Contact Lenses Discussion Area

lisyloo

Try this link from Her Majestys customs and Excise site

http://www.hmce.gov.uk/forms/notices/143.htm#P84_6257

If the value is over £18 then duty and VAT is due.
Many DVD and CD companies get round this by sending out DVDs and CDs individually to reduce the value.

I was guessing that your contact lenses are almost certainly more expensive than this.

We used to import cigarettes until we realised it was illegal. We got a letter from HM customs and Excise telling us they would incinerate the good and would keep our names so that they could prosecute us if we did it again.

The fact is that the majority of parcels get through without being noticed (they can't check all of them).

However if you continue then sooner or later you may lose a batch of lenses to the Customs people.

System

HELLO ALL,

EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN GET YOUR CONTACT LENSES CHEAPER ON THE WEB, YOU DO NEED TO GO TO YOUR OPTICIAN FOR REGULAR AFTERCARE CHECKS AND MAKE SURE YU USE YOUR LENSES PROPERLY......
IF YOU DONT, YOU RUN THE RISK OF GETTING SIGHT THREATNING INFECTIONS...SO GO FOR THE CHEAPER OPTION, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THAT THE OPTICIAN IS RELUCTANT TO TREAT YOU WHEN YOU HAVE A INFECTION AND YOURE NOT GETTING CONTACTS FROM THEM...

dogoff

I've just ordered my contacts from Vision Direct and been stung for £21.95 in tax, I'm currently in a battle with them for a refund as they don't warn of this possibility on their website. My total order was only £30 incl postage. My lenses are now at my local post office awaiting me to pay the duty. Be careful they reckon very few packages get stopped.

link=board=fiddly;num=1081710268;start=0#24 date=04/16/04 at 23:25:02]I use Vision direct in the US.  As the pound is strong at the moment against the dollar I find that this has worked out cheaper than purchasing then from the UK sites.  You have to pay the custom fee but this is less than £10, so if you buy in bulk this is a good deal.

Of course when the exchange rate changes you need to continue to check the UK sites[/quote]
???

KG

Just had my eyes tested this morning and was wondering if anyone can help me understand my perscription.

I have an astigmatism and optical express have given me the following prescription:

Right eye

sph: +0.75
cly: +2.50
axis: 90

Left eye

sph: +1.00
cyl: +3.25
axis: 77

I have checked out some of the suppliers mentioned, but the 'cly' presciption seems to be off the scale. All of the sites have 'cly' measurements ranging from -1.00 to -2.50.

My optician warned me that my vision might not be quite as sharp with toric lenses as with glasses / gas permeable, but I have taken advantage of their free trial and ordered a trial pair of monthlies in.

I just wanted to check whether my prescription had been written down right. Is it possible to have a 'cly' measurement of +2.50 and +3.25? And if so, why are these measurements not appearing?

Ta

KG

lisyloo

There are 2 possibilities.

You have a fairly severe astigmatism for which soft contact lenses are not available.
The reasons that they are not available could either be that it's difficult to correct that degree of astigmatism or alternatively the market is sufficiently small that the contact lense makers don't make them.

The would seem to fit in with what your optician has said. i.e. they will get you the closest prescription but it won't correct perfectly.

The second alternative is that your prescription is written in a different format to the sites.
There are two ways of writing a prescription (plus cil and minus cil).
I think the contact lense sites work in minus cil.
Give your optician a ring and ask which they have used.
They should easily be able to convert for you.

I found this out when comparing prescription and being shocked at the difference which prompted a call to my optician.

KG

Cheers lisyloo. I will be cheeky and ask them when I go in to pick up my free 1 month trial pair next week. ;D

KG

lisyloo

By the way - rigid gas permeable lenses MIGHT work well for you.

These are rigid and tend to physically pull your eye into shape.
This means you would get better vision plus it can improve your astimatism (because you eyes tend to retain the shape they are being pulled into).

Unfortunately I found these uncomfortable and they are much harder to get used to (a lot less suitable for occassional wear because you need to adapt to them).
I do have dry eyes however and this is not everyones experience. Some people get on fine.

It's a possibility that you could consider although I guess there is a reason why you are going with soft lenses.
They are very comfortable and can easily be worn occassionally (not so difficult to get used to).

Soft lenses are usually the choice the these days but don't rule out GPs because everyones eyes are different.

System

Anybody know where I can get "Ciel XV" lenses. I used to get these from The Eye Clinic" but they told me they weren't dispensing these any more. I now use their daily Vision ones but these are much less comfortable.

System

Try Google "Ciel XV"

Andrea

I've just been looking for contact lenses and I spotted Simplylenses.com.

According to the site they have a price promise - if you can find the product cheaper they'll refund the difference plus 25%.  They also give you free perfume if you pay by direct debit.  Delivery is free.

Just thought I'd update this: they don't seem to apply the price promise.

Their original price isn't the cheapest (£64 for 180 Bausch & Lomb softlens daily disposables) but hopefully they will price match the lowest I've found, which so far is £59.88 at Specsavers direct.

I've emailed them to ask how their price match works - whether they'll price match straight away or refund it afterwards.