Contact Lens Cost Cutting article discussion

stretchmark

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you know about http://www.thecontactlensshop.com.

We are a UK site and we've been selling online since 2001 - longer than most of the other UK online contact lens suppliers. We currently offer some excellent prices. (e.g. 90 pairs of Focus Dailes £52.90 inc postage, 90 pairs Acuvue 1-Day £85.90 inc postage, 6 pairs of Proclear monthlies £26.90 inc. postage) NOTE: Our prices include UK postage. Some other sites charge for postage. And you don't need to log in or register.

You will, however, need to supply a copy of your 'Contact Lens Specification' before we can supply. Most people order online - then fax a copy through afterwards. It's easy, quick and cheap, and we supply most popular brands of disposable contact lenses.

Cheers,


Mark
http://www.TheContactLensShop.com
Cheaper Contact Lenses Online

hoyin

Ed_Eichman wrote: »

Disclosure: [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]www.lensbase.com[/FONT] is also my client...
In BEST BUYS: Cheapest lens suppliers, Martin reports that Lensplanet has the lowest prices for [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]One-day Acuvue at 306 GBP. However, Lensbase beats them, selling One-day Acuvue at 299 GBP.

In addition, [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Lensbase [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]has a huge inventory, great support, and Google indicates the superior relative importance of the site [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]on the web [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]by giving it a PageRank of 4 (logarithmic scale), well above Lensplanet's 3 ranking.[/FONT]

But if you buy at Lensplanet through quidco you get 8% back which saves you £24.48 and therefore brings the cost of a years worth of 1 day acuvue to £281.52.

Who cares how large the inventory is - as long as they have what I require. I also don't see the importance of its Google ranking either?

chrispyphillips

Okay, I need a question answering guys.

My girlfriend must have the most awkward eyes in the world! Her prescription is radius 8.7 and diameter 14.4! The most common are 8.6, 8.8 or 8.9 and I've never seen one for 14.4, only 14 or 14.2!!

Now, since she's such a freak, is she able to use the closest to it (like an 8.6/14.0) or does she have to have the exact prescription, lest her contact not work or hurt her eyes?

Only asking cos we dont wanna buy something that will be wasted, but if it doesnt make a great difference then we'll go for it!!!

Thanks

wishiwasarichgirl

chrispyphillips wrote: »

Okay, I need a question answering guys.

My girlfriend must have the most awkward eyes in the world! Her prescription is radius 8.7 and diameter 14.4! The most common are 8.6, 8.8 or 8.9 and I've never seen one for 14.4, only 14 or 14.2!!

Now, since she's such a freak, is she able to use the closest to it (like an 8.6/14.0) or does she have to have the exact prescription, lest her contact not work or hurt her eyes?

Only asking cos we dont wanna buy something that will be wasted, but if it doesnt make a great difference then we'll go for it!!!

Thanks

No company should supply lenses which are a different specification to the ones which the patient has been fitted with by the optician. They may not fit well, which could give poor vision, irritation, and possibly damage to the eyes and eyelids if very badly fitting.

I suspect your girlfriends lenses are made by Coopervision, Frequency 55/Aspherics. They are commonly sold by high street opticians under various brand names, like Boots monthlies, Specsavers Asphericlens etc.

chrispyphillips

Thanks, yes they are Specsavers own lenses!!

So should she not get any pairs unless they are exact as per the prescription she's been given?!

Where on earth are we gonna find that?

treliac

I am sceptical about the need for an exact specification/fit.

Specsavers have been happy to supply me with lenses of various specifications. They are not very much different from each other and, I believe, that some of the 'scaremongering' about spec is just bluff and intended to keep business rather than about harming eyes.

As long as you have your eyes checked and the lenses are comfortable, not too tight etc, slight differences in spec make little difference IMO.

Specsavers have provided me with differing lenses to try, for me to decide which I find best.

Just my opinion of course, but other people I have talked to say the same !!

wishiwasarichgirl

treliac wrote: »

I am sceptical about the need for an exact specification/fit.

Specsavers have been happy to supply me with lenses of various specifications. They are not very much different from each other and, I believe, that some of the 'scaremongering' about spec is just bluff and intended to keep business rather than about harming eyes.

As long as you have your eyes checked and the lenses are comfortable, not too tight etc, slight differences in spec make little difference IMO.

Specsavers have provided me with differing lenses to try, for me to decide which I find best.

Just my opinion of course, but other people I have talked to say the same !!

yeah, you're right, some people can get away with pretty much any lens, but others will find that some designs do not suit their eyes so well, hence why I have highlighted part of your post...

The main difference with trying them from the opticians and just ordering random ones off the net is that at least the optician checks your vision with them and makes sure they are a reasonable fit before sending you off with a foreign body to stick in your eyes every day.

nedmundo

treliac wrote: »

I am sceptical about the need for an exact specification/fit.

Specsavers have been happy to supply me with lenses of various specifications. They are not very much different from each other and, I believe, that some of the 'scaremongering' about spec is just bluff and intended to keep business rather than about harming eyes.

As long as you have your eyes checked and the lenses are comfortable, not too tight etc, slight differences in spec make little difference IMO.

Specsavers have provided me with differing lenses to try, for me to decide which I find best.

Just my opinion of course, but other people I have talked to say the same !!

You can be sceptical about what you want. The law is the law and is there for consumer protection.It is dictated by the GOC, who are very much on the side of the consumer and wouldn't have specified it if there wasn't a clinical/safety issue. Curves and diameters aside, you make no mention of materials, which are also part of a specification - are they not? They can have a drastic influence on the suitability of one lens compared to another - irrespective of lens dimensions.

If you had to pick up the pieces from patients wearing unsuitable lenses then maybe you wouldn't be so sceptical.

treliac

chrispyphillips wrote: »

Okay, I need a question answering guys.

My girlfriend must have the most awkward eyes in the world! Her prescription is radius 8.7 and diameter 14.4! The most common are 8.6, 8.8 or 8.9 and I've never seen one for 14.4, only 14 or 14.2!!

Out of curiosity, why doesn't your girlfriend buy her lenses from the optician who prescribed for her if she has any concerns?

Alternatively, Tesco and Asda both offer a CL check for £15. It would be interesting to see if they prescribe the exact same spec. They do not try to tie you in to buying from them like some opticians do. (The 8.7 you mention is the base curve, i.e. how steeply the lens curves / tightly it fits the eye. The diameter is the size of the lens and relates to how much of the eye it covers, although the differences in diameter are usually fairly small).

treliac

nedmundo wrote: »

You can be sceptical about what you want. The law is the law and is there for consumer protection.It is dictated by the GOC, who are very much on the side of the consumer and wouldn't have specified it if there wasn't a clinical/safety issue. Curves and diameters aside, you make no mention of materials, which are also part of a specification - are they not? They can have a drastic influence on the suitability of one lens compared to another - irrespective of lens dimensions.

If you had to pick up the pieces from patients wearing unsuitable lenses then maybe you wouldn't be so sceptical.

I have never had the material specified on my prescription ned. Is it specific problems with materials causing harm that you have seen or poor wearing schedules by those adversely affected, do you think?

Manifestly unsuitable materials would not be on the market and, hey, I'm not advocating people should self prescribe beyond making informed decisions for themselves, having been tested, fitted and advised by a properly qualified optician.