get them cheap as possible then I can get rid without too much expense.

Liz19

26-04-2005, 2:51 PM

I have been wearing toric lenses from Spec Savers since January and I think they are great. I have the monthly lenses that you can sleep in and its fantastic being able to see the alarm clock in the morning:) They cost £25 a month.

saraht

05-06-2005, 3:42 PM

Hi,

I have worn glasses full-time for the past few years as my eyesight has gradually got worse. A month or so ago I went for a check up and my optician said I would be an ideal candidate for wearing contact lenses. I said I would go away and think about it, but I am squeamish and hate the thought of touching my eyes. Also I worry that I would get them in and then have a panic and not be able to get them out. Then I have heard people tell me that the lenses have got stuck on rare occasions and I really hate the thought of this happening.

However I love the thought of not having to wear my glasses, and wish I could get the confidence to overcome my fear and try wearing contacts. If anyone has been in a similar situation before and overcome it I would love to hear from you, or if anyone has any general advice I would also like to hear it. I also have no idea about different kinds of lenses and am interested to hear how people get on with them. I have a stigmatism in one eye.

Looking forward to hearing your replies,

Sarah

shelly

07-06-2005, 9:52 AM

Hi Sarah.I personally don't wear contacts but my hubby does.I can't tell you about different kinds of lenses as everyones circumstances are different.For example...if you are going to wear them everday you might be ok with lenses you can throw away at the end of the day or use the ones that you wear a certain amount of times then throw them away.My hubby has the lenses that you wear once then throw away as he only uses them when out on his motorbike as his glasses were uncomfortable under his lid,for driving the car he wears his glasses.Also he wears them if we go out for an evening so he can see people at a distance.They aren't easy to remove when your drunk though....lol...I have to take them out for him which isn't too bad to do.The ones he uses its not advisable to fall asleep whilst wearing them...he did once and had sore eyes for a few hours afterwards.Overall hubby has had a good experience with lenses and is now thinking about laser treatment.As for different types of lenses I would advise asking your optician about ones that are best for you.

HTH

rchddap1

07-06-2005, 9:58 AM

I wear contacts and have no problem. WHen you first start it can be a bit difficult to get them out....took me 30 mins the first time. However, I found they very easy to get use to. Most people I talk to are squeamish about touching their eyes, but now I think nothing of it. Everyso often I'll get something in one eye and will need to whip out one of my contacts. I try to do it discretely, but if people notice I get a "ewwwww" type response.

I can assure you that it doesn't hurt and I have found that they are very easy to use. However, if you do go out and get plastered I would advise the use of glasses as you shouldn't fall asleep when wearing contacts.

Don't worry about the different types of contacts as your optician will advise the best ones for you. If you ask them they may even be able to give you a pair, or a few weeks worth so that you can try them out. But it does depend on what is best for your eyes.

Personally I've been wearing them for over 11 years and I wouldn't do without them. I know it seems scary, but honestly there is nothing wrong with touching your eyes and it doesn't hurt is any way when you do so.

elmer

07-06-2005, 10:01 AM

Hi Sarah,
I have worn contacts for 20 years now, and they are indispensible, these days you can get reasonably cheap daily disposables, try not to be too sqeamish, you will soon get used to taking them in and out, they feel a little strange at first, but for me the amazing ability to see things was the main factor. I have never lost one in my eyes, although they can move around sometimes if you rub them hard.

Many opticians these days will let you have a trial go,why dont you have a word with them and try them out. I promise you the experience is nowhere near as bad as you think it might be, opticians are used to dealing with people who dont want to put things in their eyes.

Go on give it a go, I couldnt be without mine

Elmer ( also a Sarah T)

dellboy102

07-06-2005, 11:24 AM

I am really short sighted however hate wearing my glasses hence only wear them when I drive, eyesight problems is starting to effect work now a lot so I am now looking into contact lenses, however I need some advice from people who wear em!.

They sound unconfortable... also i'm worried about them getting "lost" in my eyes! (probably way off here).

however I still want to try them, I went on the specsavers website and it looks like the monthly disposables are the best value ones for me, however there are so many of em http://www.specsaversdirect.com/cgi-bin/wspd_cgi.sh/ctrydelv.w?UckUcZllaaIpkkac=&POlfigXkjkjkWbdq=&SblzdbFStskKccak=&bjChcdFkUYaquHii=co.uk&pfjdXXRkcxxcakLa=&dfkfadaEjbfidjhi=&eyElKdweVSzdhipl=&cdiHkiickangpkca=&baibklficlDdHnnZ=&etqjdAiifjSdWkdl=co.uk&GlhqkgkkbdbEinAR=&bcdikbndQjdEUaka=&bbZjjDkafpjfkjkH=
its really hard making the right choice.

Also if I buy monthly ones do I have to clean them every day in special solution or somesthing?.

Also if anyone can advice of anywhere else I can get good value but high quality lens that would also be appreciated!, I couldnt think of anyone but specsavers at the moment.

Any help much appreciated :)

minap

07-06-2005, 12:00 PM

I have recently been to specsavers and they offer continous wear contacts for £15.50 a month this fee in cludes solutions eye test and a free consulation. All being well I'm on the trail, but I went back after trailing some contacts and said I wasn;t too happy about not being able to clean my lens as and when needed they offered me daily disposibles, but these dry out my eyes... anyway I'm still trying out the ones that they gave me first and are going to see them again but it seems that this will be a chargeable consulation so nothing is free after all. in desperation I'm going to irisonline where the contacts are much cheaper and they arrive ontime.
Hope this helps

trace-j

07-06-2005, 12:04 PM

I'm on soft daily disposables from Vision Express and pay around £25 each month and get them supplied every 3mths. Have been wearing lenses everyday (pretty much) for 8yrs now.

I started with monthly disposable soft contact lenses with Specsavers and had no problems with them. Only reason I changed was when I moved there wasn't a local Specsavers to pick lenses up from.

You will have to go for a consultation (probably at a fee and will involve and up to date eye test) to see if you're eyes will be suitable, but the trial lenses will be free. There are different types of lenses available and the right pair will depend on how many hours you want to wear them.

With the monthly ones you get 3 pairs of lenses (for 3 months), 3 bottles of all in one solution and a case. At the end of each day you clean both sides of the lens and leave to store in the case overnight with some fresh solution. Next day rinse lenses with solution and wear. Case needs to be cleaned daily, rinse with boiling water or solution. Thats it! At the end of the month dispose of the lenses and start again.

They are weird at first, but they don't get lost in your eyes. You can't sleep with them in. It's also worth pointing out you never actually touch your eye when putting them in and removing them. The optician will also show you how to put them in correctly. The lenses have a visability handling tint so you can see them when in your eye and in the solution.

Soft lenses have a high water content, so it's the moisture that keeps it attached to your eye and make them comfortable to wear.

If for some reason you end up with lenses, e.g. gas permeable (no idea what these do) they last longer than 1 month and you will have to use other cleaning products to remove other deposits- again the optician will advise.

Check whats included with the package, with mine I get a free eye test every year and a discount for glasses. I would still recommend you have an upto date pair of glasses, useful if anything for when you get out of bed in the morning and try and stumble to the bathroom!!

minap: The daily disposables from Vision Express are Focus Dailies. This is my first batch of the new improved ones and they don't dry out as much as the old ones. At the moment very impressed. Otherwise invest in some eye drops for contact lenses, particularly for Summer months.

angel4

07-06-2005, 12:24 PM

i use focus daily disposable soft lenses by ciba vision with no probs. they WONT get lost in your eye, sometimes they get a bit stuck as the more your eye waters whilst trying to get the little blighters out the more the darn thing sticks.

Dont worry, they will come out! i just buy them when i need them and wear glasses at other times.

hth ang x

flyer

07-06-2005, 12:29 PM

Just slightly off subject, I'm thinking of laser treatment. Anyone got any experience?

dellboy102

07-06-2005, 12:38 PM

angel4

07-06-2005, 12:38 PM

theres another contact lens discussion going on in the health board, i dont know how to put a link in to it tho, sorry

ang x

angel4

07-06-2005, 12:40 PM

there is another contact lens discussion going on in the i wanna do it or buy it board, cant add a link, dont know how to sorry..

ang x

trace-j

07-06-2005, 12:53 PM

Thanks everyone, especially Trace-J, you covered everything I needed to know!.
I will probably phone up specsavers and arrange something, I only had an eye test about 6months ago so maybe they dont do a test again, hope not as I dont want to pay much for consulation (only a student!).
The monthly soft disposables sound good but they will probably give advice about whats right for me.

Thanks a lot for all the help!, its cleared up a lot of confusion.

No probs, if you are a student you can get a HC1 (http://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/HC1_form_intro.htm)certificate that allows you to get free prescriptions, eye test and dental check ups. The forms can be found in your local surgery or chemist. If you can't get it free, you may get a partial pne that gives you a reduction instead.

alicardinal

07-06-2005, 1:39 PM

I was like you for a long time - couldn't stand the though of messing with my eyes...eeeeuuuuwwww!!!!

BUT, having started with daily disposables, I have now had monthly extended wear lenses for 2 years and they are the best thing ever. The're Bausch & Lomb pure vision and you can wear them for up to a month without removing them - you can sleep in them no problem.

They're especilallly good if you don't like touching your eyes- you only have to do it once a month.

I'd go for it - you can start with dailies and see how you get on, and lots of opticians do a free trial.

Best of luck!

Ali

dellboy102

07-06-2005, 5:22 PM

No probs, if you are a student you can get a HC1 (http://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/HC1_form_intro.htm)certificate that allows you to get free prescriptions, eye test and dental check ups. The forms can be found in your local surgery or chemist. If you can't get it free, you may get a partial pne that gives you a reduction instead.
I'v actually already got the HC1 form, however I thought that they dont help if your getting contact lenses, only normal glasses.
I will try asking specsavers!

Pink-winged

07-06-2005, 6:54 PM

This thread would be better suited to the Health board, so I'm going to move it over there.

Pink

pavlovs_dog

07-06-2005, 7:26 PM

hey there dellboy

i've just started wearing contacts (boots were running a free trial, dont know if they still are).

first things first, dont set your heart on a particular type of lens. which lens you are compatable with will depend on several things, curvature of your eye for one thing. i have rather 'flat' eyes, which means that out of the whole range my option does, only one type are suitable for me.

i also found it took a lot of getting used to, handling them and putting them in. i was in no rush to get them as i love my glasses, just fancied something new. it took me SIX hours of lessons to learn how to put them in. not everyone gets past the learning how to put them in stage apparently.

my lenses feel like that anti-scratch plastic stuff they put on the screens of new mobiles/watches etc. they are so light and soft they are barely there. once they are in i cant feel them at all, and completely forget i am wearing them, so i doubt you need worry about them being uncomfortable. and my optician assures me they cant get lost (i had the same fear)..they are even self-righting...if they find their way to the wrong part of your eye, they also find their way back :D)

as for the money aspect...you have glasses. if you were really, really, really worried about your eyesight you would wear them to aid you vision, not just when driving. contact lens will cost. fact. you may not be able to wear the type of lens offered on the cheap plans. your first concern in this instance should surely be caring for your eyes? if contacts are beyond your budget you still have a perfectly good pair of glasses...

it is possible to buy lens online at a reasonable price, but until you are an experienced lens wearer and your optician is happy with the health of your eyes after a few months of lens wearing, i really wouldnt recommend going down that road yet.

monthly lenses - yes, they do need to be cleaned properly in solution each night, for at least 6 hours.

all the best, and enjoy your new found focus and peripheral vision!

angel4

10-06-2005, 11:53 AM

now i dont want to suggest anyone does this, its more of a thinking out loud exercise... but, how does the daily & monthly lens differ? is it just a money making thing, or are they different? or could you wear the dalies for a month?

like i said not suggesting anyone tries this, just wondering.

ange x

s@sha

10-06-2005, 11:29 PM

Well, I asked my optician about this when i went for my contact lens check about 2 months ago, as I have started to suffer with dry eyes sometimrs when wearing my monthly disposables. I thought the daily disposables had a higher water content & might be more comfy.

The optician suprised me by saying there is very little difference in their make-up. If she's correct I suppose in theory you could wear the dailies for a month. But would there be any point, as you'd then have to buy cleaning solution & care for them just the same as monthly ones?

I confess that I have sometimes worn my monthly disposables for two months without any ill-effects, basically because I have forgotten when I needed to change them. I got told off by the optician for doing this though, as she said they are not designed to last that long & start to deteriorate...don't know how true this is, though.

stanmoresaver

11-06-2005, 2:04 PM

Ok ... I am only used to the 2 step approach as haven't worn lenses for quite a few years. Maybe that's a solution then ... to go for monthly lenses atvery best online price, but also to chuck them as soon as they start to get itchy. When I had monthly ones years ago direct from opticion (expensive) then they never lasted a month: too itchy, too quick! Had to replace them every 10 days or so. If I can get them cheap as possible then I can get rid without too much expense.

Hi, I've just gone back to lenses- toric ones just like you it would seem.

How did you get on with the on-line prices as I think this is the route that I will go.

:beer:

SlayerKat

29-06-2005, 4:37 PM

I used to be on the direct debit aftercare plan with vision express. Had to pay for lenses monthly but all other care was free.

I cancelled this in january because I could no longer afford the direct debit payments.

I have now run out of lenses and need to sort something out. I wanted to buy them online but all of the retailers require approval from your optician which would mean I would at least have to spend out another £20 for a new site test plus another £25 for a contact lense consultation even though I know what my prescription is from a previous pair.

The question is do I return to vision express and start buying my lenses again on direct debit. Are they are good deals around?

I tried boots opticians but they are a real rip-off. On top of the sight test and contact lense consultation, they also want you to pay an additonal £25 for each subsequent aftercare appt. At least Vision express were FREE!

Thank you for any suggestions

Squidgy

29-06-2005, 9:55 PM

I've never had that with boots.

I pay £15 a month for their monthlies and soultions. Included in this price is all subsequent appointments.

As I pay monthly I also get 33% discount on all eyewear I purchase (inc sunglasses).

Plus I also get lots of lovely advantage card points each month.

I expect you can probably get cheaper, but I've never had better service any where.
(BTW the 1st appt I ever had at vision express the optician wrote an invite to the pub to his mates on the back of my details so suprisingly I never went back)

Squidgy

Becles

30-06-2005, 7:16 AM

Try http://www.lensway.com/uk/

I've bought from them before and you don't have to send a copy of your prescription in. Just make sure you enter the details from your current one accurately. The lenses arrived from Stockholm within a week. I would recommened them for both good service and cheaper prices than UK suppliers.

nancy

29-07-2005, 1:14 AM

I used to buy my contact lenses from costco's as they were by far the cheapest.Tesco's have just started selling contact lenses and they work out slightly cheaper then Costco's ,just under £30 for 6 months supply(monthly disposables)

Millie

01-08-2005, 11:10 AM

I wondered if anyone could help me.

My son has just started wearing contact lenses and ive signed a direct debit with the opticians to pay £20.00 per month for 'Aucuvue advance' two weeklies.
After doing a search this morning i am going to cancel that as Tesco only charge £33 for three months supply.

My question and confusion lies with the contact lense solution.
Ive been supplied with 'mirage light for sensitive eyes' which i have to pay £7.99 for or £4.99 if i sign up to a direct debit with the same opticians.

I want to buy he solution online as i feel it would be cheaper but i cant find it anywhere to compare.
What i need to know is can i use any other solution at all? :confused:
Is the type of solution that you use relevant to the type of contact lense? :confused:

Many thanks for any replies

KleptisV

01-08-2005, 11:56 PM

I should probably start off by saying I'm not an optician!

I've been wearing contact lenses for several years, and I come from a long line of lense wearers! As far as I know, you only have to match the solution with the type of lenses (soft, torics, etc) Acuvue are soft lenses, and the most popular, so the solution is easy to find.

The only thing to be weary of, is that the optician has suggested 'sensitive eye' solution, and this may be for a good reason, so try any new brand while you've still got sensitive solution left, so you can rinse the lenses again should it cause any irritation!

gundo

09-08-2005, 10:32 AM

I wanted to buy them online but all of the retailers require approval from your optician

Sorry to contradict you but no they don't.

:)

Try Coastal Contacts

http://www.coastalcontacts.co.uk

Probably not the cheapest but certainly cheaper than VisionExpress and they didn't ask me for approval from the optician.

Hope that helps and good luck with getting some.

Bendybops19

10-08-2005, 8:42 AM

Oooh this is great!! I have wanted to start wearing my contacts again for aaages but didnt want to have to go for yet another contact lense check up!!

Silly question - i havnt worn contacts on my current prescription so will that be ok? AND how do i find out my prescription?!?! I dont really want to have to ring and ask...

robnye

10-08-2005, 10:08 AM

contact lense prescriptions can vary slightly from what your glasses prescription might be.

you say you havent worn lenses fore aaaages, is that months or years?

Bendybops19

10-08-2005, 11:11 AM

contact lense prescriptions can vary slightly from what your glasses prescription might be.

you say you havent worn lenses fore aaaages, is that months or years?

Oooh i would say about 9 months? Its just i have a problem with having my eyes checked....OOooooh gives me the creeps!! Haha it took me a yr to learn how to put my contacts in!!

madkid88

10-08-2005, 5:16 PM

SlayerKat

10-08-2005, 8:56 PM

ive neva worn contact lenses and been wearin glasses for bout 3 years,now ive decided i want to wear contacts,i will first need an eye test,then what would i have to do.where would i learn on how to put contacts in my eyes if i buy them straight from the internet.help would be grateful, thanks.

although its generally cheaper to buy contact lenses online, personally, i would strongly recommend that for the first time you should go via the opticians. they can advise you best and will help you choose and will show you how to put them in and give you 'practise ones' to play with. you need to have a seperate eye sight test and contact lense consultation because some people rarely cannot wear contacts. your eyes are very precioius so you want to be kind to them ;)

goodluck

Kat xxx

madkid88

11-08-2005, 9:57 AM

yeh thats what im gonna do, you dont have to have a 12 months contract with any opticians do u,i can have an monthly trial and then after that buy them from the net where i have seen on coastalcontacts.com are quite cheap for the extensive wear ones where i can where for about an month without taking them out.where do they do contact lenses consultation.

chinagirl

13-08-2005, 6:45 PM

I know this is not the cheapest, but I have an optical plan with my optician which supplies me with 4 daily pairs a week, ( as I said I like to wear my glasses to work, instead of wearing contacts 7 days). This costs me £18 a month and includes eye-checks and contact lense checks and I always ask for a small bottle of universal cleaning/soaking fluid as I say I am clumsy and often drop the lense when putting them in. I make the 4 pairs easily last 7 days, as I reuse them by soaking them in the fluid overnight, (and they often feel more lubricated for it as well). This way of extending the life of my lenses makes the cost per day quite good I think! And I know my eye-checks are prepaid so can keep up to date with them too.

bluesnice

18-08-2005, 5:28 PM

i get mine from www.getlenses.com and buy them through the link at www.greasypalm.co.uk so i get chashback (and credit card cash back on top of that!)

The service is really good and they have a 0800 customer service line. Lenses are normally delivered within a day or two of ordering. They also offer to refund the difference if you find the lenses cheaper elsewhere.

coolbreezes

25-08-2005, 11:03 AM

Have worn lenses for 30 years (ouch!). Buy a solution to suit the type of lenses you have.They all contain the same ingredients so buy whatever is cheapest. I also have been informed by opticians who are friends that you dont need to discard solution within 28 days. this is just something the manufacturers advise to make more money. I always use mine until its empty and have never had any problems, however would never use any that had been open for a long time. :j

kissmekate

26-08-2005, 4:40 PM

Hi

Is anybody in the know? Which brand of gas permeable lenses is the best for letting in oxygen, scratch resist etc?

I have chosen this type of lense as I have pretty awful astigmatisms and the optician also said that the eye tends to stay wetter with this type???

Need to buy some fairly quickly as have an interview soon and fed up of looking geeky in my beer bottle glasses (think I might be okay looking without them, but bit difficult to say, as have to squash my nose onto the mirror to see mewith out them, doh!)

Thanks for help anybody
Kissmekate

lolly5648

26-08-2005, 8:54 PM

Surely your optician recommended a brand of gas permeables. There are far fewer makes and materials than with soft lenses.

Having worn gas permeables for 30 years my eyes kept drying out (old age) so I have now changed to soft Acuvue Oasys which are excellent for letting in oxygen. They are suitable for mild astigmatism but a friend with severe astigmatism also wears soft lenses and has no problem. Not sure of make.

If you havent worn GPs before they take a long time to get used to as you have to build up wearing time by 1-2 hour per day and you would probably not adapt in time for your interview. Soft lenses only take a few days to get used to.

Good luck

keri

27-08-2005, 11:16 PM

Having looked through a number of contact lens threads there seems to be a wealth of great info from people about lens prices but nothing about the actual lenses themselves, which is what I need!
My son (who's 15) is about to embark on contact lens wearing. I decided that daily disposables are best for him at the mo and it is likely that he will need to wear them daily but mainly for sports activities so probably no more than 4 hours per day.
We were at Dolland & Aitchison today, where the optician opted for Acuvue daily wear for him. I questioned this since I knew that these were more expensive than most other makes. I gave Focus Dailies as another option and he seemed to say yes he could prescribe these for my son but the Acuvue were a better quality and let more oxygen through to the eye and as my son was young and would be wearing lenses for a number of years yet, wouldn't it be better to fit the best lens for him.
Of course I want a lens that is not going to cause problems for his eyes and I signed up but I'm wondering now whether this maybe a way for D&A to earn the most money they can.
I need an independent opinion as to whether there is any real difference between Focus Dailies and Acuvue. ie enough of a difference that it would have a long term effect on my sons eyes.

In view of the huge number of places to obtain cheaper lenses now are the high street opticians "guiding" us to choose the lenses that are in THEIR best interests?

Keri

lolly5648

30-08-2005, 7:08 PM

I have used Focus Dailies and Acuvue and would say that Acuvue are definitely better quality and better material.

I am very worried about the amount of oxygen getting through to my eyes and think Acuvue are much better and more comfortable

However if your son is only going to wear them for 4 hours a day it doesnt really matter. But as he gets older and more vain I am sure he will wear them for longer

poppy8

01-09-2005, 3:12 PM

My son, aged 16, has used both. At the moment he has Focus Dailies and has had no problems. He is quite sporty and plays rugby twice a week. He also went to Dolland and Aitchson to start with and was given acuvue, I think he got a limited amount of pairs by post every month. Now we go to Costco and he gets a box of 90 focus dailies. He seems quite happy with no problems.

keri

01-09-2005, 10:15 PM

Thank you for your replies and info, both helpful.
I have now managed to get a little more in-depth info from a place on a link from the College of Optometrists website. It's called the Eyecare Trust. It is as follows: "The Eyecare Trust is a registered charity that exists to raise awareness of all aspects of ocular health, the importance of regular eye care and good eye wear. We do this by providing accurate, unbiased eye care information to the public and the media. Trustees include leading optometrists and representatives of the most eminent British ophthalmic institutions"

I phoned and spoke to a very helpful lady. Without going into all the ins and outs she gave me a lot of info about the lenses themselves and gave me advice regarding getting the right aftercare for my son.

I can now make an informed decision and would advise anyone with questions about eyecare to give them a call.

Cheers
Keri

brummiebabe

05-09-2005, 9:03 AM

I've worn GP lenses for 17 years. I think they're the most cost effective, if you can wear them. Last pair from Dolland & Atchinson for £140. Meant to last 6 months but lasted over 2 years!!! All of my lenses have been the same! By the way, I wouldn't recommend D&A - they're service was DREADFUL!!!!!!!! I went to a local, independent optician for my aftercare and found this much better - they weren't interested in making money, and advised me to keep the same lenses as they were in good condition.

As for which brands etc, you really need to get your opticians advice!!!

heavensense

08-09-2005, 5:05 PM

I have a mild astigmatism, I wore GP's for over 20yrs and started to dry my eyes out. I changed opticians as they expected me to pay over £200 for a new pair of glasses when I had already told them I was having trouble with my lenses, and then suggested I went without any correction (and I drive for work!) for a fortnight!! Upshot was I went to specsavers, asked a few leading questions and was recommended ordinary soft disposable lenses for one eye and Toric lenses(also disposable for the other eye) The test was free, their service was exceptional you can pay DD and it amounts to far less than all the solutions and protein removers, the charge includes insurance for new lenses and is far less than I was quoted at my original opticians. I got one pair of ordinary glasses, 1 pair of prescription sunglasses and a pair of contact lenses (sent to me 3 monthly in the post) for £70 less than my original opticians......and as a bonus they are the most comfortable lenses I have ever worn.
I would go and see another optician who is prepared to talk to you.
Heavensense

misskool

08-09-2005, 5:47 PM

It depends on what you intend on doing and how much you plan on wearing lenses. If you spend lots of hours in front of the computer and you have a good tear value (or something to that effect) gas permeable lenses are the cheapest and best value around. People tend not to wear them been wearing GP lenses for 8 years or so now and have only had 3 pairs. They last a good 2-3 years especially if you are careful when cleaning them. Solutions are harder to find and slightly more expensive but they do last longer.

It's up to you on what you choose. Most people will ask you to choose soft lenses but vision correction is not the best (especially with astigmatism). Wearing GP lenses also slow down your loss of vision. My prescription has improved in the last 3 years!!

I've always used Bausch and Lomb lenses, the one for long wear. :-)

Hope this helps.Alice

ozy123

14-09-2005, 4:24 PM

I order my lenses online but i need a new contact lens prescription which I was told is different form just a regular eye test. Anyone know where the cheapest place to go to get one is? I'm in Liverpool and I'm a sudent. Cheers!

anniecave

15-09-2005, 10:43 PM

specsavers?

Freefall

18-09-2005, 11:28 AM

Many opticians offer free contact lens trials. (i.e. Donald and Aitchison, Black and Lizars, etc)

All you have to do is go in and ask. Everything usually is free for the first month and you get to take them away that day. Then after a month cancel the Direct Debit and go with a new company. You may be able to go round in circles using different branches of the same company, they won't notice as you get to take the lenses away that day and no-one asks if you have ever had a contact lens trial before - so you don't have to lie.

After your first trial tell the optician that you have had contact lenses before so that they won't have to teach you how to put them in and clean them, etc.

You usually get a free contact lens assesment and eye test (especially if you are unemployed, in full time education, etc). However, just get the eye test at a place that does it free and show it to the optician every time you get your new free trial.

Good Luck.

Freefall

DazedByTheLight

18-09-2005, 4:52 PM

Too much hassle!

Claude

18-09-2005, 6:18 PM

I wear Daily Vision daily disposable contact lenses from Vision Express, as I have been shortsighted most of my life. I know I could save quite a bit of money by buying my lenses online. Trouble is, because mine are own brand lenses I can't find the exact match online (apart from the Vision Express website which would still save me £50.00) . So my question is: Can I swap the brand I use for any other brand?

jo_b

19-09-2005, 9:07 AM

I'm going to move this thread over to the Health board. :)

building

04-11-2005, 3:15 PM

people with tax credit exemption certificates can get under their scheme some money towards contact lenses. Voucher A which is what i would be entitled to would give me £32.90 for a 2 year period. not much but better than nothing. how do i get hold of cheap contact lenses even online with a company that offer this NHS scheme? thanks in advance.

building

21-11-2005, 3:47 PM

and how much if any. thanks in advance.

sarah_elton

09-01-2006, 2:22 PM

OK, I'm 24 and have worn glasses full time since I was 11.

I'd like to go over to contacts, mainly so in winter I don't steam up when entering shops, in summer when I get hot, and to stop all the fingerprint induced blurriness....

I have an eye test this afternoon and will ask the optician if they would work with my prescription (don't see why not - I'm short sighted, albeit very short sighted).

Thing is, it seems now you can choose between just a pair of contacts that you wash each day, etc. Or pay monthly for daily disposable ones.

Is one way generally cheaper than the other? Obviously I'll work it out based on cost of single pair, given that they'll last approx. 2 years. But I don't really know much about this so any tips?

Also, I mentioned changing over in passing when booking the eye test (at Boots - don't care if they're cheapest as work are paying for the test :) ). The guy said you have to get glasses as well as contacts, as you shouldn't wear contacts 7 days a week, to give your eyes a rest. I can understand this logic (both my parents had eye damage caused by old rock hard contacts), but being paranoid want to check he's not taking me for a ride and making me pay for both? :)

bluekp

09-01-2006, 2:59 PM

Hi Sarah,

I'm 25 and have been wearing contact lens' since I was 19. It was one of the best decisions I've made!

Daily disposables (£27 pcm from Boots/£22 pcm from Specsavers) are really good if you're the type of person who doesn't want the hassle of storing their lens' at night.

Monthly disposables (£6 pcm from Boots/£10 pcm from Specsavers) are still really good as taking them out and putting them in their solution takes less than 30 seconds a day - and they're loads cheaper.

I've been wearing monthly disposables since I started wearing contact lens' and I wouldn't switch to daily disposables - but that's down to the price more than anything.

As for how long you can wear them, Specsavers told me I can wear mine for 14 hours per day every day. Boots told my boyfriend (who wears daily disposables) that he can wear his for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.

If you want lens' you can wear 24 hours a day then they are available, but cost a bit more again. Also, I know someone who tested these for a week and they said they woke up with blurred vision every morning.

Anyway, go for it, and good luck with whichever sort you plump for. As for me, I'm swapping to Boots to save an extra £4 a month!

sarah_elton

09-01-2006, 3:04 PM

Thanks! Monthlies do sound good, I agree. Even if I get glasses as well, sounds like I'll be buying glasses as usual, then paying £6/month on top for having a contacts option. Sounds good to me. :D

I wouldn't want to wear them 24 hours - at the least I'd take them out for bed every night!

Boots man was saying wear glasses one day per week, hence you have to buy those. Due the damage my parents had from contacts I'd be inclined to err on the cautious side and get a cheapy pair of glasses. Though theirs were before they even invented soft contacts.

Liz19

09-01-2006, 3:07 PM

I have been wearing monthly disposables for a year now after being a confirmed glasses wearer for about 25 years. I keep them in all the time, day and night, and only change them once a month which is great as there is no pfaffing about with cleaning solutions plus I don't actually like putting them in and taking them out. They are absolutely fantastic and I have had no problems with them at all. It is so great waking up in the morning and actually being able to see the alarm clock clearly without having to grope around for my specs. I did think to start with that it would be strange to actually sleep in them but I was able to do it from the very first night.

NixNoo

09-01-2006, 3:11 PM

Life changing experience - I wore specs all my school life and was bullied and was a right ol shrinking violet, got me lenses as soon as I left and changed over night into an extrovert!!

Anyway, back to your question - I use gas permeable, take out and wash every night, cheap as chips, all you pay for is your cleaning solutions which are about a tenner in boots and last me a good couple of months. Buy new lenses probably every 2 years and belong to HSA so get the money refunded.

Enjoy whatever you go for!!

sarah_elton

09-01-2006, 3:23 PM

Thanks everyone! Dailies do appear expensive, and I'm not that lazy. :)

Will compare prices on gas permeable (I'd heard they were good) and monthlies and see how it goes.

svmitche

09-01-2006, 4:30 PM

Thanks everyone! Dailies do appear expensive, and I'm not that lazy. :)

Will compare prices on gas permeable (I'd heard they were good) and monthlies and see how it goes.

Who you callin' lazy?? :p

I use daily disposables, because I wear lenses, but not regularly enough to warrant breaking open a pair that will last 30 days - for instance, last month I wore lenses quite a lot, as it was the xmas party season, but this month, I might only wear one pair.

Although it seems more expensive to get dailies, I think for me it works out about the same, as I don't have to buy the cleaning solutions or anything like that. Also, I don't get my lenses from a shop, but from the web and have a contact lense check in an optician (D&A) every year.

For glasses, I got mine off the internet for £27.00, including scratch resistant coating and anti-reflective coating, compared to about £150 I was quoted in a store (D&A again). The site I used was http://www.myoptics.co.uk/index.php and it was no problem from start to finish. If you have a particularly tricky prescription, you will need to call them up though.

Good luck with the lenses though - it is really worth it!

dora37

09-01-2006, 4:49 PM

I've worn glasses since I was 3.5 and through to my early thirties, because of being long sighted and having a stigmatism was always told I couldn't wear contact lenses (I hated wearing glasses with a vengance)....however things have moved on and for the last couple of years have worn daily disposables and I wouldn't be without them.

I pay £30 a month to my optician (a local indepedent) and this includes a health check on my eyes every 6 months. This is not a glasses test and my optician wouldn't supply the lenses to me unless I had the health check. So if you are going to wear contact lenses over a length of time, you should factor in contact lense check ups too.

I know I could get my lenses cheaper online, but I like being able to pop in to the optician if I have any problems.

As my lenses differ in strength, I also need my glasses to see which lens goes in which eye. :rotfl:

Karnam

09-01-2006, 4:55 PM

im like svmitche, i only wear contacts sporadically so im stick to dailies as i use a 'three month supply' in about 9-12 months.

id buy dailies at first if i were you, even if it does seem more expensive, as i have a v strong perscription and find it hard to read easily close range ie books, with contacts in as the lenses moves differently, more slowly. i know a few friends who this has happened to and the opticion tells me that if its just reading then its ok

try a free trail first though!! specsavers give one week free for dailies....

sarah_elton

09-01-2006, 8:20 PM

I only meant expensive if like me, you'd want to be wearing them every day (or close to it). :)

£30/month or thereabouts is more than I'm looking to pay in. Considering between monthlies and just buying a pair (soft or gas permeable - any opinions??).

Thanks for the myoptics link - can't believe your glasses were so cheap!!

Karnam

09-01-2006, 9:59 PM

you can normally get dailies for around £20 a month, i get mine from specsavers cause i have a student discount but before it was introduced in september, i used kelkoo and found loads of cheap places. i believe martin has an article on this as well.

Louiseuk25

09-01-2006, 10:10 PM

Hi

I have had the £10 monthlies from Specsavers and have been really pleased with the lenses, price and service. I get included the solutions, storage container and an annual free check up. The scheme has also allowed me to get my specs half price (Got a cheap but stylish pair for under £40).

I did try the continuous wear ones for a couple of months but they did tend to dry out whilst asleep and pop out (??!!). Know other people who wear them and found them great tho (and I think only £15/£16 pm at Specsavers)

Didn't know that Boots does a cheaper scheme......blue kp-what does the £6pm include please?

Thanks

Lou
x

the devil made me do it

09-01-2006, 10:12 PM

I have to wear soft monthly disposables, got no choice due to my prescription being quite high (shortsighted). Dailies don't come in my prescription.

I've been wearing contact lenses for years now, and it's only recently I've started buying mine off the net. I would certainly be getting my first few years worth via the optician, just in case of problems, complications ect. It can take time for your optician to find a make of lens suitable for your eyes, ie comfort, vision ect.. The solutions can be a nitemare to get right too, depending on how sensitive your eyes are.

However, my optician really begrudges me purchasing lenses off the net, and has now refused to test my eyes for contact lenses unless I pay a fee of £60 up front. I get help with prescriptions, so cannot afford £60 ontop of everything else, so I'm now looking to go back to my old optician, who I haven't seen for about 4 years. Gonna have to crawl back in there I think.

Internet websites which sell lenses also request a recent prescription before issuing lenses. I think a prescription lasts about 2 years, then you need to be getting tested again, before ordering more lenses.

Good luck with it anyway :j

Pink-winged

09-01-2006, 11:51 PM

Hi,

I'm going to move this over to the Health board where hopefully you will get more replies.

Pink

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

bluekp

10-01-2006, 9:06 AM

Hi Lou,

Like you I am currently with Specsavers and thought I had a pretty good deal (lens', annual check up, solutions, storage pot & home delivery).

Boots' £6 pcm is virtually the same deal - you get your len's, solutions, annual check up, storage pot, home delivery - but with Boots you also get a free eye test every two years. That's an extra saving of around £15-20 every two years in addition to the £48 per year you'd save by switching in the first place.

When I called Boots to enquire about switching over they said that even though I've had contact lens' for 6 years, I would still need to have an initial contact lens check with their specialist at £25 - even allowing for this I'll still save £23 on the lens' in the first year.

Hope this helps,

Kelly

osyprey

10-01-2006, 5:36 PM

I hope somebody can help? my father in law has hard contact lenses ,but cannot get hold of a remover or plunger as some people call them.Help most appreciated

vegtablepatch

18-01-2006, 11:25 AM

Can anyone suggest best place for eye test and to buy (bifocal) contact lens. I have recently got a boots advantage card but not sure how this will benefit buying contacts and their prices do seem higher than other opticians.

Noozan

18-01-2006, 11:35 AM

In the latest issue of Tesco magazine, there is a voucher for a free eye test at Dolland and Aitchison. If you do not want to buy your lenses from them, they are obliged to give you your prescription details. make sure they write down your contact lens prescription too.

I get my lenses from Specsavers on a monthly scheme which costs me £10 a month. There are cheaper places (have a read of the contact lens article http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1081710634,17595,, ) but I like the aftercare and convenience of Specsavers.

vegtablepatch

18-01-2006, 10:34 PM

Thanks for info. I'll get tesco mag. tomorrow and book a free eye test. :)

Sweetchuck

19-01-2006, 9:50 AM

I have quite powerful astigmatism in both eyes (R2.75, L3.50) and am keen to replace the contact lenses which I had until the middle of last year. They were non-disposabl soft lenses with a lifetime of about 18 months, but I'm now keen to get daily or monthly disposables if possible.

I've checked the guide to cheaper contact lenses on here, but most of the retailers stock very little in the way of toric lenses (to correct astigmatism) and the ones that do stock them don't tend to have strong enough ones for me.

Does anyone know where I can find powerful but disposable toric lenses at a fairly good price?

Cheers for any help provided...

dickie_engine

19-01-2006, 9:56 AM

19-01-2006, 10:00 AM

Hi

I also use toric lenses, but luckily my astimatism is not that bad. I've tried dialy torics, but hated them. After they were in my eyes for about 5 minutes I had to take them out.

The reason is the fitting size of the lens is very limited, i.e. they only have one size of 8.60 / 14.20, which is the most common (the power and axis size is changeable btw).

Best thing, pop into an optician and have a word with them (you will need to anyway to get your prescription). They and get a week trial, see if you like them.

steveteach

19-01-2006, 10:18 AM

Hi Try Specsavers £15.00 for monthly lenses including fluid.

19-01-2006, 10:25 AM

I get J&J Acuvue from Getlenses.co.uk and I've never had a problem with them. Next day delivery is free.

They've always been the cheapest, except on one occasion when I saw them on offer for about ten quid cheaper. But GetLenses immediately did a price match.

Highly recommended.

Thanks for the tip on Getlenses. They are cheaper than www.lensmail.co.uk (http://www.lensmail.co.uk), which is the one I normally use!

Encantador

19-01-2006, 10:41 AM

Not according to Specsavers anyway, it`s not the same as glasses. They don`t have to give you your prescription until they are happy they are right for you, this means a 3 month trial with a £20 fee at each end plus the cost of the lenses.

They have also introduced a £20 fee for `every` visit.
Even if you go back because the first lenses they gave you were not correct.

This is what I was told a few days ago.

They denied that it was a way to get as many people as possible onto their DD scheme.

Don`t shoot the messenger, this is just what I was told just a few days ago by my local Specsavers.

It did take 3 staff conference to agree that they knew the new system, in the end they passed me onto the optician for them to explain.

19-01-2006, 11:06 AM

vegtablepatch

19-01-2006, 11:24 AM

I get J&J Acuvue from Getlenses.co.uk and I've never had a problem with them. Next day delivery is free.

They've always been the cheapest, except on one occasion when I saw them on offer for about ten quid cheaper. But GetLenses immediately did a price match.

Highly recommended.
Many thanks. Getlenses web site is excellent. When I get a presciption I shall certainly check their site with a view to buying from them. :T

beadysam

19-01-2006, 11:56 AM

Hiya
I went to D&A a while ago. I had a contact lens trial. They wouldn't give me a prescription straight away, I had to go back a couple of weeks later to check everything was okay first. Also beware at D&A, before they let you leave the shop with contacts in they say you HAVE to sign up to their lens scheme, or you have to pay for the trial lenses. I signed up, got the trial lenses and monthly care pack on my first visit. I went back for a 2nd visit check up 2 weeks later and picked up a different pair of lenses (for a better fit) and then when I got home I cancelled the scheme, and the direct debit. Hope that helps? I also remember reading somewher (can't remember where, sorry!) that Boots are doing a £6 a month scheme - I don't know if this is true but it sounds like good value.
SAM xx

Tickdick00

19-01-2006, 5:56 PM

Hi Try Specsavers £15.00 for monthly lenses including fluid.

I agree - Specsavers are a good deal - about £10 per month cheaper than Boots.

If youre on their monthly scheme they give a good discount if you need a pair of specs too.

Also they will give good discount if you want to buy a pair of designer frames off the internet, take them into your local branch and get lenses fitted locally ( not a lot of people know that !!!)

HTH

Pink-winged

19-01-2006, 6:06 PM

Hi Sweetchuck,

You may get more replies on the Health board, so I'll move your thread over there.

Pink

Pink-winged

19-01-2006, 6:11 PM

Hi vegetablepatch,

I have moved your thread over to the Health board where hopefully you will get some more replies.

Pink

Blodwen

20-01-2006, 12:09 PM

Hi,

I get my toric lenses from getlenses.com. I get Biomedics monthly lenses. My prescription is not as strong as your though, so not sure if they would have ones to suit you. They do seem to have a few different ones, although I suspect they are mainly the same lenses under different names.

HTH

asm212

03-02-2006, 8:22 PM

Hi
I'm getting lasik surgery and have some Acuvue 2 disposable contacts I want to sell CHEAP!

I have the following prescription lens's

-4.25
-4.50
send me a message if your interested.

ny5081@hotmail.com

Rex_Mundi

07-02-2006, 6:40 PM

My OH has recently used a new optician for her eyetest. She had a voucher from work for a free eyetest, and paid the extra £25 for a contact lens check.

The prescription she was given is only for glasses. The difference between this and her lenses prescription was quite big. We brought this up with the optician last week, and they said that they are not allowed to issue a contact lens prescription for at least three months because the optician needs to monitor my OHs eyes for that period.

We always order the lenses online (have done for a few years now). Without this prescription for lenses, we can't order online. The girl in the opticians said we have to buy the lenses there for the first three months.

Is this correct, or are they trying to get my OH to buy her lenses at the shop?

Wizard

16-02-2006, 11:18 AM

I had a free eye test with Doll & H and they told me I needed a specific contact lense test, so they booked me in for one two weeks later, (next week.) Almost a year ago, I had the same, free, ordinary eye test and using this prescription ordered a year's supply of contacts, (through someone else, online,) which I've been using since, in my ignorance. I had no problems, vision seemed absolutely fine and fortunately there had been no change in my prescription, when tested last week. So therefore do I really need to waste money on a contact lense test? I understand the lense is closer to the eye, so shouldn't need to be as strong, but should there really be that much of a difference? If I do get a contact test, I'll probably try and get it cheaper elsewhere, with say, vision express or spec savers.

pumpa

20-02-2006, 9:31 PM

there arent any on ebay any more???? where can i get them from high street? thanks :confused:

Pink-winged

21-02-2006, 8:18 AM

Hi Pumpa,

I'll move your thread over to the health board where you may get more replies.

It might be worth taking a look at these recent threads to see if you can find any help on where to find coloured lenses:

contact lens discussion thread (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=91430)

Cheap Contacts (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=148134)

Pink

mutley74

22-02-2006, 7:22 PM

I have just started to re-wear contact lenses mainly for sports.

I have quite dry eyes (eye dont produce enough tears) and thus need high water content lenses.

The optician give me a 5 day trial of Focus Dailies - these were good but mainly comfort of not using solutions.(apprrox £20/mth)

I am now given a trial of Ciba 02 Optix monthly lenses, which are good but obviously need solutions. (approx £12/th)

I ask are these the best contact lenses for someone with dry eyes, or can anyone else suggest any other types?

(I asked my optician and they said they were the best, but on the price list they have so many others that are more expensive that those abpbe, so just want to check that nothing has been overlooked)

pavlovs_dog

22-02-2006, 7:29 PM

the only piece of advice i can offer, as a fellow dry eye-d person :D is that when i went for contacts (which i never ended up wearing - love my glasses too much) the optician who fitted me and taught me how to insert them told me to make a conscious effort to blink - to keep the eye moist.

sounds mad, but it does help!

SammyD

22-02-2006, 8:59 PM

Bauch and Lombe Purevision have more water in them than "standard" lenses - my eyes were starting to respond badly to my old Bauch and Lombe lenses, so I switched to these and they are much better.

You can leave them in for a whole month (ie no solution needed) if you want, although my optician did not recommend it so I still use solution, and I don't think it would be ideal for you with dry eyes. Have you used the "Blink" artificial tears - they come in little tear top packs and are great. I use them when I am working long hours and staring at the screen.

K9cuddles

22-02-2006, 11:31 PM

Hey.. this is how much I suffer from dry eye (and spec savers never told me!!) I woke up one morning with a half a face like a puffer fish! I had a eye ulcer! LOVELY!!! After a visit to my GP and 2 the A&E eye hospital and days off work the steriod drops began to kick in!!

I was wearing monthly contact lenses every day and Specsavers failed to tell me I suffered from dry eye. the Dr at the hospital was amazed at how many eye injuries he had seen from contact lenses and was wearing glasses himself and couldn't recommend lenses!!!

Anyways.. 3 years down the line I thought I'd try contact lense.. I only wear them at weekends as I value you sight too much (roll on getting them eyes lasered!). I used to have the Bauch and Lombe ones and I find the Focus Dailies so much more comfortable. But even once they been in 8 plus house they stick to my eyes so I really can't see how anyone could leave the in long term!! If I know that I'll be wearing them all day ie 14 plus hours then I put in eye drops safe for contact lenses.

lolly5648

24-02-2006, 12:26 AM

I had to stop wearing lenses because of dry eyes but then my optician gave me a trial of Acuvue Oasys with hydraclear plus and they have been fine. Acuvue do free trials at most opticians and its definitely worth trying the Oasys.

pavlovs_dog

24-02-2006, 12:47 AM

i was given accuvue ones too (mine didnt have such a posh name though). they were the only ones i could wear that boots opticians carried at the time, and also the most expensive. not that it mattered to me in the end - three cheers for glasses :beer: :D

im sure you probably already know this, but by law the optician HAS to give you a copy of your prescription, so dont be shy to shop around and see what the best price you can get is.

i also got the opinion that to get the best price, a lot of places wanted you to commit to receiving so many pairs a month, and paying by direct debit. although it does tie you in, this does offer certain perks such as free eye exams etc, so could be worth investigating.

mutley74

24-02-2006, 5:20 PM

thanks for the advice.

I do know that i can move to different opticians. But i chose asda optician as ease of having 7day service and easy parking etc. compared to going to opticians at town.

i will ask about the acuvue lenses. I might even consider eye laseer surgery in the future.

moxie

25-02-2006, 2:42 PM

Another contact lens query - my daughter has an unusual prescription and has to wear annual disposable lenses. Does anyone know of anywhere cheap to get these ? We are currently with Boots.

edda

03-03-2006, 3:15 PM

Has anyone got any sound tips on how to keep coated lenses in glasses clean on a daily basis?

I've always used soap and water - which I found was both cheap and effective. But when I bought my last pair of glasses, was told that I shouldn't use this as it affects the coating.

I bought some special lens cleaning fluid and am using the cloths provided -one to use with the fluid and a 2nd to polish them. However, this isn't as good. I need to clean them more often and are smeared.

Was I conned to spend money I didn't need to? Should I revert to soap and water?

zar

03-03-2006, 3:52 PM

For my specsavers "ultra-clear" coated glasses I have a few of their cloths which generally clear very well by just "huffing" on the glasses and polishing with them. I find if I do this several times a day I hardly ever have to use the coated lens cleaner. I'd be a bit wary of damaging the coating using soap personally, especially if you paid extra for the coating.

I do find I get a weird pink smearing on my lenses sometimes. It seemed to be worse with my previous pair. :confused:

swizzle

03-03-2006, 6:28 PM

I was wearing gas permable contact lenses, but have decdid to give my eyes a break and have gone back to glassess.

However I think i would like to be glasses free once in a while, i was looking at daliey disposables and monthly ones. The monthy one`s look cheaper. Is there any reason why I can`t just use the monthly ones and rewear them, I know that i will need to budget for solutions.

Thanks

chivers1977

04-03-2006, 7:54 AM

Hi, I get my lenses from the contact lens clinic at the hospital as my prescription is -14!! with astigmatism to boot. Any idea where the cheapest one step (like ao sept, easy sept) etc can be found? thanks

SnowyOwl

04-03-2006, 11:11 PM

I have reverted to glasses without coatings as I got so annoyed with my glasses attracting dirt. Coatless glasses are much, much easier to keep clean and smear free. If you keep having problems it's possible to have the coating removed. Then you can chuck the fluids and special cloths, and stick to soap and water - though you won't need to clean your specs as often.

zar

05-03-2006, 2:42 PM

That's interesting. I must admit that although I'm not a vain person, I do appreciate that the coating means my glasses don't reflect quite so much light in photos (and real life??) so people can actually see my eyes! :cool:

pumpa

15-03-2006, 11:14 PM

sorry if i already posted this but where can you buy cheap coloured contact lenses from these days?thanks

Penny-Pincher!!

02-04-2006, 3:56 PM

Hi

OH needs to buy some contact lenses and would like the daily disposable ones. Specsavers have quoted £35 a month:eek: but we cant afford this. I pay into HSA monthly so will get back up to £85 per year. I have found a place online called Vision Direct and they can do a full year (well 384 pairs extra 3 weeks nearly)for £196 and they have offered to do a detailed receipt so I can claim back the full £85 from HSA. Total for the year £111:confused:

His perscription is Right eye +1.25 and Left eye +2.00.

Is this a good price?

Thanks in advance.

PP
xx

Becles

02-04-2006, 6:43 PM

Have a look at this site:
http://www.lensway.com/uk/

They have always been the cheapest for me.

a5ian300zx

02-04-2006, 7:11 PM

oher websites you might want to look at.

http://www.postoptics.co.uk/

http://www.specsaversdirect.com/

janemoore

02-04-2006, 7:23 PM

I have just ordered from sainsbury's contact lenses. The price for my daily lenses was the best i could find anywhere online a £18 per 30 pairs of focus dailies including FREE postage and I even earnt nectar points too!

I phoned them with a few questions and the service was excellent. I had to post them my prescription so that they could check it, but at least it was a freepost address. I received my lenses the day after they got my prescription. I can reorder without having to send it again.

For once i think saisnburys have got something spot on!

www.sainsburyscontactlenses.co.uk

janemoore

02-04-2006, 7:39 PM

swizzle

09-04-2006, 9:31 AM

Who are best/cheapest to do a trial with?

I used to wear GP contact lenses, for which i paid for monthly, got 2 pairs a year.

I would like to go onto daily disposalbles or evern monthly ones and just wear then when I want. I have an astigmtisum, so will need toric lenses.

Idea is to trial them on the high st then buy on line.

Any idea`s?

Thanks

bigfoot125

14-04-2006, 8:40 PM

Where does everyone get their solutions cheap,i am lookin for gas permeable stuff
cheers

Poppy9

16-04-2006, 1:34 AM

My OH gets his from Boots when on offer.

Read in Daily Mail that Specsavers have taken some solution off the market. Think it's Renu. Some problem in US where people have contracted an eye disease that leads to blindness. The manufacturers say it doesn't affect European supplies.

RoCas

16-04-2006, 2:33 AM

I ordered last month for the first time over the internet from Club Optique:
http://www.cluboptique.com/

They were very efficient, with quick delivery and the solution I was looking for was competitively priced.

hampshirebabe

16-04-2006, 10:32 AM

Hi PennyPincher, Does he want daily disposables because they're so easy to use? if so, you could get him to try continous wear, which also dont need cleaning, but are much cheaper. I've just got some o2optix, which you can wear up to 6 night's then you take them out for one night and then have abother 6 nights, They are a lot more comfortable than they used to be. 6 pairs lasts 6 months, (although I've just realised I've been wearing mine for 6 weeks not four, not that I'm recomending it) and cost about £36, £72 for a year, and its so nice getting up in the morning and being able to see straight away!

purplepatch

25-04-2006, 9:39 AM

Very impressed with the current deal at www.okvision.co.uk who have currently got a special offer price on these lenses - a 6 months supply (180 pairs) of B&L daily soflens for £104 with free delivery (usually £125). Year's supply was £198.

Second best was contactforlenses at £107.50 delivered, then postoptics £108 and next was sainsburyscontactlenses at £109.80 but nectar points too.

I ordered from okvision very late last night and have already had a call from my opticians this morning saying that they have been contacted to confirm prescription details, so seems pretty efficient so far.

regvardy

27-04-2006, 11:53 AM

I got this weblink and article from the FT online 26/04/2006 of all places (I don't pay for the FT online, they are currently running a free online trial with no details, its actually very impressive)

The guy who invented daily disposables is now cutting out the middle man (increasingly the supermarkets) and selling daily disposables direct to the public at £12.99 a month. (total price)

http://www.daysoft.co.uk/contactlenswearers/index.asp

I pay £55 for 3 months supply of Biomedics daily disposable from Visiondirect. I currently get free postage because they are reorderred and I get a further 10% discount thru Quidco. Total price £55.

The equivalent 3 month suppy of lenses (96 pairs) (from the inventor of daily disposables), are £39 total. PRICE WAR, and he doesn't like supermarkets.

Inventor aims to transform disposable contact lens market

By Andrew Bolger, Scotland Correspondent

A price war is likely to break out over daily disposable contact lenses with their inventor starting to sell to consumers directly, significantly undercutting supermarkets such as Tesco.
Ron Hamilton, 64, cofounded the company that developed the technology in 1989, selling it to Bausch and Lomb, a US-based eyecare group, in 1996 for $33m. A further $15m was paid for intellectual property rights. Mr Hamilton agreed not to sell contact lenses for five years.
However, when the restrictive period ended in 2001, Mr Hamilton launched Daysoft, which he claims will transform the market and make lens cleaning almost redundant overnight. A month’s supply of the company’s own daily disposables will cost only £12.99.
Although most sales will be made over the internet, Daysoft said it was committed to supporting independent opticians threatened by recent legislative changes, which allowed supermarkets to start selling lenses.
All the big contact lens manufacturers have been keen to supply supermarkets at prices lower than those available to independent opticians. But this is not a route to market that appeals to Mr Hamilton. “Contact lenses are not baked beans and as a privately-owned business we never want to find ourselves working under the lash of some buyer from Tesco or Asda,” he said. “Our unique price point opens up the possibility of a health revolution in eyecare as it will allow users of monthly lenses to move to daily disposables – one in 10 wearers is allergic to lens cleaning solutions. But the best way to do this was to remain in partnership with independent opticians.”
Daysoft claims lens wearers would be able to save up to £250 a year compared with prices from chains such as Specsavers and supermarkets. It said its high specification lenses were 30 per cent cheaper than online supermarket prices.
Daysoft supplies more than 5m daily disposable lenses to independent opticians across the country. By combining this with selling direct to consumers, the company aims to increase its UK market share rapidly to more than 5 per cent, which would see its UK sales surge from £700,000 last year to more than £3m by 2008.
Where a wearer places a direct order, Daysoft will credit that person’s optician, if they have an account with the company.
Mr Hamilton said: “It is the independent opticians who have helped us develop our UK business and we intend to remain loyal to them.
“The wide customer base they give us and the personal professional service they give consumers, combined with our unique lowcost manufacturing and supply technologies, represent the best ‘partnership’ benefiting contact lens wearers.”

purplepatch

27-04-2006, 12:34 PM

Wow, brilliant post regvardy!

I'm gutted I ordered my 6 months supply now. Going to try to cancel as instead of £104, would only cost me £78.

That's an amazing saving.

gregg1

28-04-2006, 4:15 PM

Has anyone heard anything good or bad about a fairly new sort of contact lens called orthok. You wear it through the night and then you don't need to wear any sort of lens or glasses during the day as the night lens corrects your vision for betwen 24 - 36 hours. As long as you wear them every night you never need to wear your glasses. I have looked into the cost and have found a practitioner but was wondering if anyone on the site has had an actual experience of them or knows anyone who has used them. I would be grateful for any information as we are thinking of them for our 14 year old daughter (the latest information is apparently that it can actually reverse the decline in vision in some cases) . Many thanks.

Bella_b

07-05-2006, 1:11 AM

I did a search and the cheapest I found for my lenses was Tesco opticians! I couldnt believe the price difference between their price and what I pay at my opticians. Tesco quoted £29 for 6 pairs of lenses (6 months supply) and I pay £75 for the Surevue lenses.. exactly the same! I just need to get my eyes tested again to make sure I have right prescription before I start buying from Tesco! I will save about £50!

littlejaffa

07-05-2006, 8:30 PM

if it's not a daft question, i get my checkups etc 'free' as i buy my lenses from a high st store, will they still see you (and presumably charge) if you buy lenses from elsewhere, i mean if i buy a lense, there's no-one looking in my eye for the first few days of wear to make sure everythings ok so it could be to late before i notice problems? i gues this isn't the case but don't understand...

candice

10-05-2006, 2:47 AM

sorry if i already posted this but where can you buy cheap coloured contact lenses from these days?thanks

I have used the below sites no problem for cheap coloured contact lenses...

http://www.fashion-contactlenses.com

and

http://www.contactlenses.co.uk

they are both UK websites and have a different selection.

lisyloo

18-05-2006, 10:38 AM

There is one person here who says they have been fantastic (and for a young daughter too).

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=193533&page=2&highlight=orthok

Please can you pst the info you have got on costs.
I know my opticians might be different but it will give me an idea.

Thanks

lisyloo

18-05-2006, 10:39 AM

Sorry just realised that's an old post and looks like you have got sorted now.

gregg1

19-05-2006, 9:38 AM

Sorry just realised that's an old post and looks like you have got sorted now.

thanks for that. Have now started my daughter on these and they are brilliant.

starving artist

23-05-2006, 11:44 AM

I buy my contact lens solution through Costco. I had a letter from them saying that Bausch & Lomb are permanently withdrawing their Renu product because it has been linked to serious eye infection.

Very efficient of Costco! - they offered a refund - but a bit worrying and not sure what the alternatives are. Had a quick search on the internet but most of the reports seem to be about the impact it is having on B&L's share price.

alanshave

25-05-2006, 3:48 AM

Go to http://www.moistureloc.eu/uk/ for more information. I have been refunded twice now, teaches them right for possibly damaging my eyesight.

starving artist

06-06-2006, 12:27 PM

Now that Bausch & Lomb have withdrawn their Moistureloc product does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations for an alternative? I wear acuvue fortnightly soft lenses.

Nicki

07-06-2006, 12:41 AM

After a break of about 5 years I have just started wearing contact lenses again. I wear daily disposables. I used to wear Acuvue lenses but the new ones are Focus ones, and although they are very comfortable to wear, probably more so than the Acuvue ones, I find them very difficult to get out. My technique in the past was always to put my finger over the lens on the coloured part of the eye, slide the lens over to the corner of the eye and out, but this doesn't seem to work with the Focus lenses. Can anyone recommend another technique or advice about how to get the darned things out - it took me about 40 mins and a lot of discomfort to do it tonight and I still have no idea what I did in the end which actually worked:confused:

Emmy

07-06-2006, 8:24 AM

I have worn contact lenses for about 23 years !! (OMG did I really say that) and I am sure that the thing I do is something that you shouldn't but after you have been wearing them so long you just get on with it.....i just put my thimb and middle finger at opposite edges of the lense and squeeze together....this lifts it off the eye and hey presto...out.....but feel free to ignore me as said i am probably not doing it 'right'
Emmy

Alikay

07-06-2006, 8:28 AM

I changed from years of wearing high-water-content ordinary lenses to disposables and had similar problems getting them out (I think coz they're much thinner). I put a couple of saline wetting drops in immediately before I get them out and they come out with no problems. I use those little disposable vials of drops - refresh contacts I think they're called.

silvercar

07-06-2006, 8:47 AM

I think you need to squeeze rather than slide. As they are so thin, they will fold up and you can grab the folded bit.
I put my finger on the coloured part and my thumb on the side of the lens, as I move my finger towards my thumb the lens creases and I can lift it off.
Have you thought about going back to your optician and asking them to teach you how to do it?

partysis81

07-06-2006, 12:20 PM

hi, did you not get an alternative sent from your contacts supplier?
i have acuvue fortnightlys, with d&a, and they sent out an alternative bottle of solution and new holder.
im at work at the mo, but i will post again later with the name of the solution i was sent, as theyre saying it is a suitable replacement.

starving artist

07-06-2006, 1:59 PM

I've started getting my lenses from tesco online. I guess this is the 'aftercare' you lose out on.

Nicki

07-06-2006, 2:51 PM

Have you thought about going back to your optician and asking them to teach you how to do it?

Yes, but that was at 11.30pm last night when I'd been struggling for a while and I didn't think they'd appreciate being woken up!

I will try the squeeze and eye drops methods, and will also call in on my optician next time I am passing that way, though as always its finding the time to do it. Thanks for all your tips.

dora37

07-06-2006, 3:19 PM

As they are daily disposables - obviously it doesn't matter if you damage them etc, so removing them is quite easy.

I wear Focus Dailies and the way I was taught and works well is * re enacts as we speak *

Put your index finger of the opposite hand into the socket of your eye (soft skin under eye) and push gently. At the same time put index finger of other hand onto eyelid squeeze both gently (as if your eyeball will pop out!!!) and the lense will fall off the eyeball.

Sounds a bit gross, however it is easy and painless and there is no need to touch the actual eye. * I just nearly lost a lense!! *

Savvy_Sue

07-06-2006, 6:54 PM

I don't really know why I read this thread, I only need reading glasses and not them very often, but just the thought of contacts makes me squirm and all this makes me really really squirm! :rotfl:

Nicki

07-06-2006, 9:19 PM

OK - I tried the squeeze option, unsuccessfully, then put in eye drops and tried my old touch and slide manouevre which worked after a couple of attempts but was a bit painful :eek:

Dora37's solution though sounds manageable so I will try that tomorrow. Thanks for all the tips folks.

loracan1

07-06-2006, 9:28 PM

I use the 'squeeze' method, I'm sure that's how I was shown, but I'm very squeamish about my eyes and I wouldn't leave the opticians til I'd mastered the technique.

Your fingers have to be completely dry though.

Emmzi

07-06-2006, 9:31 PM

I slide down to bottom of eye instead of corner n they kinda 'peel off'.

steve_r123

07-06-2006, 9:33 PM

Yep, squeeze method here too. I use my fore and middle finger and hold them up as thought I'm sticking the "V's" up to someone, then just put my fingertips on either edge of the lense and squeeze together.

As has been said though, its loads easier if your fingers are dry :)

reehsetin

07-06-2006, 9:35 PM

lolly5648

13-06-2006, 2:57 PM

I do think this is a problem with Focus Dailies. I used monthly lenses which are thicker and then changed to dailies and had real trouble getting the lenses out. Somethimes it would take 30 mins and I would go hot and cold and really panic. I also found that adding liquid to the eyes helped - I used saline.

I now use Acuvue Oasys which are thicker and have more moisture and have no trouble at all with the thumb and finger squeeze method.

Gem_

05-07-2006, 10:24 AM

"Free Contact Lens Trial: Thirty days supply of daily contact lenses to wear and replace everyday. Trial includes a free contact lens consultation and limited supply of contact lenses, subject to suitability. Offer available on appointments until 31st July 2006."

They do give you ones with your actual prescription not just some blank ones, unlike some of the trials recently.

I saw this in the metro on Friday. Did put it on the Freebies board but then thought it might be more use over here.

Visit Boots Opticians or call 0845 120 4343 to make an appointment. They do ask that you have had a glasses sight test within the last 12 months and wanted to see my prescription, as I didn't have it with me they were happy just to ring my opticians.

dc2447

30-07-2006, 7:09 PM

The BC on a perscription - does that matter if there is a slight difference when buying lenses online?

Whats_my_age_again

30-07-2006, 9:33 PM

Has anyone here tried these daysoft lenses? I currently have Focus Dailies and have not used any other kind of lens. Has anyone made the move from focus dailies to daysoft and how have they found the change? Is it worth the £5 a month saving?

janb5

31-07-2006, 10:42 PM

Hi- you will save more than £5 a month.I am now on my second month and the bill has gone down from £35 to £13.98!

Do a search for contact lenses to read other people`s comments.

vertical fool

01-08-2006, 12:21 PM

Hi all.

I have the boots free eye test voucher with signing up for the healt emails or whatever it was called. I think I remember at the time that there was vouchers from the machine for a free or cheap contact lens test. Is this true as I don`t want to pay the extra £30 as this will total £30 for both tests. I can get both test done at Asda for £20. Is there a cheaper way to get them done together. The cheapest option is to get the eye test free at Boots and the contact lens test at Asda.

Thanks

Vertical

kittykate

07-08-2006, 1:40 PM

Hi,
I just wondered whether anyone can recommmend an optician to go to for continuous wear lenses. I've just rang my local branch of specsavers (who I get both monthly contacts and glasses from) and asked them for a contacts appointment. The lady on the phone was extremely rude and didn't seem one bit interested in getting me an appointment. All she offered were afternoon appointments and even when I told her I work afternoons she offered me a 11.30 one (when i pointed out this was no good, she snapped at me saying i'd just said i work afternoons....i start work at 12!). I couldn't believe it. My friend says I'm out of order for expecting her to find a morning appointment, and that I should book an hour off work but I don't think I am (she could have said to go at 9am in a months time and i'd have been happy with that). Anyways, rant over, I'm looking for another optician for my lenses. I don't feel like seeing them anymore after the way she spoke to me. I'm a shy person and she upset me. Sooo, I want to try continuous wear ones...can anyone suggest anywhere? I'm in Halifax, west yorks.

KKx

HappyShopper3

07-08-2006, 7:48 PM

I've always been with Boots. I've never had a problem with them.

bonvonnie

07-08-2006, 7:54 PM

kittykate - i dont think its unreasonable for you to request a morning appointment. i certainly wouldnt waste my time off work for an opticians appointment.

PS, i use specsavers for glasses and contacts, and my Bolton great is great service! maybe you could try another Specsavers branch, if there is another you can get to easily

kittykate

07-08-2006, 11:06 PM

Thanks guys, I just told my mum and she wasn't surprised - they are well-known for being rude. I think I will try Boots, see what they are like. :)

chaos5678

09-08-2006, 10:01 AM

gropes

17-08-2006, 12:48 PM

I chose this retailer as I tried to buy lenses from Tesco and they rejected my prescription for some reason.

It seems to be a one man operation who only orders the stuff once he's taken your money, and it's over a week before he sends it. He uses funny terms like 'in-dispatch' when nothing is actually being dispatched.

It's been nearly two weeks now and still no lenses. Whereas he responded to my enquiries about whether they'd been sent, he's now completely quiet as I asked for details of when he sent them and what class. I would stop payment with the credit card but apparently I need to wait 30 days.

Honestly, this just defeats the whole raison d'etre of shopping on-line - cost and convenience. Avoid at all cost!!!!

Btw, can anyone tell me why, when they state how much a box of lenses is, once you place your order for how many months supply it's always a bit more than if you multiply the per box cost by the number of boxes you order??

janb5

18-08-2006, 1:14 PM

Hi Gropes!

try the Daysoft lenses which arrived within 24 hours and are really lots cheaper. £13.98 permonth instead of about £36.00. Cheaper still for3monthly. Do a search and there is a thread on here.I think it is www.daysoft.co.uk

Mickt

24-08-2006, 10:42 AM

Avoid Direct Sight, I do not know, but they may have gone bust, still take money, but do not deliver lenses

dminenko@onepersonhealth.

07-09-2006, 6:47 PM

I came across "Prices and Price Dispersion in Online and Offline Markets for Contact Lenses" from US Federal Trade Commision
(http://www.ftc.gov/be/workpapers/wp283.pdf) that generally confirms that contat lens prices online are on average 25% lower then in brick-and-mortars stores.

To check this claim I've tried this price comparison engine www.HealthPricer.com (http://www.HealthPricer.com/) that gave me prices from more than 20 online stores that sell contact lenses, which was really great.

When I use other price comparison engines line Bizrate.com or eOpinion.com, they usually offer comparison from 3-5 online stores only.

If you buy your contacts online, what stores or comparison engines do you use? Please share your experience.

Llyllyll

12-09-2006, 8:49 AM

Firstly, may I apologise if this is not appropriate for this forum, however it's the best place I can think of to ask ;).

There are some great links and info on this site about cheaper contact lenses but over the years I've tried many different types (inc. those that have a high water content) but can't really get on with them as my eyes are sensitive due to my Crohn's.

My question is, do any other CD suffers out there wear contacts and if so how long have you worn them for and what ones are they?

Thanks very much...

livinginhope

12-09-2006, 9:31 AM

Hi there,I too have Crohn's and suffer badly with my eyes :confused: (iritis mainly) I have tried all types of contact lenses over the years but have found that I can wear NONE! all affect my eyes and I get more flare ups of iritis/uveitis when I wear them.
My advice would be save your money and buy some lovely glasses instead :D

Llyllyll

12-09-2006, 11:15 AM

Thanks. I've had similar experience. Now that I've had surgery however I may give the lenses one more go, otherwise it's glasses all the way.

DGGS

12-09-2006, 12:02 PM

I am an optician (and am on the specialist register for contact lens practice). I'm sure that at least part of the problem is dehydration and you may be helped with a biomimetic contact lens material (e.g. Proclear that contains phosphorylcholine www.biocompatibles.co.uk ) and these don't dehydrate like normal materials. If you haven't tried them before it's worth a go!

sarah090182

15-09-2006, 2:14 PM

I want to buy my lenses online as my optician has been taken over and the new one changed the brand and i don't rate the lens or the new owners.

I have one lense that is toric and i pay £13 without solutions for a pair a month.

I last had my eyes tested a few months ago at specssavers I was getting new glasses is this the same perscription as I would use for contact lenses?

wishiwasarichgirl

16-09-2006, 12:30 AM

hi sarah090182
you need a "contact lens specification" to order CLs, this is different from your spec prescription.
if you still have some of your previous lenses that you got on well with and the packaging/proof of what lenses they are then you can book a contact lens check at any opticians (you will have to pay for this, and IMHO its best to do this at the same place as you had your eye test as they already have your spec prescription, otherwise make sure you bring a copy of it to your CL check too). after the check they must give you a copy of your contact lens specification which you can use to order lenses.

I have one lense that is toric and i pay £13 without solutions a month

i hope i am interpreting this correctly, so you have one toric lens and one standard(non toric)? if this is the case it may be worth checking round other opticians for their prices, eg i happen to know that at specsavers you can get a pair of monthly toric lenses+solutions+CL checks for £15 per month, depends on the make of lenses you want though. do you know what name they are?

chirtty

30-09-2006, 5:00 PM

I have worn contact lenses for 8 years. It is economical to use conventional contact lenses instead of disposal ones.

First of all, the comfort is the most important thing. I know not a certain contact lens is good to all people, but it/they do suit a good number of poeple.

I just change to other brand since my friend recommends it, but I do not feel better than my old pair.

Online buying is cheaper. If you don't have much uncomfortable or any problem, I recommend online buying.

Good luck!

airtrack12000

05-10-2006, 2:48 PM

Stay clear of directsight, a recommended company on contact lens cost cutting article. Thay take your money but no longer supply the goods and are un-contactable. not sure if they have gone out of business but stay clear!!!:mad:

soluce

07-10-2006, 8:45 PM

If an optician refuses to supply a written contact lens prescription report them to the General Optical Council. Taken from the GOC website: http://www.optical.org

The contact lens (specification) rules 1989

The General Optical Council, in exercise of their powers under section 31(1)(e) of the Opticians Act 1958, hereby make the following rules:-

Citation and commencement
1. These rules may be cited as the Contact Lens (Specification) Rules 1989 and shall come into force on the 1st day of June 1989.

Duty to provide specification
2. An optician who fits a person with a contact lens shall on completing the fitting give to him a written statement of the particulars necessary to enable the lens to be replicated.

Jurisdiction
The Council deals with concerns about registrants who have:
· been convicted of a criminal offence;
· been guilty of serious professional misconduct;
· breached a rule regarding professional activities by, for example
◦ producing inappropriate publicity,
◦ not supplying a contact lens specification,
◦ failing to refer to a general medical practitioner when appropriate to do so.

This is exactley the information I was looking for.

I have been on a contact lense trial for the past month. On my last appointment the optician gave me the lids from the contact lense packaging so that I had the details. I wear Acuvue Oasys 2 weekly lenses and I love them.

I went to order them online, at asda they are only 11.50 a month compared to 21.50 at my local opticians. When Asda tried to contact my opticians for a confirmation of my prescription, they wouldnt release it quoting the Data Protection Act as the reason why.

So, I thought I could just go to my opticians and collect a copy of mly prescription and send it in to Asda. I tried that today only to be told by the receptionist that I would have to pay £35 for a copy of it otherwise they wouldnt give it to me! :confused:

She went on about not being able to compete with the big retailers etc etc But I am on a budget and cant afford 21.50 a month. There was no mention of a charge at the beginning of my contact lense trial and I was under the impression that I wouldnt be under any obligation to buy from them. I paid £17.50 for my eye test at the time of my contact lense fitting, I dont see why I should pay anything else.

Its nice to know that by law they have to give me my prescription. First thing Monday they are going to wish they had just given me a copy when I first asked....:mad:

ifti

09-10-2006, 12:40 AM

wishiwasarichgirl

09-10-2006, 12:51 AM

hi,

im thinking of trying contact lenses but am not sure where is the best place for a test, can anyone recommed me a place out of the following, D&A, Vision Express or Specsavers, who are 90% packed everytime i go to past my local store. im pretty sure they are th best though.

Thanks in Advance.
i work for specsavers, they'll normally give you a free trial if you ask, but policy may vary from store to store so do ask:).
other places may charge you just to try contact lenses. as long as you have an up to date sight test prescription (you'll need to bring a copy with you) you can book a contact lens fitting/consultation

at the min i believe specsavers is the cheapest high street optician for most types of contact lenses. i may be wrong though so do your own research. don't forget to ask about charges for cleaning solutions/aftercare (check-ups) delivery etc.

hth

mishkanorman

09-10-2006, 7:44 PM

This is exactley the information I was looking for.

So, I thought I could just go to my opticians and collect a copy of mly prescription and send it in to Asda. I tried that today only to be told by the receptionist that I would have to pay £35 for a copy of it otherwise they wouldnt give it to me! :confused:

Its nice to know that by law they have to give me my prescription. First thing Monday they are going to wish they had just given me a copy when I first asked....:mad:

Hi, just found this thread and wanted to point out that the majority of contact lens fitters will expect you to pay for a prescription, legally yes that have to give it to you but there is nothing to stop them from charging you for it. You may win using the argument that you werent advised that you would not be entitled to a copy prior to the trial.

The free trial is to get additional customers, if you went in and said you purely just wanted a contact lens fitting you would be charged. that fee is paying for the persons time and expertise, just like a sight test fee.

Mishka

Borrieboy

12-10-2006, 5:14 PM

My advice is: don't go anywhere near Dollond & Aitchison. Why? Based on my experience of getting lenses for the first time, I entered into an arrangement with D & A off the back of a "free eye test". So far, so good. You do get a month's grace with the lenses before your DD kicks in and then off you go......But....

1) They were as obstructive as could be about letting me have my lens prescription. Said they legally didn't have to supply one for lenses.

2) Said prscptn could only be issued once a "follow-up" eyecare visit was completed - after 2 months.... They never called to arrange this. I had to chase them. Strange this, as their insistance on a follow-up check was because they said they were concerned about the health of patient's eyes starting out with lenses.

3) When I eventually got a date out of them, some 4 months later, they were still taken aback that I wanted my prescription but eventually did me one, grudgingly, after I insisted.

4) The "By Post" service gets things wrong regularly - not thankfully the lens prescription itself but, for example, if you want to miss out the solution for 1 month (because you've enough) you can supposedly just call & get it removed from the delivery - saving £5. Despite calling them to do just that, they never complied with the request.

5) So, I cancelled a couple of days after my last DD went out - and never received any lenses at all until I chased them up a week later to see where my lenses were,.... only to be told that "as you've cancelled, we haven't sent them out".

At the end of it all, the experience was so frustrating that one wonders what one was paying the extra £10/month for? !........Aaaarrrrgghhhh!!!

I have subsequently taken my prescription and business to PostOptics, an online supplier listed on MSE........I'll let you know how it goes.

:mad:

Whats_my_age_again

12-11-2006, 9:14 PM

I purchased the daysoft lenses in place of my focus dailies. One thing I have noticed however is that the daysoft lens is 'dry' when I take it out at night. The Focus Daily was not like this. Does this suggest a problem with the daysoft ones?

18-11-2006, 12:26 PM

I've just had lenses delivered from www.discountcontactlenses.com.

PostOptics were the cheapest UK supplier for my lenses, but I saved £36 on a year's supply with this US company, even taking international shipping into account.

And they took 4 days to arrive!

aurora borealis

19-11-2006, 9:24 AM

I am now very old and I have had to get some :rolleyes:

I can now see my watch which is a welcome novelty.

My question is, how long does it take to get used to them? My eyes ache and I have a headache since I started wearing them yesterday. Any advice from the speccy types amongst you please :D

aurora borealis

19-11-2006, 12:19 PM

Bumpage.

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwyyyyy. Should I take them off?

ayeshasi

19-11-2006, 4:47 PM

I have since the past 10ish yrs worn yearly contact coloured elegance contact lenses and have used Bausch and Lomb solution. I have now ordered a new monthly pair by Freshlook colourblends..will i have to change my solution or will the same one be ok to use?

Savvy_Sue

19-11-2006, 8:37 PM

Not being that old yet :rotfl:I can't help, but in the absence of knowledge, common sense would say "Yes, take them off and phone your optician in the morning!"

It may be that you're trying to use the wrong 'bits' of the lenses at times, if that makes sense. I know on the rare occasions I fail to remove my reading glasses, I struggle to walk round the house, even though I try to peer over the top of them, headmistress style ... :rotfl:

aurora borealis

19-11-2006, 8:40 PM

SparkyG

19-11-2006, 9:43 PM

Go back to your optician ASAP. If the glasses are just slightly out, (as in fitting) then you will get headaches and problems. It is crucial that the pupils are centred correctly, and the tiniest alteration can make all the difference!

Varifocals can be hard to get used to. I adapted to mine probably about 75% in 2 weeks, but it took around 6 months before I was 100% happy. There were times when I felt like chucking them in the bin, but my work, in a library, meant that I just HAD to get used to them!! There was no way I could wear 2 different pairs of glasses with the constant changes in focal length.

Keep persevering, and keep checking with the optician, and you will get there, I promise :D

HTH

SparkyG

pavlovs_dog

19-11-2006, 9:43 PM

cant comment on varifocals (im not as ancient as you :p )but have been be-spectacled for half my life.

dont know if you ever wore specs before these, but i always find it takes a good few days for my eyes to get used to a new prescription and new frames. the eye is a muscle, and it gets so used to looking to a certain spot to see through the best part of the lens, and it takes time for the eye to 'un-learn' this and learn to look somewhere new.

ease yourself in gently, and give it a few days. if you are still having grief, go back to the opticians.

btw, did you go to specsavers? :D

DebtphobicDeirdre

19-11-2006, 9:51 PM

:wave: I work in an Opticians as a receptionist. It can take up to a week to adjust to your variocals. They aren't to tight or uncomfortable in any way are they? I would give the Optician a ring anyway. A manufacturing error could mean they are the wrong strength. Hope you are better soon.:wave:

aurora borealis

19-11-2006, 9:54 PM

I did go to specsavers - 2 pairs for 1 ;)

They aren't tight at all.

It is like a muscle ache (still hurting now)... DD3 has an appt tomorrow so I'll ask them to check mine at the same time.

03022242

20-11-2006, 12:20 AM

hi im looking for solutions such as optifree, no rub solution, or AMO complete moisture plus etc somthing that retains moisture, i used to use i.e. moistureloc from Renu

they normally retail for abotu £10 for 355ML bottle in stores, cheaper on the net?

cheers folks!

RoCas

20-11-2006, 1:14 AM

I purchase contact lens solution from http://www.cluboptique.com/. They're competitively priced for the type of solution I use and they're always quick and efficient.

Ted_Hutchinson

20-11-2006, 9:35 AM

I found with mine I adjusted almost straight away and was happy to drive home in mine. My partner just couldn't manage at all, it's very frustrating as she loses her reading specs almost as regularly as I did when I used to have 2 pairs, But she is lost without her reading specs so when she left them at her sons house it was a minor disaster.
So she really did try very hard to get used to the varifocals but to no good. She persisted for over a month before getting Specsavers to change the lenses back to standard, which they did very willingly. I'm so glad my specs stay on all day and I've no reason to take them off till bedtime. Saves me hours of time hunting for the other pair and when their on they are out of harms way, less likely to be sat on, trodden on , or otherwise squashed.

So try to spend some time with them on each day but if you find your eyes cannot accomodate to them, don't blame yourself, your not alone.

emeraldbugle

20-11-2006, 12:02 PM

Has any one used these? I usually buy boxes of 30 Focus Dailies, but a box of 90 is so much cheaper.

A box of 30 is $17.95 and a box of 90 is $35.95. Shipping is $19.95.

www.lens.com

Thanks

Ellie2758

20-11-2006, 4:25 PM

I've had 2 pairs of varifocals (on my second pair now - I'm REALLY old). The first pair I got used to very quickly - within days - and did not have any eye aches etc. The second pair were very difficult to cope with and I ended up taking them back and they were re-made for me. There mustve been a tiny error in the measurements. It was Specsavers that I went to as well.

aurora borealis

20-11-2006, 4:30 PM

Just off to the opticians now ;) My eyes still hurt and i haven't worn them today!

recovering spendaholic

20-11-2006, 9:20 PM

I got variofocals from Costco last year but they were pricey at £160 just for the lenses, but they took no getting used to and were brilliant. When I went for my eye test this year my reading prescription had changed so I shopped around for cheaper varios. I got some for £99 in Specsavers and they assured me that they were varilux, just like my old ones but they are most definitely not the same. If I look up quickly I get a kind of dizzy feeling as things distort and they are not good at all. I went back and they insist that they are the same lenses but the prescription is the same but I can't get used to them. I went back to Costco and got the new prescription made up in their varios and guess what? perfect vision! Go figure...

aurora borealis

20-11-2006, 9:53 PM

Hmmm, they said wear them as much as possible for a week and then go back.

pavlovs_dog

21-11-2006, 7:36 AM

well the advice they give you when you first try contact lens is for the first 3-4 wears you are not allowed to wear them for more than 3 hours at a time.

dont know if you wear varifocals for as long as you would normal specs, but i would choose a time limit, wear them for that length of time today, and tomorrow try to go 30 mins to an hour longer.

give them 3-4 days of good wear. if it still hurts after that then something is wrong.

JollyNolly

21-11-2006, 7:39 AM

It took me a week or so to properly get used to varifocals. At first I thought I'd have to take them back and go back to normal lenses. However, I persevered and now I'm pretty happy with them, except when I need to read the gas meter and I have to get my head in a certain position to look through the right part of the lens - very awkward. BTW I am also very old!!

ayeshasi

21-11-2006, 10:05 AM

does anyone know?

wishiwasarichgirl

21-11-2006, 2:27 PM

as long as it is the solution for soft contact lenses (as opposed to hard/rigid/RGP CL's) then you can use it with your Freshlooks. :)

wishiwasarichgirl

21-11-2006, 2:35 PM

hiya AB, i'm an optician and i'd advise my patients to try to wear new varifocals as much as possible for a week or two cos it can take this long (or sometimes longer) to adapt to them.

try not to swap between your old specs and your varifocals if possible cos then it will take longer to adapt.

if there is no improvement after a week go back to specsavers, they have a "no quibble guarantee" so they should do all they can to sort it out for you if there is still a problem.

HTH

out of interest, do you get the same problem with both pairs or only one?

ayeshasi

21-11-2006, 5:16 PM

great thnx! Just recieved my contacts today and they are great....except for the one in the right eye...its a bit blurry, maybe i didnt put it in right.....

aurora borealis

21-11-2006, 6:03 PM

ayeshasi

22-11-2006, 11:21 AM

i have just recieved my coloured lenses for £10/month - freshlook, They were delivered next day. One of the lense seems a bit blurry and i called them this morning and was told that a replacement lense is on its way and will be with me tomorrow. Good service. www.contactlenses.co.uk

Noble Scarlet

23-11-2006, 5:02 PM

Please could someone advise me on this!

I wear monthly disposables contact lenses; A 6-months supply (including the solutions) costs me about £84 from my current opticians. I do get free after-care service like an eye test check-up but this is now once every 2 years. Ideally I could pay less if I renew my supply online instead of just handing over £84 each time without even getting a check-up.

I tried to order my lenses through Tesco but when I asked my opticians for my prescription they were such a hassle and eventually gave me a copy omitting the vital details! So it seems I cannot order my lenses online as I don't have the necessary info and I believe opticians can refuse to provide them to 3rd parties (even if you give them permission to ask on your behalf).

I really don't want to go back to them ever again: it's not totally due to the fact they want to be a pain in the a**** about giving me my specifications even though I've bought lenses from after a fitting but their customer services has worsened over the years too.

Which is the best high street opticians I should try next? I'll be happy to pay for an eye test and buy lenses from them afterwards but I would then like to be able to buy them cheaper elsewhere. What questions should I ask before committing myself?

Any help? Thanks.