Contact Lens Cost Cutting article discussion

Carole_a

Hi
I've just picked up the same contact lenses from Specsavers (Filcon 11.3). Just wondering if you found out whether you could buy them on line and if they were cheaper.

holdenismine

I just went to get an eye test and a contact lense checkup. And i've been advised to get Ciba Vision Air Optix so that my eyes can get more oxygen, and on getlenses.com a 12 month supply costs about £92 and even on postoptics.co.uk it's £86, so i found yourlenses.co.uk, but i want to know if anyone else has ever bought from there, cus the price on there for the lenses i want is £54, which is a lot cheaper, and I'm used to paying around £50 for Frequency 55's, soooo has anyone bought from here before, are they good?

Pssst

holdenismine wrote: »

I just went to get an eye test and a contact lense checkup. And i've been advised to get Ciba Vision Air Optix so that my eyes can get more oxygen, and on getlenses.com a 12 month supply costs about £92 and even on postoptics.co.uk it's £86, so i found yourlenses.co.uk, but i want to know if anyone else has ever bought from there, cus the price on there for the lenses i want is £54, which is a lot cheaper, and I'm used to paying around £50 for Frequency 55's, soooo has anyone bought from here before, are they good?

Have you considered daily lenses as a healthier and more economical option?

https://www.daysoft.co.uk

(Disclaimer-There are other manufacturers of daily contact lenses..)

nedmundo

Sorry Pssst - conventional daily disposables won't allow anywhere near as much oxygen through as the lenses that have been prescribed. Therefore, it could easily be argued that they would be neither healthier or more economical.

wishiwasarichgirl

NickyDee wrote: »

My optician previously prescribed me Acuvue TruEye, which whilst very comfortable, are some of the most expensive on the market. I understand it is due to the material used.

Can anyone suggest cheaper daily/weekly/bi-weekly/monthly alternatives so that I can nudge my optician in the right direction when I visit later this month please?

They are a silicon hydrogel lens, which is generally the best material in terms of comfort & oxygen transmission, the only other company currently manufacturing a SiH daily is Sauflon, who make Clariti 1-day.
As far as I know (correct me if i'm wrong Ned) it is only available at Specsavers at the minute (branded as their "ultimate" daily umere lens at £30 for 30 pairs)

nedmundo

I do believe you're right WIWARG! Have you seen any of these Clariti 1 Day in action yet?

wishiwasarichgirl

nedmundo wrote: »

I do believe you're right WIWARG! Have you seen any of these Clariti 1 Day in action yet?

Hey ned,
yeah, we've only had them a month or two but they seem pretty good so far, most px's don't notice any difference between them & Trueye in terms of comfort (but I'm guessing the fact that we are doing them £10 cheaper than 30 prs of trueye might be part of their decision! ) Almost everyone agrees they are more comfortable & less drying than any of the hydrogel dailies
I found them very comfy but I only really use them for the gym cos i need a toric for decent vision.

Pssst

Yes im well aware of oxygen permeability and the properties of hydrogels.

You pays your money ,you take your choice.

I would add that i have just had a comprehensive eye check up at Boots who confirmed that my daysofts were working perfectly and that there were no adverse indications. I have now been using them for perhaps 5 years.

When hydrogels become fairly priced,i'll probably switch to them but at the moment,the cost is both excessive and prohibitive.

wishiwasarichgirl

just to be pedantic Pssst, most standard daily lenses are "hydrogel", the new generation material is "silicone hydrogel". Eventually all lenses will be silicone hydrogel as it is a much better material, and the lenses will drop in price.

nedmundo

Pssst wrote: »

Yes im well aware of oxygen permeability and the properties of hydrogels.

You pays your money ,you take your choice.

I would add that i have just had a comprehensive eye check up at Boots who confirmed that my daysofts were working perfectly and that there were no adverse indications. I have now been using them for perhaps 5 years.

When hydrogels become fairly priced,i'll probably switch to them but at the moment,the cost is both excessive and prohibitive.

So in the above example, (where a patient has been advised to get silicon hydrogels, presumably due to complications induced by lack of oxygen ), if you know all about oxygen issues, why are you suggesting a low oxygen lens?

The above is a case where self prescribing could potentially do a lot of harm. Sometimes, financial considerations shouldn't be put before health.