first time trying contact lenses - questions

wallofbeans

Hi All,

I''ve only had to use glasses for ready for last two years, and now have a slight distance issue as well, for which I have another pair of glasses for occasional use. 

I was thinking of trying contact lenses just for distance, but am very confused about if I need another eye test, how much they cost and where to go.

I only had my most recent glasses test in Feb this year, but assume the contact lens test is completely different? Although I can't find any prices listed on the high street optician websites. Boots offers that I book a free trial, but mentions nothing about if this includes a test or how much it costs...

https://www.boots.com/opticians/opticians-offers/free-contact-lens-assessment-trial-service

Can anyone explain how this works? And advise the best way to get to try contact lenses? 

Flugelhorn

I go to the well-known green label glasses and contact lens store on the high street - basically they would use your recent eye test prescription to decide what contact lenses you need - they would also assess your eyes and run through the process for putting lenses in etc - this would all be included in the trial. 

bear in mind that if you wear contact lenses for distance then you will still need reading glasses of a different strength to your current ones  over the top of them (unless you go for varifocal lenses)

flaneurs_lobster

The sight test you had in February will be the same prescription for glasses & contact lenses * so you won't need another one.

The Boots contact lens service is pretty solid, I've been using them for over 20 years. I'd give that free trial a go.

They won't prescribe lenses (and you need a lens prescription to get lenses from Boots or elsewhere) unless your eyes are suitable, and continue to be suitable during the trial. Can't remember if you need to pay for a full lens check before they'll sign you up for further lenses, it's about £30 I think, or if the cost is rolled into the annual plan.

The Boots Reward scheme gets you lenses and an annual checkup, and any ad-hoc visits you might need. There's also a hefty discount on specs and sunglasses (prescription or otherwise) and some other discount bits.

Costs vary a lot, my basic daily disposables work out at less than £15/mth. You can see from that Boots link that there are cool newer lenses like multi-focals and photochromic lenses, these are lots more.

* sometimes there's a slight difference between the two but it's usually so slight it's not worth correcting. Gets more complicated (and expensive) if you have astigmatism you want to correct with lenses.

david29dpo

As above but i too have noticed the lack of prices on optician ALL websites for eye tests.  Search for free eye tests. I found one for £10 recently  

Flugelhorn

flaneurs_lobster said:

The sight test you had in February will be the same prescription for glasses & contact lenses * so you won't need another one.

The Boots contact lens service is pretty solid, I've been using them for over 20 years. I'd give that free trial a go.

They won't prescribe lenses (and you need a lens prescription to get lenses from Boots or elsewhere) unless your eyes are suitable, and continue to be suitable during the trial. Can't remember if you need to pay for a full lens check before they'll sign you up for further lenses, it's about £30 I think, or if the cost is rolled into the annual plan.

The Boots Reward scheme gets you lenses and an annual checkup, and any ad-hoc visits you might need. There's also a hefty discount on specs and sunglasses (prescription or otherwise) and some other discount bits.

Costs vary a lot, my basic daily disposables work out at less than £15/mth. You can see from that Boots link that there are cool newer lenses like multi-focals and photochromic lenses, these are lots more.

* sometimes there's a slight difference between the two but it's usually so slight it's not worth correcting. Gets more complicated (and expensive) if you have astigmatism you want to correct with lenses.

Agree re costs - mine as rather more as I have astigmatism and daily disposables 

Ages since I started wearing them so don't remember what happened in first place but don't remember paying anything until I was "one the scheme" which covered all check ups etc 

When it comes to lens strength, they work from the prescription and will retest the acuity / refraction to get the best result. 

Undervalued

Flugelhorn said:

I go to the well-known green label glasses and contact lens store on the high street - basically they would use your recent eye test prescription to decide what contact lenses you need - they would also assess your eyes and run through the process for putting lenses in etc - this would all be included in the trial. 

bear in mind that if you wear contact lenses for distance then you will still need reading glasses of a different strength to your current ones  over the top of them (unless you go for varifocal lenses)

Yes, but if the contact lens prescription in right it will have made your two eyes equal and corrected any astigmatism etc. You should then be able to use off the shelf reading glasses of a strength that matches the reading addition in the prescription. 

That said, not everybody is able or wants to wear contact lenses for every waking hour so if not you will still need up to date glasses (both distance and reading) to wear when you are not using your contacts.

wallofbeans

Thanks for all the replies - it's starting to make more sense now! I wish the opticians would add a bit more clarity than they do, as I've heard conflicting information about different tests needed for contacts etc.

I've used Boots before but this offer was just the first one I found when searching, so am happy to go elsewhere. Does anyone have any particular recommendations or are they all similar? Also, if I don't need a test, can these trials be done via online retailers for cheaper?

flaneurs_lobster

wallofbeans said:

 I wish the opticians would add a bit more clarity than they do

Adding clarity is pretty much the raison d'etre for having opticians.

I've used Boots before but this offer was just the first one I found when searching, so am happy to go elsewhere. Does anyone have any particular recommendations or are they all similar? Also, if I don't need a test, can these trials be done via online retailers for cheaper?

No reputable contact lens practitioner would supply to a new user without an in-person assessment. Your eyes might be unsuitable for lenses, just whacking them in might be fine, or uncomfortable, or do permanent damage to your cornea.

If there's an online contact lens supplier that will dispense lenses (they are a controlled prescription-only item) without a prescription then I'd be worried about the provenance of the stuff they're supplying.

The Boots trial is free - how much cheaper do you need? 
 

wallofbeans

flaneurs_lobster said:

wallofbeans said:

 I wish the opticians would add a bit more clarity than they do

Adding clarity is pretty much the raison d'etre for having opticians.

I've used Boots before but this offer was just the first one I found when searching, so am happy to go elsewhere. Does anyone have any particular recommendations or are they all similar? Also, if I don't need a test, can these trials be done via online retailers for cheaper?

No reputable contact lens practitioner would supply to a new user without an in-person assessment. Your eyes might be unsuitable for lenses, just whacking them in might be fine, or uncomfortable, or do permanent damage to your cornea.

If there's an online contact lens supplier that will dispense lenses (they are a controlled prescription-only item) without a prescription then I'd be worried about the provenance of the stuff they're supplying.

The Boots trial is free - how much cheaper do you need? 
 

Okay, good to know. I know nothing about contact lenses or what is involved, so thought that maybe there could be an online guide or something. But I will avoid online until I get an in person assessment. Thanks.

I know the Boots trial is free, but it might not be as good as others.. Different companies might have better quality lenses, a more thorough assessment, or even better prices once the trail is over and you start paying. 

wallofbeans

I've just had a quick google of other opticians and their contact lens trails, and have found a lot of people talking about how they went for what they thought was a free trial and ended up being charged.

Most are saying that despite the wording suggesting it was free, it is only the actual lenses that are free and their was a charge for the assessment. I'm not sure if that is still the case, or was ever true for Boots, but there is so much confusing information online that I just keep getting put off bothering!

Flugelhorn

wallofbeans said:

Okay, good to know. I know nothing about contact lenses or what is involved, so thought that maybe there could be an online guide or something. But I will avoid online until I get an in person assessment. Thanks.

The crucial bit is the assessment and support you get and that can only be in person. They put the lenses in for you the first time and that can be an odd experience as we are programmed NOT to want things in our eyes but they are very supportive! .
then they teach you how to put them in  properly, techniques for getting them out of the eye, problems to look for and the hygiene needed + dos and donts, making sure they are not inside out  etc - they will also set up a programme of when to wear them to get used to them etc and then review you shortly afterwards to see how things are going