Contact Lens Help

GoldenShadow

I started using them about a year ago. I have tried three brands from Boots. Acuvue, Bio something that were new at the time and Boots Premium Plus ie. Ciba ones.

I went with Ciba as the others were uncomfortable and felt thick in my eyes. Problem is, my vision is nowhere near as sharp as in my glasses to the point I don't like driving with my contacts, and my prescription is only -1.0! My vision just feels a bit bleary. I have dry ish eyes but not enough for drops, just 'blink more' I am told and flat ish corneas.

I looked at going to Specsavers for a trial, but on their website it says includes Easyvision and Acuvue lenses only, the latter of which I know don't suit my eyes.

How am I meant to find lenses which suit my eyes if the trials are only certain brands? I'm tempted to try monthlies instead of dailies too, but I don't know how best to not waste lots of money. I get sick of my glasses getting constantly dirty, so really do want some contacts I get on with.

Does anyone have any advice or recommendations of where to ask for help?

GwylimT

I'm short sighted with agstigmatism and I use contact lenses, my vision isn't as sharp as glasses so I don't drive in mine. For me it isn't a problem as I'm normally at work for twelve hours and of course you can't wear them for longer than that.

I use the easy vision and I have found them to be the sharpest for my agatigmatism.

Baranek

I would recommend booking yourself for contact lens aftercare with your optometrist and explain your issues. Ask at reception if your practice got optometrist specialising in contact lenses as some of them have more experience then others! Boots will let you try more lenses for free.

From personal experience i can recommend Total 1 lenses. Not cheap but by far the most comfortable (for my eyes anyway). Boots do supply them. Also I found monthly lenses more comfortable and less dry at the end of the day then daily once. Or maybe you could try 2 weekly once like Oasys. Eather way book yourself in and speak to someone.

C_Mababejive

I would recommend that you avoid high street chains and find a (recommended if poss) independent optometrist.

My degree of myopia is quite a bit higher than yours . I have used Daysoft lenses for years and they suit me very well.

The good thing about from apart from the price is that they are traditional hydrogel and not silicon hydrogel.

This means they are thinner and also are less likely to dry out your eyes and cause blurring/irritation/stiction as they dont contain any silicon which is a known hydrophilic agent.

As i use my daysofts on a daily disposable pattern and often go a day or two without wearing them, Oxygen permeability isnt an issue.

Some optom chains can tend to upsell you which just adds complications.

Keep it simple

theoretica

Have you actually been told not to use artifical tears? You can get ones which are suitable for use with contact lenses off the shelf and might try them. My vision isn't quite as clear with contact lenses either and I gathered from my optician that this is common.

GoldenShadow

Thank you everyone. I will see if I can find anywhere independent, otherwise I might go back into Boots. I was on their lens scheme but they kept changing my prescription from 0.75 to 1.00 then switching it from one eye to the other. Took ages, got me nowhere and I feel like it was the lenses over the prescription. Best bite the bullet and be prepared to spare some weekend time for it I think!

C_Mababejive

#6 At your level of slight myopia it really should be very simple. I have used boots in the past and they can vary from very good to dire. I use spherical lenses although i do have some astigmatism. Last time i went in boots, despite telling them i am very happy with my hydrogel spherical lenses, they tried to flog me some multifocal silicon hydrogel torics (to correct the astig)..i went through two trial sets and they were useless and incredibly irritating to my eyes. The third trial set were ordered about six months go and such is their customer service that i am still waiting for them to ring me ! I ditched them and went to my indie optom. He just slightly corrected my daysofts and adjusted for monovision so no more readers required either.

Toomuchdebt

Specsavers do trials of all kinds of lenses(at least they do in my branch)-if you tell them what you've tried they will suggest other brands and types and can order them in if they don't have them in stock.

GlasweJen

Any optician should ask what you've tried before and how you got on with them.

Total 1 are good as are the new dailies from Cooper Vision (names gone sorry) but I usually first fit with clariti dailies from sauflon, others in my team prefer the 1 day acuvue moist or Alcons focus dailies Aqua comfort plus. Purely for cost reasons, I practice in a very low income area and £20+ per box is just too dear for some customers.